Most people have known Spotify as an enormous music and podcast source, but recently (September 2022) it also entered the world of audiobooks. The reason? Success and profitability of this platform of books totaled some $1.67 billion in 2020 with growth each year in the double digits, according to the New York Times. That’s something that Spotify Founder Daniel Ek could not ignore.
In the beginning, there was a lot of speculation about how this would work. Would it be sort of an “all-you-can-eat” subscription basis like the music side is? Instead, the company is selling audiobooks a la carte fashion with more than 300,000 titles and growing.
While Spotify’s persistence in stretching its footprint to this rapidly growing market can be recognized, it has done so with a lot of apparent frustration with Apple’s rules of what is allowed in the apps it offers in its app store. In fact, it rejected Spotify’s app three times based on how developers are allowed to contact and communicate with customers.
Spotify has also never been crazy with Apple’s 30 percent mandated slice of all goods and services that apps from the app store sell. A fee Apple obviously feels very comfortable with because of the enormous market share they possess.
So Spotify has gone forward with the audiobook venture but has created a workaround for its audiobook purchasing. With or without a Spotify premium subscription you can search and purchase any number of audiobooks on the Spotify app.
When you find a title you want to purchase, you just click a green arrow. That takes you to their website where you buy the title. You receive an email with a link that then jumps you back to the app where you can listen. Keep in mind there’s a chunk of public domain content that is free to listen to in the app, but if you’re looking for more contemporary stories for purchase, that’s how it goes. Here’s the step-by-step process.
It may not sound like a big deal, but in this world of ultra-convenience mindset, Spotify knows this could hamstring its momentum toward growing this fledgling area of one-stop shopping for all your audio enjoyment. It’s another hoop.
Will Spotifiers be fine with it? It’s a different way of enjoying its content compared to its music and podcast offerings which are all in-app processes. Considering other platforms existing and emerging, it might be a tougher sell, but Spotify is a trusted name that is widely recognized so that could go a long way.
Steve Linscomb is a former television news reporter with more than 25 years experience in a number of small and large U.S. TV markets. His focus is in the development of the craft of fiction writing, more specifically historical fiction in both reading and in his current personal writing efforts.
He lives in San Antonio, Texas.
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