Spotify is adding narrated magazine articles to its platform, expanding into audio content, beyond music and podcasts.
The streaming company said on Tuesday that audiobook users in supported markets will now have access to more than 650 narrated long-form articles in English.
The articles come from publications including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Vanity Fair, Billboard and WIRED.
Spotify said the narrated articles are produced by its in-house audiobooks team and each one runs for less than two hours. Premium subscribers can listen through their monthly audiobook allowance, while free users can buy individual articles for $1.99.
The company is expanding the range of content on its platform as competition grows across audio streaming, podcasts and AI-generated music services.
Competitors in the space include YouTube and Netflix, while AI music startups such as Udio and Suno have also entered the market.
Spotify co-chief executive Alex Norström recently said the company now accounts for about 20% of the US audiobooks market.
The new feature is designed to give listeners shorter audio content that can lead them towards longer audiobook listening over time.
“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,” said Colleen Prendergast, Licensing Lead at Spotify Audiobooks.
She added: “By bringing shorter form content into the mix, we’re meeting audiences where they are to help build healthy listening habits, ultimately growing engagement with books over time.”
Spotify launched its audiobooks business just over two years ago and says it has since expanded into 22 markets. The company also said audiobook listening hours have risen 60% year on year as it continues adding new features to the service.
