Spotify audiobooks might be the next step
After conquering the podcast world, the leading audio streaming service, Spotify is working to get into a new non-music audio market which is audiobooks. Spotify is adding new audiobooks titles to its audio library which puts it clear that the company is planning to be an all-audio platform.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the new Spotify audiobooks collection includes 9 classic titles that belong to the public domain but the recordings remain exclusive to the streaming service. The nine titles and their narrators include “David Dobrik narrates Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; Forest Whitaker reads Frederick Douglass memoir Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave; Hilary Swank narrates The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and Cynthia Erivo reads Jane Austen’s Persuasion.” The Hollywood Reporter continues “The other titles that Spotify is releasing as part of the collection are Jean Toomer’s Cane, narrated by Audra McDonald; Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, narrated by James Langton; Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, narrated by Sarah Coombs; Nella Larsen’s Passing, narrated by Bahni Turpin; and Stephen Crane’s Red Badge of Courage, narrated by Santino Fontana.”
Just like with anything new to Spotify, the company claims that this is just a test and it may or may not go with the new feature. But it’s obvious that there is some promotion behind this move.
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Spotify already integrated podcasts into the streaming platform by acquiring two leading podcast companies. Last year, the company signed a few exclusive deals with public figures such as Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as Joe Rogan who moved his whole operation to be available exclusively on Spotify. So, audiobooks might be the next big step for Spotify.
For now, the streaming platform doesn’t have specific labels for audiobooks. They are presented as normal podcasts with each chapter being a podcast episode. The new Spotify audiobooks will be available for free but will only be promoted in English speaking countries.
