Latest news with #AudiobooksPlus
Hans India
4 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Spotify's New 30-Hour Audiobook Plans Still Fall Short for Long Reads
Spotify is once again expanding its reach beyond music and podcasts, but this time, its new audiobook plans are drawing mixed reactions. The company has introduced two fresh Audiobooks Plus add-on subscriptions that allow Premium users to double their current audiobook listening time, from 15 hours to 30 hours each month. These add-ons are available for individual Premium subscribers as well as those managing Family or Duo plans. Other users on shared Premium plans can now request their own 15 hours of audiobook access from their plan manager. However, for avid audiobook listeners, the new limit may still feel frustratingly tight. While 30 hours might be enough to squeeze in a couple of shorter novels, it falls short for fans of epic fantasy or sprawling non-fiction. Take George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones or Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings — both easily exceed that limit. Even classics like Robert Jordan's The Eye of the World, which runs nearly 33 hours, would be impossible to finish without spilling over into the next month's hours or purchasing a top-up — an option Spotify doesn't currently offer for titles already included in Premium. To make matters more restrictive, Premium subscribers can't simply buy these books outright through Spotify. 'I scoured through Spotify's audiobook listings to find anything I could buy as a Premium subscriber and came up with nothing,' one user noted. This makes Spotify's approach feel more limiting when compared to services like Audible, which gives users one free audiobook per month to keep forever. Audible also frequently runs discounts, letting subscribers build a permanent library at a relatively low cost. Despite this, Spotify's model does offer some benefits for authors. Reports suggest that Spotify's payouts to authors are better than what Audible provides. Unfortunately, the lack of a purchase option means subscribers have no direct way to support their favourite writers while staying within the app. Currently, the new Audiobooks Plus add-ons are only available in select markets, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Netherlands. Pricing differs by region — in the UK, for example, both add-ons cost £8.99 (around $12), which could effectively double the price of an individual Premium subscription in the US. Spotify says it plans to launch similar plans in the US soon. American listeners already have the option to purchase 10-hour audiobook top-ups for $12.99, but the new add-ons will let them automatically roll over into 30 hours each month without extra steps. For casual listeners, Spotify's standard 15-hour allowance may still be a decent perk, especially if they also stream music on the platform. The company even offers a $9.99 audiobook-only plan with 15 hours of listening for those who get their music elsewhere. A Spotify spokesperson did not comment on how many listeners actually hit the current 15-hour ceiling. For now, it seems Spotify's move is a step in the right direction for audiobook fans — just not quite far enough for those ready to lose themselves in the longest tales.
Phone Arena
5 days ago
- Business
- Phone Arena
Spotify wants more money from customers, but its offer leaves to be desired
Do you plan to pay for Audiobooks+ when it arrives in the US? Yes, it's more convenient to pay for everything in one place No, I prefer Audible for audiobooks. I prefer to read books rather than listen to audiobooks. Yes, it's more convenient to pay for everything in one place 0% No, I prefer Audible for audiobooks. 0% I prefer to read books rather than listen to audiobooks. 0% Receive the latest Apps news By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy Audiobooks+ is now available in several more countries | Image credit: Spotify Countries where the Audiobooks+ add-on subscription is now available: Australia Austria Belgium Canada France Germany Liechtenstein Luxembourg New Zealand United Kingdom Spotify announced that Audiobooks+ is available in the UK for £9 per month, but that's all we know so far. The add-on subscription is not yet available in the United States, but Spotify says it will bring this option to Spotify Premium customers in the country in the 'coming weeks.' Audiobooks+ : Available to Premium Individual subscribers as well as Family and Duo plan managers, this add-on unlocks an additional 15 hours of listening each month for the existing base plan. : Available to Premium Individual subscribers as well as Family and Duo plan managers, this add-on unlocks an additional 15 hours of listening each month for the existing base plan. Audiobooks+ for Plan Members : For the first time, additional members on Premium Family and Duo can access 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening through this recurring add-on. They can also purchase a one-time 10-hour top-up if they run out of hours before their monthly billing cycle refreshes. Spotify's new plan options aren't that competitive Launched back in 2023, Spotify's Audiobooks service had a positive effect on audiobook sales. According to a survey by the Audiobook Publishers Association, audiobook sales grew by 13 percent in 2024, with 99 percent of the revenues generated by digital audiobooks. More importantly, Spotify's publishing partners specifically name Spotify as a key contributor to the growth. Despite that, Spotify's Audiobooks plans are nowhere near as good as Audible, probably the best service aimed at those who love reading. Audible offers two subscription options, which are both superior to anything that Spotify has launched to date: Audible Plus : Unlimited listening: Members can stream or download any title from the Plus Catalog. Cost: $7.95 per month. Content: Includes audiobooks, podcasts, and Audible Originals. Titles: A constantly updated catalog of thousands of titles. Audible Premium Plus : Includes everything in Audible Plus, plus credits for premium selection titles. Cost: Starts at $14.95 per month. Credits: One credit per month for a premium selection title, which is yours to keep forever. Exclusive sales and discounts: Members get access to sales and discounts on additional premium selections. In comparison, Spotify's select Premium plans include 15 hours of audiobook listening time every month. The cheapest Premium plan that includes that many hours of listening time costs $10.99 in the United States. Since Audiobooks+ is not yet available in the US yet, we can't accurately compare it with Audible, but let's just put its price at around $10 just because Spotify is offering the plan in the UK for £9. Audible's plan options | Screenshot by PhoneArena That means that for 30 hours of listening time, Spotify customers will have to pay around $21 per month. But if you keep your Spotify Premium plan and pick Audible Plus instead of Audiobooks+, you get unlimited listening and pay about $19 per month. If you're a UK resident, it's easier to compare the two subscription options. Audible Premium Plus costs £9, the exact same price as Spotify announced for Audiobooks+, while Audible Standard is available for £6. In order for Spotify to make Audiobooks+ more appealing it needs to either lower the price or make it unlimited. However, based on its actions, Spotify has no intention of competing with other audiobooks services and is relying on the fact that Audible is only available in several regions like Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, and United States. That means that for 30 hours of listening time, Spotify customers will have to pay around $21 per month. But if you keep your Spotify Premium plan and pick Audible Plus instead of Audiobooks+, you get unlimited listening and pay about $19 per you're a UK resident, it's easier to compare the two subscription options. Audible Premium Plus costs £9, the exact same price as Spotify announced for Audiobooks+, while Audible Standard is available for £ order for Spotify to make Audiobooks+ more appealing it needs to either lower the price or make it unlimited. However, based on its actions, Spotify has no intention of competing with other audiobooks services and is relying on the fact that Audible is only available in several regions like Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, and United States. Countries where the Audiobooks+ add-on subscription is now available:Spotify announced that Audiobooks+ is available in the UK for £9 per month, but that's all we know so far. The add-on subscription is not yet available in the United States, but Spotify says it will bring this option to Spotify Premium customers in the country in the 'coming weeks.'Launched back in 2023, Spotify's Audiobooks service had a positive effect on audiobook sales. According to a survey by the Audiobook Publishers Association, audiobook sales grew by 13 percent in 2024, with 99 percent of the revenues generated by digital importantly, Spotify's publishing partners specifically name Spotify as a key contributor to the growth. Despite that, Spotify's Audiobooks plans are nowhere near as good as Audible, probably the best service aimed at those who love offers two subscription options, which are both superior to anything that Spotify has launched to date:In comparison, Spotify's select Premium plans include 15 hours of audiobook listening time every month. The cheapest Premium plan that includes that many hours of listening time costs $10.99 in the United Audiobooks+ is not yet available in the US yet, we can't accurately compare it with Audible, but let's just put its price at around $10 just because Spotify is offering the plan in the UK for £9. Spotify has just announced plans to bring its Audiobooks+ service to more countries after the successful initial trials launched earlier this year. Audiobooks+ will be slowly rolled out to several European countries, as well as Australia and New introduced in Canada and Ireland, Audiobooks+ allows Spotify Premium users to listen to an additional 15 hours of audiobooks included in the service's catalog. This is added on top of the hours of listening time per month included in Premium Individual and Family Spotify Premium plans include 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month from a catalog of over 250,000. Customers can buy top-ups if they need more audiobook listening Audiobooks+, the total hours of audiobook listening time per month reaches 30 for Premium Individual subscribers, as well as Family and Duo plan managers. However, Audiobooks+ doesn't come for free, so you'll have to pay a monthly fee on top of your Spotify Premium subscription.
