Spotify is expanding its audiobook offering with the launch of Audiobooks+ in Australia, a new subscription add-on that gives Premium users more choice and flexibility in how they listen to books.
The new subscription offering
For an additional $15.99 per month, Audiobooks+ allows listeners to extend their audiobook time beyond the 15 hours already included in existing Premium subscriptions. The new option is available to all Premium Individual, Duo, and Family plan members.
The move comes as audiobook consumption continues to rise. According to Australia Reads research, one in three Australians now listens to audiobooks, while one in four adults have not read or listened to a single book in the past year.
Premium users who opt in to Audiobooks+ will receive 15 extra hours of listening time each month, on top of their existing allocation. This means those on Duo or Family plans can now access audiobooks independently, rather than sharing one pool of listening hours.
Spotify Audiobooks+
Audiobooks on Spotify
Spotify first launched audiobooks to Premium subscribers in Australia in November 2023, offering a catalogue of more than 150,000 titles. Since then, audiobook listening hours on the platform have grown by more than 40 per cent globally.
Spotify is positioning the new tier as part of its broader strategy to become an all-in-one audio platform. It follows successful trials of Audiobooks+ in Canada and Ireland earlier this year.
The company’s goal, according to Spotify, is to support the publishing industry while enhancing the user experience for book lovers. The launch also extends audiobook access to more listeners within shared plans, potentially unlocking a wider audience for publishers and authors.