As the demand for audiobooks continues to grow, Spotify recently launched a new, more affordable audiobook subscription plan. It launched on March 1, offering users 15 hours of listening to more than 200,000 tracks from the platform's catalog, including Barbra Streisand's 48-hour memoir, and best-selling romance author Sarah J. · A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.
According to Spotify, the new subscription plan, which costs $9.99 per month, has seen a 45% increase in daily searches for audiobook content among previously free users.
The surge follows broader industry trends. Top publishers including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster reported audiobook revenue of $1.8 billion in 2022, with Audible growing 25% that same year, according to the Audio Publishers Association.
In recognition of the growing popularity of the audiobook format, Spotify launched its audiobook service in the US, UK and Australia for the first time in October 2023.
"My Name is Barbara" by Barbra Streisand Bookstore
Michelle Cobb, executive director of the Audio Publishers Association, previously told the BBC that the expansion of Spotify audiobooks is something publishers have "been working towards" for a long time.
“Spotify has hundreds of millions of subscribers, and a large portion of them may have never listened to an audiobook before,” Cobb said. “So it’s great to introduce them to this format and other audio entertainment options.”
As for people’s favorite audiobook genres? All signs lead to romance. According to Spotify, 64% of global listeners also like to listen to "A Court of Thorns and Roses" among the top 50 songs, as well as "Icebreaker" by Hannah Grace, a favorite in the BookTok circle.
