Spotify Expands Audiobooks Access To Family Plan Members In The Us For The First Time

Spotify is expanding entree to its audiobooks to much U.S. subscribers. The institution connected Tuesday announced nan motorboat of its $11.99 per period Audiobooks+ scheme successful nan market, which allows subscribers aliases their family members connected a Family aliases Duo scheme to adhd 15 hours of audiobook listening during nan period connected apical of nan guidelines plan.

Though Spotify launched its audiobooks work successful nan U.S. backmost successful 2022, family members connected Duo and Family plans person agelong been near out.

The offering makes audiobooks disposable to family members for nan first clip successful nan U.S. market.

Through Spotify Premium, subscribers already person entree to 15 hours of audiobook listening per period and tin bargain further hours to apical disconnected that, arsenic needed. However, nan Audiobooks+ scheme gives subscribers nan action to adhd connected recurring entree to 15 further hours each month, connected apical of nan Premium plan’s existing monthly allotment.

While that whitethorn beryllium overkill for immoderate but nan much voracious audiobook listeners, nan U.S. rollout of Audiobooks+ besides intends that different members connected a subscription scheme too nan cardholder tin now besides entree Spotify’s audiobooks catalog for nan first time. This is made imaginable done nan add-on called “Audiobooks+ for Plan Members.”

With nan launch, nan U.S. joins a fistful of different markets pinch entree to Audiobooks+, including Ireland, Canada, nan U.K., Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, nan Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Image Credits:Spotify

The announcement of nan plan’s description to nan U.S. comes soon aft a tough quarter for nan streaming giant, wherever it missed expectations and reported anemic guidance. Spotify CEO Daniel Ek pointed to a weaker ads business arsenic nan cause. (Spotify’s ads main had conscionable near for DoorDash, media outlets reported up of earnings.)

Despite nan loss, 1 agleam spot for nan institution successful nan 4th was its personification growth. Active users grew 11% to 696 million, and paid subscribers grew 12% to 276 cardinal successful during nan 2nd quarter. The extremity pinch nan caller Audiobooks+ scheme is to extract much money from those existing customers.

In December, patient HarperCollins teased a solution for nan problem pinch family members’ inability to entree audiobooks. HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray said astatine nan clip that Spotify was moving to set a “technical problem” pinch family plans that constricted audiobook streaming only to nan family plan’s in installments paper holder.

Last month, Spotify made bully connected that committedness erstwhile it expanded audiobook entree to scheme members for nan first clip pinch nan motorboat of Audibooks+ successful respective non-U.S. markets.

Spotify doesn’t stock really galore of its Premium subscribers watercourse audiobooks successful summation to euphony aliases podcasts, but notes that audiobook listening hours are up much than 35% year-over-year successful nan U.S., U.K., and Australia. Notably, that’s earlier these add-on plans became available.

The news of nan caller subscription follows Spotify’s announcement connected Monday that its subscription prices are expanding from €10,99 to €11,99 crossed markets successful nan Middle East, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and nan Asia-Pacific region.