Spotify has once again drawn the ire of the music industry. The National Music Publishers' Association has called on the Federal Trade Commission to examine the streaming service's addition of audiobook content into all of its paid subscription plans. According to the group's FTC complaint, Spotify's recent actions are part of "a scheme to increase profits by deceiving consumers and cheating the music royalty system." This requires some backstory. In November 2023, Spotify announced that it would include 15 hours of audiobook content as part of all its Premium subscription plans. A few months later, the company unveiled a new audiobook-only subscription, offering the same number of listening hours for $10 a month. The publishers' organization claims that Spotify's recent price increases are based on offering that extra audiobook content, and that paying customers are automatically being charged for a service they didn't choose and can't opt out of without switching to the free, ad-supported listening experience. And the additional revenue from the higher Premium subscription costs may not go to the music composers. According to the FTC complaint, Spotify will pay about $150 million less in music royalties over the first year of these new bundled Premium plans. The NMPA letter goes so far as to call the new audiobook-only plan "a sham" that "exists solely to allow Spotify to claim that audiobook content is a significantly and independently valuable aspect of its 'bundled'... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-06-12 23:52:55 UTC ]
Dawn French will narrate an audiobook edition of Giles Andreae’s I Love My… picture books for Bolinda, the first time any of the series will be produced in audio. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-28 01:59:59 UTC ]
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The digital arm of Lindhardt & Ringhof, Saga Egmont further expands its efforts to penetrate the Spanish-language audiobook market. The post Audiobooks: Denmark’s Saga Egmont Partners With Spain’s Roca Editorial appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-07-14 17:45:23 UTC ]
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#LoveAudio, the Publishers Association's annual audiobook campaign, will return for a fifth year this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-10 01:47:32 UTC ]
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HarperCollins is releasing a new unabridged audiobook of J R R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in three parts in September, read by Andy Serkis, who starred as Gollum in the blockbuster movies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-07 11:53:26 UTC ]
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The Ashland, Ore.–based independent audiobook publisher is seeing double-digit growth for CDs and MP3-CDs thanks to new partnerships, even as other publishers abandon the formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital media company, which will merge with a publicly listed shell company in what is known as a SPAC deal, also lined up about $150 million in debt financing. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-06-25 00:38:07 UTC ]
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J K Rowling's Cormoran Strike series, written under the name Robert Galbraith, have hit an audiobook milestone for Little, Brown ahead of the fifth novel's paperback release. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-06-21 11:49:14 UTC ]
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Publishing houses in Romania are working together to produce the Echo audiobook subscription platform, a first in its market. The post Beat Technology Is Developing Romania’s First Audiobook Program appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-14 04:05:13 UTC ]
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Bookwire, the international e-book and audiobook distribution platform, is launching its services in the U.S. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-04 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In 2020, the Audio Publishers Association sales report finds more than 71,000 audiobooks were published in the US, up 39 percent over 2019. The post Audio Publishers Association Cites 12-Percent 2020 US Audiobook Revenue Growth appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-06-01 13:14:36 UTC ]
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The Audio Publishers Association’s annual review of the audiobook market found another year of double-digit sales increases as well as a profound shift in listening habits. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-06-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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RBmedia has acquired the audiobook publishing business of McGraw-Hill Professional in a deal that adds about 400 business books to the audio publisher's list, chief content officer Troy Juliar said. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-05-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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These awards include recognition for rights professionals, audiobook publishers, bookstores, educational learning resources, and more. The post London Book Fair: The 2021 International Excellence Awards Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-05-10 13:31:32 UTC ]
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New figures from the Publishers Association show fiction and audiobooks did particularly well, with value of consumer sales up 7% on 2019 despite bookshop closuresFiction sales in 2020 soared by more than £100m for UK publishers, as readers locked down at home made their escape into books, with... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-26 23:01:49 UTC ]
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Kids can enjoy audiobooks and podcasts too thanks to the child-friendly Yoto Player and its library. Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-04-23 13:00:10 UTC ]
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In an attempt to take the subject beyond March, this month’s audiobook recommendations shine a light on women’s history, known and unknown, heralded and not. Viewing the glass as half-empty, it’s dispiriting how many of these stories remain untold, forgotten, or misunderstood. But let’s be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-04-05 08:49:04 UTC ]
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Have you ever wondered who's responsible for making sure an audiobook matches the print? It's proof listeners! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-01 10:37:00 UTC ]
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A new book market report on Finland's book market shows the impact of the pandemic and looks at the bestselling Finnish books of 2020. The post Finland’s 2020 Audiobook Sales Doubled, Ebooks Up 84 Percent appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-25 16:14:36 UTC ]
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It’s almost time for The Disability Readathon! Here are few recent #OwnVoices audiobooks by and about disabled people. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-03-23 10:31:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Publishers Association hosted the 26th annual Audie Awards virtually last night, making them open to the public for the first time. Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke and narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, was named Audiobook of the Year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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