Spotify is increasing its providing with a wide array of narrated long-form journal articles from a few of the publications you are in all probability already well-known for. The audio streaming service introduced it’s including greater than 650 long-form articles to its audiobook library. All added titles are English-only, however shall be accessible in all Spotify areas the place audiobooks can be found.
Articles included on this rollout embody articles from Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Selection, Billboard, Vibe, GQ, WIRED, Vainness Truthful, and Pitchfork. Spotify companions with extra publications, however as you possibly can see, our curated assortment gives articles concerning the subjects our subscribers are almost definitely to be desirous about: music and know-how. “With Articles, we’re introducing long-form journalism in audio that focuses on subjects we all know folks love, as a pure extension of the music, podcasts, and audiobooks that individuals already use Spotify for,” stated Colleen Prendergast, Licensing Lead for Spotify Audiobooks. Prendergast additionally stated that by providing subscribers the choice to hear in a shorter format, they need to get extra publicity to books over time, particularly the audiobooks in Spotify’s library.
Every narrated article launched by Spotify is lower than two hours lengthy, permitting subscribers to hearken to the article across the time they hearken to an audiobook. Your Spotify Premium subscription consists of 15 hours of audiobook listening time every month. Nonetheless, voracious readers could make further purchases, such because the Audiobooks+ month-to-month add-on, which has an extended listening time restrict. You can too buy and hearken to particular person articles for $2.
The corporate stated in an announcement that the narrated articles it launched had been produced in-house by the Spotify audiobooks staff. We have requested Spotify for clarification on whether or not meaning the narration was achieved by human expertise or generated utilizing AI, and we’ll replace this publish once we hear again.
Spotify introduced a number of updates centered on generative AI in the course of the firm’s investor day final week. One characteristic launching subsequent month within the US will permit customers to extract personalised podcasts from their profiles and uploaded information (akin to PDFs and URLs) to generate personalised podcasts straight inside Spotify. We’re additionally launching a “immediate playlist” for audiobooks. It may create playlists primarily based on person prompts describing what they need to hear extra of and their viewing historical past.
