Spotify is expanding its audiobook library by adding long-form magazine articles that are converted into narrated audio. In other words, the streaming platform is now hosting spoken versions of editorial journalism from major publishers. The first rollout includes over 650 long-form narrated articles.
However, the first 650 long-form articles are available in English and all of Spotify's regions where audiobooks are usable. This is part of Spotify’s push to make more types of written content consumable in audio form, blending podcasts, audiobooks, and journalism into a single listening experience.
The publishers whose articles are added at the first launch include Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, GQ, WIRED, Rolling Stone, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, and Pitchfork. These are not the only publishers Spotify is getting the long-form articles from; it's just carefully selecting articles from different publishers, and most of them are about music and tech because that’s what users tend to care about most.
According to the person managing the Licensing Lead at Spotify Audiobooks, Colleen Prendergast, the long-form articles are journalism in audio and serve as a natural addition to the audiobooks, podcasts, and music people already use Spotify for. It used to “focus on topics we know they love," he added.
However, this convertible long-form articles are not for free. Accessing them depend on your subscription type; it's either you are a premium user or you buy individual articles which can cost around $1.99 each in some regions. Notably, the premium subscription provides up to 15 hours of audiobook listening each month. For users who read more frequently, Spotify offers additional options such as the Audiobooks+ add-on, which increases the monthly listening limit.
Length and Format
The narrated long-form articles are generally under 2 hours each, designed to feel like short audiobooks rather than podcast episodes. Spotify said the first 650 narrated articles it has released were produced internally by its audiobooks team. A source from within the company has also clarified that the articles will be narrated using a combination of human voice actor and digital voice narration.
The platform will clearly label the content when synthetic narration is employed. The company, during its investor day, unveiled some updates built around generative AI, including the one that will allow users to create personalised audio podcasts based on their profile and uploaded materials, such as PDFs and web links.
Beyond expanding the music ecosystem and podcasts library, Spotify is also using narrated long-form articles to increase the time users spend listening on the platform.
*This article has been updated to include Spotify's clarification about what is employed to narrate the articles.
