Spotify Adds Narrated Magazine Articles to Its Audiobook Service
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Spotify is adding a new narrated article format to its platform, starting with over 650 long-form stories from major publications like Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and Vogue. Premium subscribers can access them within their existing audiobook allowance, while free users can purchase individual articles. The move expands Spotify's spoken-word content as listening hours for such content grow significantly.
Facts First
- Spotify is introducing narrated articles from over 10 major magazines including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and Vogue.
- Premium subscribers can access the articles within their existing monthly audiobook listening time.
- Free-tier users can purchase individual narrated articles for $1.99 each.
- The collection was produced in-house by the Spotify Audiobooks team and includes articles under two hours long.
- Listening hours for spoken-word content on Spotify have grown 60% year over year.
What Happened
Spotify is introducing a new format of narrated articles to its platform. Starting Tuesday, more than 650 long-form magazine articles in English will be available to users in regions where Spotify's audiobooks are offered. The collection was produced by the Spotify Audiobooks in-house team and includes stories from publications such as Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Billboard, Vibe, GQ, Wired, Vanity Fair, Pitchfork, and Variety. Each narrated article is less than two hours in length.
Why this Matters to You
If you are a Spotify Premium subscriber, you can now listen to narrated magazine articles using the listening time included in your monthly audiobook allowance. If you use Spotify's free tier, you can purchase individual articles for $1.99 each. This may provide you with a new way to consume long-form journalism from well-known magazines during commutes or other activities. The expansion of this format suggests Spotify is likely to continue adding more spoken-word content, which could mean more listening options for you in the future.
What's Next
The narrated articles are available starting Tuesday in the markets where Spotify offers audiobooks, which currently number 22. Given the reported 60% year-over-year growth in listening hours for spoken-word content, Spotify may continue to expand this narrated article catalog with stories from additional publishers. The company has also recently released features like Page Match, Recaps, and Follow Along for its audiobook service, which could be applied to this new format to enhance the user experience.