Alongside instruments for AI-generated podcasts, Spotify on Thursday launched a brand new, ElevenLabs-powered AI software for self-publishing audiobooks inside the Spotify for Authors platform. The corporate stated at its Investor Day occasion that the characteristic will launch in beta this June on an invite-only foundation, initially with assist for the English language solely.
The AI-powered audiobook era gained’t bind authors to an unique contract, which means they’re free to publish their generated audiobooks wherever.
The information builds on Spotify’s previous partnership with ElevenLabs, which allowed writers to submit audiobooks created on the voice AI startup’s platform to Spotify.
The audio streaming platform additionally already had a partnership with Google Play Books to permit for digitally narrated content material. Nonetheless, it could have wished authors to entry newer voice fashions that sound extra expressive and human-like, like these provided by ElevenLabs. Notably, ElevenLabs had launched its own self-publishing platform for authors in 2025.
Spotify can be increasing its “Spotify for Authors” platform to assist 10 extra languages, together with French, Canadian French, German, Dutch, Latin American Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish, and Norwegian.
As well as, the corporate will broaden its Audiobook+ plans this 12 months to permit for greater listening limits and can add new choices for college students and households sooner or later. (Spotify didn’t specify any pricing or utilization particulars for these plans in its announcement, nonetheless.)
So far, Spotify has clocked in over 1,000,000 Audiobook+ subscriptions, and it’s on observe to generate $100 million in annualized recurring income for the platform.
On the occasion, the corporate launched a brand new manner for customers to ask questions utilizing pure language for audiobook discovery. This summer time, Spotify may even broaden a characteristic that permits customers to create prompt-based playlists for podcasts and music to incorporate audiobooks, it stated.
Spotify has elevated its give attention to audiobooks closely in the previous few years and has managed to construct its catalog to 700,000 titles. The corporate introduced this system to international markets, made an investment in non-English titles, enabled in-app purchases, and released audiobook charts. This 12 months, it additionally began a program for authors to promote physical books in the U.S. and the U.K.
Via these initiatives, the corporate has managed to bump up listening hours by 60% year-on-year, the corporate claims. Spotify additionally stated that greater than half of its audiobook listeners began within the final 12 months.
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