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 ]
Get listening to Kevin R. Free audiobook performances with this guide to for where to start. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-29 10:34:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Everyone peaked too early. You remember. The beginning of lockdown, when suddenly half of your friends were FaceTiming you about Tiger King, or downloading a language app, and so many people ordered yoga mats online that they took an estimated six weeks to be delivered. Now the yoga mat... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-05-22 15:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The National Literacy Trust has partnered with cosmetics company Lancôme to launch an audiobook club for young women. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-18 13:24:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this
It’s a long-standing joke in lockdown now – among those of us quarantined, self-isolating, or lucky enough to keep working from home – that we don’t know which day it is. Or even which week. And did I shower this morning, or was it yesterday? Our immediate surroundings have been so similar for... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2020-05-15 14:46:20 UTC ]
More news stories like this
I am not going to write about the illness; the headaches, the pain in my lungs and chest, the loss of smell (wine has still not yet been consumed), the breathlessness, the trip to A&E… Yep a seven long week Covid drama and if I had to use an emoji to illustrate the whole sodding experience,... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-11 08:59:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Once upon a time, round about the start of the year, there was a settled order in the audiobook recording world. A relatively small number of voice artists had at-home recording setups – often a booth, built in a spare room or the garden shed, which gave the experienced narrator greater... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-10 19:59:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Having just acquired Sonolibro, Saga Egmont director Lasse Korsemann Horne sees the Spanish-language audiobook market as a key territory for expansion. The post Denmark’s Saga Egmont on Its Acquisition of Spain’s Sonolibro appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-05-07 15:29:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this
“Mum” and “Phantom Thread” star Lesley Manville will narrate the audiobook of Richard Osman's forthcoming novel, The Thursday Murder Club. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-01 14:43:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Itching for a great audiobook that's on the shorter side? Here are four under four hours long. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-05-01 10:40:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Even if social distancing has helped you to achieve the nigh impossible task of watching your entire Netflix queue, there’s still a trove of media to consume. Sonos has teamed up with OverDrive -- makers of the audiobook lending app Libby -- to let c... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2020-04-30 14:37:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Learn more about the lives and thoughts of these authors with these nonfiction audiobooks by bi+ women of color, including memoirs and essay collections. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-04-21 10:31:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
"Paddington" and "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville is voicing the free audiobook for Nosy Crow's recently released children's e-book about coronavirus. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-20 18:06:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Subscribers to audiobook subscription platform BookBeat are growing during the coronavirus pandemic, with bestsellers and well-known authors performing best. The post Sweden’s BookBeat Rides High on the Pandemic’s Audiobook Boom appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-04-20 13:45:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this
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. Narrators Shiromi Arserio and Jason Carpenter are perfectly matched in this modern-day fairy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-17 17:18:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Michelle Obama's Becoming (Penguin) was Audible's most downloaded audiobook for the week ending 12th April, with the self-narrated autobiography continuing on from its success across 2018 and 2019. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-16 04:23:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Investigate the history of American cuisine, indulge in neighborhood drama, and find reconciliation between enemies in our April audiobook picks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 21:02:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Investigate the history of American cuisine, indulge in neighborhood drama, and find reconciliation between enemies in our April audiobook picks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 21:02:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Investigate the history of American cuisine, indulge in neighborhood drama, and find reconciliation between enemies in our April audiobook picks. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2020-04-15 21:02:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
HarperNonFiction is releasing an early audiobook edition of Adam Buxton's memoir in May—its first to be recorded entirely remotely. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-01 21:06:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The audiobook version of Shola Von Reinhold's debut, Lote (Jacaranda), will feature narration from award-winning “Fresh Meat” star Zawe Ashton. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-25 17:44:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this