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Spotify’s narrated articles trial
Spotify is trialing “narrated Articles,” adding more than 650 long-form magazine articles in English to its app starting Tuesday, where audiobooks are available.
“Starting Tuesday, more than 650 long-form magazine articles will be available (in English) to Spotify users where audiobooks are available”
The company says the curated collection is produced by its in-house team, Spotify Audiobooks, and includes stories from publications such as Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, Vibe, GQ, WIRED, Vanity Fair, and Pitchfork.
Spotify says each narrated article is under two hours long and is available within Premium subscribers’ monthly audiobooks allowance alongside its existing audiobook library.
For users on Spotify’s free tier, the company says individual narrated articles can be purchased for $1.99 each.
In a statement, Spotify licensing lead Colleen Prendergast said, “With Articles, we’re introducing long-form journalism in audio as a natural extension of the music, podcasts, and audiobooks people already come to Spotify for, focused on topics we know they love.”
Human and digital voices
Spotify says the narrated articles use “a mix of human and digital voice narration,” and that the portion using AI-generated voice narration will be clearly labeled for users.
The Verge reports that Spotify spokesperson Rosalind Jeffcoat said, “The narration for these new magazine articles ‘will use a mix of human and digital voice narration,’” and that digital voice narration will be clearly labeled.
In the same launch coverage, Spotify’s licensing lead Colleen Prendergast framed the format as a listening on-ramp, saying the company is “meeting audiences where they are to help build healthy listening habits, ultimately growing engagement with books over time.”
TechCrunch adds that Spotify told it the narrated articles will be available to Premium subscribers as part of their 15 hours of audiobook listening time per month, while free users can purchase stand-alone articles for $1.99.
Spotify also says audiobook listening hours have grown 60% year over year, and that it has expanded audiobooks into 22 markets since launching in the U.S. in 2022.
What it means for listeners
Spotify positions the trial as a way to make magazine journalism easier to sample, with the company saying the format “will allow people to trial shorter, less-intimidating listens, opening the gateway to explore longer-form listening like books.”
“The new format "will allow people to trial shorter, less-intimidating listens, opening the gateway to explore longer-form listening like books."”
CNET reports that Premium subscribers can access the articles alongside Spotify’s existing audiobook catalog as part of the 15 hours of listening time Premium subscribers receive each month.
For free users, CNET says individual narrated articles can be bought for $2 each, while Spotify’s other coverage places the per-article price at $1.99.
The Verge adds that Spotify says digital voice narration can lower barriers to producing written works in audio, “particularly shorter pieces that may not otherwise have been produced in audio format.”
Spotify’s rollout also ties into its broader audio push, with the company saying it has “continued to invest in an underserved industry” and pointing to features such as Page Match, Recaps, and Follow Along.