Spotify adds narrated magazine articles to its app

On Tuesday, Spotify announced that it is bringing narrated long-form magazine articles to its app. The streaming service is launching the feature with a catalog of over 650 long-form articles. However, this content is subject to a language constraint, as the narrated articles are currently available in English only. The audio articles are sourced from a selection of publications, including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, Vibe, GQ, Wired, Vanity Fair, and Pitchfork.

The distribution of this new content is integrated directly into Spotify’s existing subscription tiers, offering different access models depending on the user’s plan:

• Premium subscribers can listen to the narrated articles as part of their standard 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month.
• Free users who do not have a paid subscription can choose to purchase individual stand-alone articles for $1.99 each.

For users focused specifically on spoken-word content, Spotify continues to offer its dedicated audiobook subscription options. These include the Audiobook Access plan, which costs $9.99 per month and is designed for Spotify’s free music listeners. Additionally, the company offers the Audiobooks+ plan for $11.99 per month, which doubles the monthly listening hours for subscribers. These plans exist alongside the standard Premium subscription.

Regarding the production of the audio, Spotify stated that the narrated articles will use a mix of human and digital voice narration. To maintain transparency, the company noted that any portion of an article that utilizes digital voice narration will be clearly labeled for users within the app.

Spotify believes that introducing these shorter narrated articles could encourage users to explore different types of listening beyond music. The company hopes that engaging with shorter spoken-word pieces will build consistent listening habits, which could ultimately lead users to try other forms of long-form audio, such as its potentially more profitable audiobooks. Colleen Prendergast, the licensing lead at Spotify Audiobooks, highlighted this goal 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,” Prendergast noted.

Why it matters

Spotify is expanding its audio offerings to include narrated magazine articles, aiming to build healthy listening habits and encourage users to engage with its potentially more profitable audiobook service. By introducing shorter spoken-word formats, the company seeks to increase overall engagement and drive adoption of its subscription tiers.