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 ]
Armchair detectives, get ready for a voyage around the world. You don't need to pack a bag--just pick up these audiobook mysteries and get sleuthing. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-07-07 10:31:58 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. On today’s episode, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Michele Cobb revisit the Hunger Games, this... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-07-03 08:06:39 UTC ]
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HarperCollins is releasing an unabridged audiobook of J R R Tolkien's The Hobbit, read by Andy Serkis who starred as Gollum in the blockbuster movies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-07-01 17:52:05 UTC ]
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“Maybe the WPA let new passions into the public space.” David A. Taylor on how the government supported the arts during the (first) Great Depression. | Lit Hub History Missing the drama of sports? James Tate Hill has some audiobook recommendations to fill the competitive void. | Lit Hub... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-29 10:30:26 UTC ]
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“Fleabag” star Sian Clifford is narrating the audiobook of Olive, the debut novel by author and broadcaster Emma Gannon. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-29 08:42:04 UTC ]
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Hardboiled mysteries, obscure farming communities, and tales of home and family provide ample entertainment in June’s audiobook roundup. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-06-23 23:13:15 UTC ]
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Hardboiled mysteries, obscure farming communities, and tales of home and family provide ample entertainment in June’s audiobook roundup. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-06-23 23:13:15 UTC ]
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Hardboiled mysteries, obscure farming communities, and tales of home and family provide ample entertainment in June’s audiobook roundup. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-06-23 23:13:15 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. On today’s episode, host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Barbara’s narration of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-23 08:20:12 UTC ]
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Celebrate Pride Month and queer voices by reading these three captivating audiobook memoirs written and narrated by queer women. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-22 10:36:19 UTC ]
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Have you ever dropped a thermometer and watched its ball of mercury break into a scatter of glistening droplets? That’s my mind right now. The table next to my bed is anchoring a tottering tower of books I have begun and then abandoned, not out of displeasure but because… well, I actually... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-17 08:48:33 UTC ]
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Julia Whelan audiobooks are some of the best listens out there. This guide will help you find your perfect audiobook by the award-winning performer. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-12 10:38:10 UTC ]
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Husband and wife duo Polly Samson and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd have teamed up to work on the audiobook of Samson's novel A Theatre for Dreamers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-11 22:58:40 UTC ]
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Penguin Random House Audio is bringing together wellbeing experts, including fitness author Chloe Madeley and performance coach Sara Milne Rowe, in a new audio anthology, The Here and Now. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-09 10:56:54 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. Host Michele Cobb speaks with narrator Julia Whelan, one of AudioFile’s 2020 Golden Voices,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-08 09:15:30 UTC ]
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If your local bookstore is all sold out of its books on anti-racism, good. Finally. Backorder them for yourself. But in the meantime, the audiobook version of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the 2016 National Book Award... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-04 14:34:08 UTC ]
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The audiobook of STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING by Ibram X. Kendi is currently available for free on Spotify. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-06-04 12:58:03 UTC ]
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Publishers are increasingly seeking out audio talent that reflects the race and experience of the books’ authors and characters. But what constitutes a black, Latino or Asian voice? Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2020-06-03 12:00:12 UTC ]
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While many readers have understandably found refuge from pandemic anxiety with thick biographies and door-stopping classics, others have had trouble focusing for long periods. With work laptops constantly open and homeschooled children orbiting, the solution to our short attention spans might be... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-06-02 08:48:22 UTC ]
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Today's news marks the next step in Beat Technologies' drive to create bespoke D2C audiobook and ebook platforms for marquee-level publishers. The post Norway’s Beat Technology Signs a Denmark Trio for an Audiobook Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-29 13:48:10 UTC ]
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