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 ]
Four in five consumers say sustainability matters, but taste and health both rate higher. During the early stage of the pandemic, consumers had trouble buying meat as food processing facilities shut temporarily to slow the spread of COVID-19. As a result, consumers turned to plant-based... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-10-21 06:00:54 UTC ]
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Nigerian-American writer, producer, and actress Yetide Badaki, well known for acting in the TV series This Is Us and American Gods, comes from a family of storytellers. She recalls sitting by the fire as a youth and listening to her elders. “Storytelling is such a part of just being,” she says.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-20 08:48:10 UTC ]
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Julie Walters will be featuring as part of an all-star cast for the audiobook of Jasper Rees' authorised biography of Victoria Wood, Let's Do It. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-10-13 08:49:54 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. Marin Ireland narrates Rumaan Alam’s stunning audiobook Leave the World Behind, which... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-12 08:00:42 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. Joel Richards emulates the quiet reverential voice of climate scientist Marco Tedesco as he... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-09 15:32:33 UTC ]
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What's reported to be the first study of audiobook consumer behavior in Australia points to a new, young audience for the format. The post Nielsen Book Releases Australian Audiobook Consumer Research appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-10-08 19:52:16 UTC ]
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Michael Specter’s audiobook biography shapes the story of Anthony Fauci into a stirring, and very American, morality play. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-10-06 20:52:57 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. Dan Richards narrates his audiobook, Outpost, in a clear English accent that often sounds as... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-05 17:53:36 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. Narrator Sisi Aisha Johnson embodies all of the joy and light of fourth grader Ryan Hart in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-10-02 09:13:44 UTC ]
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Charlie Mackesy will narrate the audiobook of his bestseller The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, with a musical score and real wildlife sounds helping bring it to life. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-30 07:56:33 UTC ]
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The music streaming giant is poised to enter the audiobook market. Here's what that means for publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-09-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jumping from one to three major unlimited-subscription services for audio content, Spain's publishing market is growing fast. The post Audiobook Subscriptions: Audible and Podimo Join Storytel in Spain appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-09-21 16:07:40 UTC ]
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Gore Vidal’s “Hollywood” is finally getting the audiobook treatment, and not a moment too soon. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2020-09-14 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Famed writer and activist Cory Doctorow is selling the audio version of his upcoming book via Kickstarter to sidestep the walled garden of Amazon-owned audiobook platform Audible. When science fiction writer and activist Cory Doctorow releases his new novel, Attack Surface, next month, you’ll be... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2020-09-12 09:00:52 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. Seraphine Valentine narrates Alexis Daria’s charming romance, You Had Me at Hola, where the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-09-11 08:41:16 UTC ]
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Holliday Grainger will read the audiobook version of Dolly Alderton's eagerly-awaited debut novel Ghosts (Fig Tree). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-02 15:24:17 UTC ]
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The prankish device is the subject of a new audiobook that pokes serious fun at Silicon Valley’s culture of disruption. We spoke with its inventor. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2020-08-31 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The Oscar-nominated actor narrates “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” in an audiobook project he says “doesn’t change my perspective so much as it amplifies it.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-08-30 09:00:11 UTC ]
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Sir Paul Nurse will narrate the audio edition of his book What is Life?, to be published by Faber in September. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-08-27 14:56:38 UTC ]
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Get immersed in a world and get in deep with the characters in these compelling audiobook series (and learn the length of each series). Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-08-25 10:33:00 UTC ]
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