Spotify adds new audiobook subscription tier in the US 

Spotify has added a new audiobook subscription tier in the US for “literary enthusiasts who are looking for more audiobook-specific content".

Spotify said its Audiobooks Access Tier, which launched on 1st March, “provides book-lovers in the US with 15 hours of listening from our audiobooks catalogue of over 200,000 titles for $9.99 a month”. It added: “With this plan and in one app experience, listeners can continue to tune into music and podcasts on our free, ad-supported service.” 

The new plan knocks down Premium prices by a dollar and offers the same 15 hours of listening, but without ad-free music streaming options.  

The new plan does not appear to be currently available in the UK, where the two options are: pay for a Premium subscription for £10.99 a month, which includes 15 hours of audiobook listening in addition to ad-free music streaming, or purchase individual audiobooks on Spotify’s website. Premium users can purchase top ups in 10-hour blocks if they want to keep listening. 

The new tier appears to be part of an effort to convert free users to paying customers. Spotify said: “Since launching Audiobooks in Premium, we’ve seen a 45% increase in free users searching for and interacting with Audiobook content each day. Now we are introducing a new plan option to give our listeners a variety of choices.”