Starting on October 14, Spotify Premium subscribers will enjoy 12 hours of listening time across the platform’s entire catalogue, which includes all audiobook publishers distributed by Hachette Livre, including Audiolib, France’s leading provider of audiobooks.
A wide-ranging, high-quality selection of audiobooks that brings culture to all audiences
This non-exclusive collaboration with Audiolib and other audiobook publishers will give Spotify users access to general fiction, crime novels, personal development books, and much more besides, all directly from the app.
The arrival of a major platform like Spotify has the potential to put audiobooks in the spotlight, building momentum that benefits all Hachette’s audiobook partners in this market.
The initiative will help make literature accessible to millions in an audio format, paving the way for broader interest in literature and culture, in particular among younger generations accustomed to streaming audio.
Spotify’s huge user base and ease of use will give the public at large the chance to discover the audiobook format. Editorial content will be written to promote the works and their authors. The goal is to create listening experiences synchronized with the literary calendar, enabling listeners to discover books in conjunction with prominent cultural events like literary awards or book fairs.
A new distribution model
The Hachette Livre audio catalogue is already successfully distributed on many specialized platforms large and small, mainly via a monthly subscription model that has brought the market to its current stage of development.
The partnership with Spotify will reach new audio readers with a different subscription model: a monthly credit of 12 hours of listening time.
Premium subscribers gain access to the audiobook selection without any additional payment, while publishers, authors and copyright holders will be compensated as they would with any form of digital distribution. The model guarantees fair compensation to creators while massively expanding access to literature for the general public.
Laure Saget, CEO of Audiolib: “This partnership in France builds on agreements Hachette Livre has made with Spotify in the US and UK, which have helped spur on the audiobook market in those countries. This collaboration represents a unique opportunity for Audiolib to expand its listenership and to give a broader audience – especially young people – the chance to listen to audiobooks. We firmly believe that this distribution model will bring books and authors to millions of listeners, while transforming the way in which people experience works of literature.”