Spotify Adds 200K Audiobooks To Premium, But That Doesn't Mean Unlimited Listening

U.S. Spotify Premium subscribers can now access over 200,000 audiobooks at no additional charge — there is a catch, however. Subscribers are only allotted 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, and Spotify claims that this is around enough time to finish two average-length audiobooks.

This strategy is notably different from the Audible plan included with Amazon Prime, which offers one entire audiobook — regardless of length — for free each month. On Spotify, if you hit your 15-hour limit and are still hungry for more, you can purchase 10 hours of additional listening time for $10.99. Of course, you can still buy the book outright to bypass the listening restriction.

These newly included audiobooks are marked on Spotify as "Included in Premium." Spotify claims that over 70% of best-selling titles are among the included audiobooks. This includes Britney Spears' "The Woman in Me," Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights," and Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist," among other titles. 

This rollout comes just weeks after the service was implemented in the U.K. and Australia. In its announcement, Spotify did not comment on if or when this Premium feature will make its way to other regions.

Spotify first rolled out its audiobook service in September of last year, allowing customers to buy audiobooks for listening online and offline for a one-time fee. According to a recent survey shared by the audio streaming platform, listening to books is not a niche activity — at least, it isn't among one group of listeners.

A survey of 1,000 Americans revealed that Gen Z and millennials consume the most audiobooks, with 72% of 18-34-year-olds claiming to listen. With such a large piece of the market devouring audiobooks, it's no wonder Spotify wanted to expand its options.

The company stated that "comfort listening" was the frequent reason listed by listeners for booting up an audiobook, and around half of the listeners put on an audiobook when traveling. 63% of users noted using audiobooks to relax, while 41% listened to improve their cognition. 

The music streaming service noted that audiobooks, like its music selection, are grouped into specific genres to accommodate user's range of interests. You can scroll through a list of historical romances or cozy mysteries, for example, to find what you are looking for.

Alongside the announcement, Spotify listed some recommendations for Spotify Premium users who want to try out the new feature, but don't know where to start. Among the compilations are "Audiobooks To Help You Unwind," and "Audiobooks for Your Morning Commute."