Spotify adds more than 350,000 books to its collection worldwid

Spotify is adding more than 120 languages to its collection of audiobooks. As part of their strategy, qualified Premium members in Mexico will have access to 12 hours of audiobook listening starting this Wednesday.

According to Owen Smith, VP of Audiobooks at Spotify, «listeners will have access to an impressive catalog of over 350,000 titles, including those in local languages.» «We are expanding our offering to more than 120 languages by adding new catalogs in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Polish, among many other languages.»

On October 7, the program will debut in Mexico and Colombia with a catalog of 45,000 Spanish-language titles. After that, titles will be accessible in a number of nations, including Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Chile, Norway, and Peru.

Furthermore, the platform is set to introduce a program named Audiolibros+ that enables users to pay for extra hours on their plan, along with buying individual books.

Spotify users can synchronize their devices, including speakers, car audio systems, mobile phones, or TVs. For «audio-readers» who doze off during listening, the platform offers a sleep timer feature.

«Since our launch a little over a year ago, we have gained over one million audiobook subscribers and exceeded $100 million in yearly recurring revenue,» the executive highlighted

The platform’s data indicates that the listener count rose by 40% in the last year. Whereas the hours spent listening to this content climbed by 30%.

$100 million revenue

Concerning authors, Spotify emphasized that it will seek non-exclusive partnerships enabling creators to enhance their worldwide presence. It will also facilitate cross-selling chances; for example, when an author guests on a podcast to advertise a new release, Spotify can directly endorse the audiobook.

The audio service announced it collaborates with almost 300 publishers globally; in Mexico, deals were established with Planeta and Mondadori—Italy’s biggest publisher. «These catalogs will undoubtedly expand as we onboard additional partners,» Smith stated.

Independent publishers and self-publishing writers can upload their work to the platform through «Spotify for Authors.»
Three years ago, Spotify introduced its audiobook feature and is now available in 22 countries, boasting a collection of more than 800,000 titles.