Spotify Invests Over $1 Million to Expand Non-English Audiobooks in Ambitious New Initiative

Spotify is investing €1 million in audiobooks in regional languages, beginning with French and Dutch, in an effort to enhance its non-English content offerings. With a catalog boasting over 200,000 audiobooks and an Audiobooks Access Tier priced at $10, Spotify aims to provide competitive pricing compared to Audible, despite imposing a limit on listening hours. The introduction of audiobooks marks a strategic expansion for Spotify, as it seeks to diversify its offerings beyond music and podcasts.

Launched a couple of years ago, audiobooks have become a popular format on the Spotify app. While the company is undercutting Audible in pricing, its inventory remains smaller, prompting the recent investment in creating more audiobooks in regional languages. Spotify’s audiobook service is now available in several countries, including the US, where Audible holds a significant market share.

The company is keenly focused on niche segments within the audiobook sector, particularly in markets where audiobook consumption is still nascent. France and the Netherlands are primary targets for this initiative due to their low adoption rates; out of 750,000 French titles, only 20,000 are in audio format, while for Dutch, the figure stands at a mere 15,000 out of 209,000 physical titles. Despite emphasizing the value of human narration in audiobook creation, Spotify has recently begun using artificial intelligence for some narrations through its partnership with ElevenLabs.

This move aims to enhance the affordability and accessibility of audiobooks but raises concerns for professional narrators and voice artists who may find their roles threatened. It remains unclear whether the new investment will be directed towards AI-generated audiobooks. For users wishing to bundle audiobooks with their music subscription, Spotify offers an option to upgrade for just an additional dollar, resulting in a total monthly fee of $11.

This pricing strategy encourages users to consider its Premium plan by keeping the two tiers closely aligned.