Spotify Claims 25% Of Aussie Subscribers Try Audiobooks

Spotify has revealed that one quarter (25%) of paid users in the UK, US, and Australia have started audiobooks as part of their subscription.

Out of these users, 57% are aged 18-34, suggesting the new format is appealing to younger listeners.

Paid subscribers of Spotify began gaining 15 hours of audiobook listening per month in October last year.

This was part of Spotify’s attempt to attract new subscribers and keep existing listeners on the platform.

Currently, the feature has made its way to six markets, including Ireland and Canada.

More hours can be bought if the monthly limit is reached, with the company saying these purchases have “more than doubled” in the first quarter of 2024, compared with the fourth quarter of 2023.

Head of Spotify’s audiobooks business, David Kaefer said, “We’re really happy with the progress.”

He revealed the company has seen listeners adopting the format faster than when it launched podcasts.

Younger readers are also pushing specific genres including “romantasy” to be some of the most popular.

Spotify doesn’t know how many of its users are new to audiobooks, but the publishing industry wants to monitor it.

Some eligible subscribers were surveyed, a mix of those that do and don’t actively consume audiobooks in Australia, the UK, and the US.

This found one third only began listening to audiobooks over the last six months, on any platform.

Spotify revealed audiobook listeners spend about 2 and a 1/2 additional hours in the app within 14 days of starting a book.

To boost the number of people listening to books, the company is set to roll out more tools, as well as an author-oriented dashboard.

These will be added to the already existing promotional tabs and recommendations.

Book publishing partners have also been encouraged to share when authors appear on podcasts. This will allow the company to promote them on podcast pages.

It was confirmed that consumption of RuPaul’s ‘The House of Hidden Meaning’ rose by 34% a week after the star appeared on Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast.