Over the last few years, Spotify has dabbled with the idea of offering audiobooks on the platform quite a few times. A few years ago, the streaming giant offered subscribers the first book in the Harry Potter series for limited period. It then added a few literary classics, like Frankenstein and Great Expectations, to the platform in January of 2021. After a long break, Spotify has now formally launched its audiobook business in the U.S. with a catalog of over 300,000 books spanning various genres.

In a blog post, Spotify notes that users in the U.S. can now purchase and listen to audiobooks on the platform with a brand-new user interface designed specifically for audiobooks. Sadly, the streaming giant has not bundled audiobooks in its existing subscription offerings, and users will have to purchase each audiobook separately.

Audiobooks will show up with a lock icon on the play button, signaling that they need to be purchased in order to listen. Users who discover audiobooks in the Spotify app will be able to purchase them on a web page. Upon returning to Spotify, the book will be automatically saved in their library and available to listen to whenever they want.

After purchasing an audiobook, users can enjoy it in the new audiobook player that offers support for offline listening, automatic bookmarking, speed controls, and ratings.

Currently, audiobooks on Spotify are only available in the U.S., and the company has not shared any plans for a wider rollout. However, it plans to gather feedback from the pilot launch to enhance the experience with new features and extend the service to additional markets in the future.

What do you think of Spotify's new audiobook offering? Should the streaming giant offer a subscription model for audiobooks? Let us know in the comments section below.

Source: Spotify