Spotify is at it finally. The streaming giant has announced the launch of its audiobook service though it is going to be available only in the US as of now. The company said they are starting with 300,000 audiobooks at the moment which members can buy and listen to via any device that supports the Spotify app.
Interestingly, the company isn’t allowing in-app purchases of audiobooks at the moment, something that applies to both its Android and iOS apps. Rather, the audiobooks will have to be bought via the Spotify web player. The company isn’t explaining the reason behind the move though that likely has much to do with the in-app payment system with the respective apps and the percentage that Apple or Google charge. Clearly, Spotify wants to not pay any fees, so it is only selling them via the web.
That apart, buyers can opt for any of the 300,000 audiobooks that Spotify has to offer at the moment, a figure that no doubt would see getting inflated with each passing day. Each of the audiobooks is divided into chapters, which makes listening or keeping track of the content easy. The listening speed can be adjusted to suit your preference or download the content for offline reading via any compatible device.
The audiobooks are going to be available via search option or in the library section. Spotify also said they would suggest audiobooks based on the individual user’s listening preference. The audiobooks will have a lock icon over them and will get unlocked only after it is purchased.
The Swedish start-up initially offered music streaming services though it later branched out to offer podcasts from 2015 onwards. The company has long stated its intentions of being in the audiobook segment as well, something that Spotify’s vice president and global head of audiobooks and gated content, Nir Zicherman justified citing the 20 percent growth rate the segment is growing at every year. This is in spite of it making up just about 7 percent of the entire book segment.
The company said they intend to expand their audiobook service in more regions of the world, once it irons out all of the bugs and introduces new features for US users.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
