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 ]
The surge in digital audiobook sales has helped numerous publishers grow in the last few years, and perhaps none have benefitted more than Podium Audio. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Subscription service Scribd adds audiobook titles, opening with 'Black Imagination,' to its newly launched Scribd Audio brand. The post Scribd Announces an Audiobook Production Line, Highlighting Independent Publishers appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-03-09 14:00:22 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Audio has launched Ahab, a global online casting platform for voiceover actors in any business. The platform was originally developed as an internal tool for PRH's audiobook producers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-03-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Charlotte Ritchie, the star of “Ghosts” and “Feel Good”, will narrate the audiobook of Lia Middleton's debut thriller When They Find Her (Michael Joseph). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-28 22:42:39 UTC ]
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Simon & Schuster Children’s Books is to launch an audiobook partnership with the Daily Mail. It will also feature a retail tie-in with Waterstones, with a campaign fronted by children’s author and actor Ben Miller (pictured). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-24 18:49:20 UTC ]
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Last March, amid the myriad upheavals and uncertainties that marked early pandemic life, various scientists and public health officials started to model out how many cases and deaths we might be looking at in the long run, and the press, unsurprisingly, took great interest in their work. A team... Continue reading at Columbia Journalism Review
[ Columbia Journalism Review | 2021-02-23 13:34:38 UTC ]
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Skyhorse Publishing, the imprint behind director Woody Allen's memoir, is considering suing HBO for sampling its audiobook for a documentary series. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-02-22 22:46:48 UTC ]
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From stickers to mugs and awesome tees, show off your passion for listening with these sweet gifts for audiobook lovers. - Kelly Jensen Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-02-17 11:33:00 UTC ]
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Why do some audiobooks have two versions with different or same narrator? Here’s what to do if undecided on picking an audiobook version. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-02-15 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Richard Armitage, Sheila Atim and Joseph Fiennes are starring in five new audiobook adaptations of stories from 2000 AD, including Judge Dredd and Halo Jones. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-14 17:22:53 UTC ]
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Audiobook company RBmedia has acquired Booka, a Barcelona-based audiobook publishing company, and its full catalog of Spanish language titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-02-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital distributor reports a rise in audiobook titles of 123 percent in 2020 over the previous year. Print-on-demand advanced 18 percent. The post Germany-Based Bookwire in 2020: Titles Up 11 Percent Over 2019 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-02-08 05:46:46 UTC ]
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Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury in the hit Netflix series "Bridgerton", is reading the audiobook for An Ordinary Wonder by Buki Papillon, out with Dialogue Books in March. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-02-08 01:26:23 UTC ]
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“Much of what has been created to give purpose to lonely, empty hours will not be seen by future generations—the muffins eaten, the gardens remodeled or abandoned. Words on the page, though, have longevity.” Anne Youngson considers pandemic hobbies and writing fiction. | Lit Hub What it’s like... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-29 11:30:33 UTC ]
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As a verb, one definition of essay is to try. As horrible as 2020 was, let’s pretend it means to try again. Audiobooks of self-contained pieces between twenty and sixty minutes seem perfectly suited for walks, commutes, and household chores. Essays might also be perfect for attention spans... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-28 09:48:07 UTC ]
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Whether you're practicing a language, or want to read a book in its original language, try these audiobook apps for language learning. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-01-20 11:39:00 UTC ]
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These beautifully narrated audiobook short story collections tell precise, polished tales about Black women, the fantastical, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-01-19 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Miebaka Yohannes narrates The Black Friend with a conversational tone that mirrors Frederick... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-01-19 09:47:00 UTC ]
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North London-based charity Calibre Audio's Emma Scott talks to us about how it has navigated the boom in the audio sector to continue fulfilling it mission to provide free audiobooks to those with a print disability. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-18 13:02:19 UTC ]
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Emilia Fox is to read the audiobook of Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason, publishing with Weidenfeld & Nicolson in February. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-14 18:36:31 UTC ]
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