Tag: audiobook catalog

Spotify Celebrates Two Years of Audiobooks in Premium, Fueling Growth and Discovery Across the Publishing World

October 15, 2025

Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making books easier for listeners to discover, explore, and enjoy. The result was Audiobooks in Premium, an offering that gives eligible subscribers in select markets access to a rich catalog of audiobooks with hours of listening included in their plan each month.

Now, as we celebrate this milestone and embark on another year in the audiobooks business, we’re truly seeing that vision come to life. Our catalog in English-language markets has more than tripled to over 500,000 titles, the offering is available in 14 global markets, and we’re introducing the format to an entirely new group of listeners, creating new revenue streams for authors and publishers.

The next generation of listeners

Our Audiobooks in Premium offering is designed to meet the habits of a generation that consumes culture on demand and expects personalized discovery. Our momentum is clear: In our English-language markets, more than half of eligible Premium users have pressed play on an audiobook. And these listeners are younger, with 52% of our global audiobook audience aged 18-34.

This growth extends across the globe. In France and the Netherlands, just one year after launch, listening hours are up 10% month over month, making them among the fastest-growing audiobook markets globally. And just six months in our expansion into Germany, listeners are up almost 10% month over month. This local engagement reflects a global trend on our platform, which has seen a 36% year-over-year growth in individuals starting an audiobook and a 37% growth in listening hours.

“When we launched Audiobooks in Premium, our goal was to reimagine the reading experience for the next generation, making books as discoverable and dynamic as music and podcasts,” said Owen Smith, Head of Audiobooks at Spotify. “Now, two years later, we’ve made incredible progress. We’ve introduced millions of new listeners to the format, given them choice in how to explore over 500,000 titles, and helped authors reach broader and more diverse audiences while providing incremental revenue. There is still work to be done, but we’ve proven that making books easier to discover and enjoy doesn’t just serve listeners, it grows the entire publishing ecosystem.”

Innovating the experience and growing the industry

Building on this momentum means giving listeners more choice and enhancing the experience itself. Earlier this year, we introduced Audiobooks+, an add-on for Premium subscribers that unlocks additional listening hours. In the US, consumption among Audiobooks+ users increased 18% within the first 30 days, underscoring how our flexible models empower both casual listeners and devoted book lovers.

Beyond offering more ways to listen, we’re innovating the format with features like Follow-Along, which brings the richness of printed books into the listening journey with time-synchronized illustrations and graphics. Countdown Pages build anticipation around big releases, and Author Pages allow listeners to follow their favorite authors the same way they follow musicians and creators, deepening fandom.

Our approach is contributing to a thriving audiobook market. Data from the Publishers Association shows that in 2024, UK audiobook revenue hit a record £268 million, up 31% year over year. In the US, the Association of American Publishers’ latest figures for the first half of 2025 show that digital audio remains the largest format for growth, with a 14% increase in adults and a 48% increase for kids and young adults.

As we look ahead, we’re excited to continue reimagining the reading experience, helping even more stories find their audiences.

Find your next great read in Spotify’s Audiobooks hub.

How Spotify Is Driving Growth, Discovery, and Innovation in the Audiobook Market

March 13, 2025

Spotify took center stage at the London Book Fair this week, reaffirming our commitment to the audiobook market and showcasing our impact on the publishing industry. During a presentation and panel discussion led by Duncan Bruce, Spotify’s Director of Partnerships & Licensing for audiobooks, we highlighted our ongoing efforts in expanding the audiobook ecosystem, attracting new audiences, and driving revenue growth for publishers and authors.

Since launching our audiobooks in Premium offering in 2023, we’ve significantly expanded our catalog: up from 150,000 to 400,000 titles in English-language markets. This growth has been fueled by some of Spotify’s more recent deals with leading publishers like Bloomsbury, Podium, and Crooked Lane Books.

Building on our success in English-language markets, we also expanded our audiobooks offering to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg last year with promising early results.

Attracting new audiences through discovery

Beyond catalog expansion, we’re focused on connecting listeners with audiobooks they’ll love. Unlike traditional credit-based models, Spotify encourages exploration and serendipitous encounters with new authors and genres. To facilitate this discovery, we leverage a blend of human curation and algorithmic recommendations. While algorithms personalize recommendations based on listening history and preferences, our expert editors curate playlists, craft thematic collections, and hand-pick hidden gems to guide listeners on a journey of discovery.

This discovery-driven model is attracting entirely new audiences to the format. In fact, we’ve seen a 30% year-over-year increase in listeners on Spotify in the U.K., the U.S., and Australia. This aligns with Nielsen’s Bookdata for the U.K., which shows that 24% of users who consumed an audiobook in 2024 did so for the first time that year.

In the U.K., the U.S., and Australia, audiobook listening hours on Spotify are up more than 35% year over year. All of this translates to growing revenue for authors and publishers, with Spotify now paying hundreds of millions of dollars to rights holders each year. In the U.S., the Association of American Publishers recently reported that audiobook revenues soared by 23% in 2024, contributing to an overall 6.5% revenue increase for the entire book ecosystem.

What’s old is new again

Our unique approach is also breathing new life into backlist and niche titles. These often-overlooked gems are finding new audiences and generating fresh revenue streams on Spotify, proving that great stories deserve to be heard regardless of their publication dates or genres. Seven of the top 10 audiobooks on Spotify in 2024 in the U.K. were backlist titles, with five of them being more than five years old.

We’re incredibly excited about the future of audiobooks and remain committed to innovation, expansion, and building features that enhance the listening experience for everyone. Audiobooks have the power to transform the way people consume stories, and we’re proud to be at the forefront of this revolution.

Head to Spotify to find your next great listen.