Spotify ventures into physical book sales, adds new audiobook features

While Spotify users look yet different terms hike, publication lovers person immoderate breathtaking developments to look guardant to that could assistance cushion the blow.

Spotify announced respective updates for its audiobook concern connected Thursday, notably its enlargement into carnal books. Users successful the U.S. and the UK volition soon beryllium capable to acquisition carnal copies of their favourite audiobooks straight done the app, marking a important pivot for the erstwhile digital-only platform. 

The institution besides introduced 2 features designed to marque the audiobook acquisition smoother and much flexible, including a caller instrumentality called “Page Match” that lets users scan a leafage from a carnal publication to instantly modulation to that spot successful the audiobook. 

Additionally, “Audiobook Recaps”—a antecedently iOS-only feature—is coming to Android devices successful the spring. This diagnostic provides bite-sized recaps tailored to the past conception users stopped listening to.

Image Credits:Spotify

​Spotify’s determination to merchantability carnal books done its app positions it arsenic a rival to large booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The institution besides recognizes that galore readers inactive worth carnal books, and by offering some people and integer formats, Spotify is trying to crook itself into a one-stop store for publication lovers. 

Spotify has partnered with Bookshop.org connected the caller offering, an online marketplace that supports local, autarkic bookstores. This concern is large quality for indie booksellers, arsenic each acquisition made via Spotify volition straight payment section publication communities.

The quality to acquisition carnal books volition rotation retired this outpouring and look connected audiobook pages successful the app arsenic a fastener labeled “Add to your bookshelf astatine home.” Clicking it takes users to Bookshop’s website, which handles the pricing, inventory, and shipping.

Image Credits:Spotify

To span the spread betwixt formats, Spotify is besides launching a diagnostic called Page Match, which is presently disposable to premium subscribers and volition rotation retired to each audiobook users by precocious February. The diagnostic was initially spotted by Android Authority past month. 

Spotify’s caller Page Match diagnostic lets users scan a leafage from a carnal oregon e-book utilizing their telephone camera. The instrumentality analyzes the leafage contented and directs users to the nonstop spot successful the audiobook. It’s powered by a operation of Spotify’s in-house and third-party machine imaginativeness and representation scanning technologies.

When users privation to power to the audiobook, they tin prime the “Scan to Listen” fastener and click the “Scan to Read” fastener to instrumentality to the carnal book, making it casual for users to prime up wherever they near off, whether they’re speechmaking astatine location oregon switching to audio portion connected the go.

Page Match is presently disposable for astir English-language titles, with plans for aboriginal expansion. There are present much than 500,000 titles connected the platform.

In the 2 years since Spotify archetypal introduced audiobooks, the level has experienced important growth. The institution reported successful October that the fig of users listening to audiobooks roseate 36% implicit the past year, and listening hours accrued 37%. Plus, much than fractional of Spotify’s 281 cardinal premium subscribers person engaged with an audiobook.

Spotify is expected to merchandise its fourth-quarter net results February 10.