Spotify is adding a new audio format for long-form journalism by offering narrated magazine articles. More than 650 articles from major publications will be available in English in regions where Spotify audiobooks are offered. Each narrated article is under two hours long and can be accessed within the monthly audiobook allowance for Premium users. Free users can purchase articles individually for $1.99, with pricing details not fully clarified. Spotify positions the feature as an extension of music, podcasts, and audiobooks, aiming to build listening habits and increase engagement with books over time. Spotify’s Audiobooks team produces the content, and the announcement does not specify whether narration uses AI.
"Starting today, more than 650 articles from publications including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, Vibe, GQ, Wired, Vanity Fair, and Pitchfork will be available in English in regions where Spotify's audiobooks are available."
"The narrated articles are all under two hours long, and available under the monthly audiobook allowance for Premium users. Spotify says that free users who don't pay for a subscription can also "purchase articles individually for $1.99," though it isn't clear if that's a blanket fee per article, or if $1.99 will get you an articles-only subscription."
""With Articles, we're introducing long-form journalism in audio as a natural extension of the music, podcasts, and audiobooks people already come to Spotify for, focused on topics we know they love," Colleen Prendergast, Spotify Audiobooks licensing lead, said in a statement."
""By bringing shorter form content into the mix, we're meeting audiences where they are to help build healthy listening habits, ultimately growing engagement with books over time." Spotify's announcement doesn't mention whether these articles are narrated by AI tools, noting only that they're produced by the in-house Spotify Audiobooks team."
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