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 ]
Blackstone Publishing has built a backlist of about 800 print and 950 e-book titles since it released its first books in those formats in 2016. The goal now, company president Anthony Goff said, is to continue to ramp up production across all formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The recipes in foodie audiobooks add that something extra and deserve to be heard by audiobook listeners. Here's why. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-22 10:36:00 UTC ]
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The Norwegian developer of bespoke audiobook platforms, Beat Technology, is creating a new service, 'Volume,' for Poland's Sonia Draga. The post Poland’s Draga Group Announces an Audiobook Platform appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-03-13 18:04:35 UTC ]
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The vertical TikTok-style video feed has invaded a lot of the apps we use on a daily basis and now it's officially coming to one more. After announcing a beta test last year, Spotify will begin rolling out a new design for the Home section of its mobile app with a "more visual, dynamic" look.... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-08 18:33:59 UTC ]
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The German Audiobook Prize opens the Lit.Cologne festival with new 2023 honors in seven categories including 'Best Radio Play.' The post The German Audiobook Prize Names Its 2023 Winners appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-03-01 12:52:23 UTC ]
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Celebrate your love of audiobooks with these cute audiobook-themed shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, mugs, stickers, and more!- Gia R. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-28 11:33:00 UTC ]
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Spotify is waving goodbye to its heart icon. The company is combining the icon, which enables you to quickly save music to your library, with the "add to playlist" prompt under a single plus button.The plus button works a little differently on Spotify than it does on Apple Music, where tapping... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-27 18:15:00 UTC ]
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What’s the best audiobook service? In this Scribd vs Audible rundown, let’s break down their features, pricing, pros and cons, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-23 11:39:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook subscription company Storytel cites a 22-percent increase year over year, at 3.2 billion Swedish kronor. The post Storytel Touts Q4 Results in a ‘Truly Remarkable Year’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-02-17 13:56:54 UTC ]
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Looking for a great new audiobook to put in your ears? Check out the new audiobooks Libro.fm users are most excited to listen to. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-02-16 11:30:00 UTC ]
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After a backlash, Spotify paused an arrangement that allowed Apple to train machine learning models on some audiobook files. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2023-02-14 16:03:54 UTC ]
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Viola Davis, one of the best actors of her generation, achieved EGOT status last night at the Grammys when she went home with the hardware for Best Audiobook (Narration and Storytelling), for reading her own memoir, Finding Me. (EGOT is when someone has won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-06 15:16:55 UTC ]
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Viola Davis won a Grammy Award Sunday for the recording of her memoir, Finding Me. She has previously won an Emmy, Oscar and two Tony awards. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2023-02-05 22:33:19 UTC ]
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The former president's $49.8 million lawsuit alleges that Woodward and Simon & Schuster breached his copyright interests by publishing an audiobook based on interviews recorded for Woodward’s 2021 book 'Rage.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
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First week of the controversial memoir’s sales breaks official UK records reports Nielsen, Guinness World Records and WaterstonesPrince Harry’s Spare has sold almost half a million copies in the UK in its first week on sale, making it the fastest-selling nonfiction book since records... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-01-17 16:13:57 UTC ]
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The Frankfurt-based Bookwire has entered a partnership with Google Play Books for broader automated production of audiobooks. The post Bookwire Expands Its Text-to-Speech Audiobook Offer with Google Play Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-01-17 14:43:24 UTC ]
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According to multiple presenters at the Digital Book World conference, ChatGPT has potential to remake the way people write and streamline production and editing, while AI voice replication promises affordable audiobook adaptations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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According to multiple presenters at the Digital Book World conference, ChatGPT has potential to remake the way people write and streamline production and editing, while AI voice replication promises affordable audiobook adaptations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-01-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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From audiobook subscriptions to bullet journals to reading lights, here are some things that can help you meet your 2023 reading goals.- Clare Barnett Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-01-09 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Because AI is apparently just like us, it seems to have romanticized the creative fields. So instead of, say, figuring out how to help me dispute denied insurance claims, it’s more interested in writing children’s books, getting into poetry, and now… narrating audiobooks. Yesterday, The Verge... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-01-06 17:02:28 UTC ]
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