Spotify is adding long-form articles to its audiobook library
Source: Engadget
Overview
Spotify is expanding its catalogue with more than 650 narrated long‑form magazine articles. All of the pieces are in English and will be available in every region where Spotify offers audiobooks.
Publications Included
The initial rollout features articles from:
- Rolling Stone
- The Atlantic
- Vogue
- Variety
- Billboard
- Vibe
- GQ
- WIRED
- Vanity Fair
- Pitchfork
The selection focuses on topics such as music and technology, aligning with the interests of Spotify’s audience.
“With Articles, we’re introducing long‑form journalism in audio as a natural extension of the music, podcasts, and audiobooks people already come to Spotify for, focused on topics we know they love,” said Colleen Prendergast, Licensing Lead at Spotify Audiobooks.
Listening Details
- Each narrated article is under two hours long.
- Premium subscribers receive 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month.
- Additional listening time can be purchased via the Audiobooks+ monthly add‑on.
- Individual articles are available for $2 each.
Production and AI
Spotify states that the narrated articles were produced in‑house by the Spotify Audiobooks team. Clarification is pending on whether the narrations were performed by human talent or generated using AI.
Related AI Updates
During its recent investor day, Spotify announced several generative‑AI features:
- A tool (launching next month in the US) that lets users create personal podcasts by drawing from their profile and uploaded files (PDFs, URLs, etc.).
- “Prompted Playlists” for audiobooks, which generate playlists based on user prompts and listening history.