Spotify Launches Audiobooks in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, & Luxembourg
Photo Credit: Spotify
After launching audiobooks in the United States, Canda, UK, Ireland, Australia & New Zealand, Spotify is ready to bring book listening to a new audience.
Audiobooks are now available in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg as Spotify continues the rollout. The launch of audiobooks in these countries includes the works of local authors including Gaël Faye, Maylis de Kerangal, Joël Dicker, Suzanne Vermeer, Saskia Noort, and more. Spotify Premium subscribers in those countries can now access more than 200,000 audiobooks as part of their subscription.
Spotify says any title not included in its audiobooks offering can also be purchased à la carte—even by non-Premium Spotify listeners. The addition of audiobooks to Spotify’s Premium plan has been a source of contention between music publishers and publishing societies. But Spotify views the rollout as a positive one, as do most Spotify Premium subscribers.
“Spotify’s research presents a significant opportunity to expand the audiobooks market across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg,” says Antoine Monin, Managing Director, Spotify Western Europe. “Since our launch in Western Europe 16 years ago, Spotify has evolved into a leading platform for music, podcasts, and now audiobooks.”
“We are proud to spotlight this region’s rich literary tradition, with 15,000 French and 15,000 Dutch and Flemish titles joining our catalog, advancing our mission to empower audio creators globally and connect them with audiences both locally and internationally.”
Spotify says it has seen user engagement increase when people interact with audiobooks. In the United States alone, users spend an average of five additional hours on Spotify over their first two months of starting an audiobook. Spotify says it views the launch of audiobooks in Europe as a massive new market.
“This launch opens up new opportunities for local authors and rights holders and helps create an additional revenue stream for the industry,” Spotify said in its announcement. “With 28% of Spotify’s users located in Europe, we’ll continue investing in and growing the available audience and revenue pies for publishers and authors.”
New listeners can listen to 12 hours of an audiobook for free before the monthly billing cycle refreshes. Users who want to finish an audiobook in a month can purchase a 10-hour top-up for €9.99. While Spotify offers the ability to speed up audiobook playback from 0.5x to 3.5x—free audiobook time is based on 1x speed.
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