Spotify’s Basic plan returns to $11 a month by cutting audiobooks

Spotify has a new plan for US subscribers that keeps you on the old $11 monthly pricing — as long as you don’t mind ditching audiobooks. The new Basic tier includes the music and podcast content you get from Premium but without 15 hours of audiobook access, a recently added feature we suspect many subscribers don’t care about anyway. Spotify said earlier this month it would hike Premium prices to $12 per month, beginning in July. The Basic plan echoes one it rolled out in the UK last month. That one costs £11 per month compared to £12 for Premium with audiobook content. Some have suspected Spotify’s audiobook push has nefarious motives. Earlier this month, the National Music Publishers’ Association asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the move, going as far as calling the company’s audiobook integration “a scheme to increase profits by deceiving consumers and cheating the music royalty system.” The NMPA complaint claims Spotify will pay about $150 million less in music royalties over the next year because of its audiobook fusion. Spotify told Engadget it did nothing wrong and rejected the accusations. Spotify has been penny-pinching in other areas. It was reported last year that the company planned to overhaul its royalty model. One alleged part of that plan was to demonetize tracks earning less than five cents per month, pushing out some indie artists without established audiences.  Spotify also laid off around 9,000 employees late last year, citing “the gap... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2024-06-21 18:36:40 UTC ]
News tagged with: #association asked #audiobook integration #increase profits #deceiving consumers #$150 million #audiobook fusion #royalty model #alleged part #indie artists #established audiences #audiobook-free tier #account page #picking basic #basic option #audiobook

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Libro.fm Opens, Audiobook Sales Through Local Bookstores

The seven-year-old Seattle-based Libro.fm opens a Bookshop.org-style audiobook-selling service in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The post Libro.fm Opens, Audiobook Sales Through Local Bookstores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-26 13:34:20 UTC ]
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Christian Retailers See Six Month Sales Gain

Same-store sales for the first six months of 2023 rose 9.7% over the comparable period 2022 at the 220 independent Christian retailers who report data to the Parable Group. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-25 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble reopening, new stores planned at The Avenue at White Marsh

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[ Baltimore Sun | 2023-07-19 17:11:00 UTC ]
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After Cutting Open-Market Programmatic, Bloomberg Media Sees Efficiency Gains, Revenue Losses

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[ AdWeek | 2023-07-18 11:31:59 UTC ]
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Library Event Cancelations, Changes, and Support for Pride Month 2023

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[ Book Riot | 2023-07-10 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Spotify may finally be ready to debut a premium HiFi audio tier

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[ Engadget | 2023-06-20 12:38:47 UTC ]
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11 Westerns That Break All the Rules

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‘AI Voices’ in Audiobooks: Storytel in ElevenLabs Partnership

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-06-13 21:58:52 UTC ]
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Lambda Literary Awards Return In Person to Much Fanfare

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Los Angeles Times announces 74 job cuts due to economic challenges

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Dosdoce: Growing Sales in Spanish-Language Audiobooks

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-06-05 14:37:57 UTC ]
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Spotify is laying off 200 employees from its podcast division

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Brave Books, Kirk Cameron Plan Public Library Events August 5; Public Libraries Need to Prepare

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Three Spanish-language Audiobook Success Stories

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APA Report: US Sees Double-Digit Audiobook Sales Growth for 11th Year

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-06-01 15:27:14 UTC ]
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The Audiobook Market, and Revenue, Keeps Growing

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