Spotify's Latest Partnership Hints At Big Audiobook Push

Spotify, once a platform where you could only stream music, has made a big push into the podcast market, including the relatively recent launch of its own originals and exclusive shows. We've heard hints over the past several months that the company may be planning to do something similar with audiobooks, and a newly announced partnership seems to reinforce that idea.

Audiobooks, much like podcasts, have seen a surge in popularity as people look for ways to stay informed and entertained while away from home. Audible is arguably the largest source of audiobooks, but many other platforms are also available, one of which is Storytel.

Spotify has announced a new partnership with Storytel that will allow its users to link their audiobook account with the Spotify app, removing the need to use two different apps to access their favorite music and audiobooks. The integration is made possible by Spotify's recently announced Open Access Platform, and it'll be available to Storytel users later this year.

Storytel is available in 25 countries and offers access to a huge library of audiobook content. That content will remain on the Storytel platform, mind — the big deal here is that by linking the two accounts, subscribers will be able to access that audiobook content within the Spotify app.

Though this isn't a big deal for people who don't use Storytel, it does hint at potential future deals that may bring more audiobooks and audiobook platforms to Spotify. The audio streaming company has itself dabbled with audiobook content, namely with the release of nine public domain audiobooks back in January.