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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Why AI audiobook narrators could win over some authors and readers, despite the vocal bumps

Apple and Google’s AI turn in a booming market may sound less than human and raise the ire of voiceover actors, but it has cost benefits For the first few seconds, the narrator of Kristen Ethridge’s new romance audiobook, Shelter from the Storm, sounds like a human being. The voice is light and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-01-05 06:41:18 UTC ]
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Big Bad Wolf’s Big Plans

As the cofounder of BookXcess and Big Bad Wolf, Andrew Yap is the most powerful bookseller you likely don’t know. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Baltimore Sun offices to return downtown in 2023

The company has signed a lease for office space at 200 St. Paul Place, the publisher announced in a memo sent to staff Thursday afternoon. Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2022-12-29 18:03:18 UTC ]
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Audiobook Review: ‘The Number Ones,’ by Tom Breihan; ‘How Far the Light Reaches,’ by Sabrina Imbler; ‘Young Bloomsbury,’ by Nino Strachey

From Bloomsbury to the Billboard Hot 100, these audiobooks will hook you based on story alone. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-23 10:00:15 UTC ]
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October Was a Rough Month for Publishing Industry Sales

With sales in the adult books and children’s/young adult categories falling 16.4% and 9.9%, respectively, total industry sales dropped 9.3% in October from a year ago for the 1,370 publishers that report results to AAP’s StatShot program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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How a Great Audiobook Narrator Finds Her Voices

Robin Miles was looking for stage and screen roles when she began reading books for the blind. She’s become one of the country’s most celebrated narrators. Continue reading at New Yorker

[ New Yorker | 2022-12-16 16:45:13 UTC ]
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The Best Audiobooks of 2022

Hearing a memoir in the author’s voice can make a big difference, and not just when the author is Viola Davis. Plus: A creepy novel gets creepier in audio. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2022-12-07 10:00:40 UTC ]
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The Best Audiobook Thrillers to Listen to This Winter

Listen for the twists, turns, and secrets in ten of the best audiobook thrillers to listen to this holiday season! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2022-12-06 11:34:00 UTC ]
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BookBeat in France: ‘Updated’ Audiobook Subscriptions

BookBeat is ditching an all-you-can-listen-to audiobook subscription in a major market and offering time-based options in six other countries. The post BookBeat in France: ‘Updated’ Audiobook Subscriptions appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-12-05 13:55:15 UTC ]
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Talking to Lake Bell About the 2022 Best Nonfiction and Culture Audiobooks

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. Actor, author, and film director Lake Bell joins AudioFile’s Michele Cobb to learn more about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-05 09:53:28 UTC ]
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'AudioFile' Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2022

The bimonthly magazine, which covers and reviews audiobooks, has named its Best Audiobooks of 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-12-01 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookwire Has an Audiobook Deal With France’s Banijay

Based in Frankfurt, Bookwire's expansion into the French market includes audiobook production and distribution work with Banijay. The post Bookwire Has an Audiobook Deal With France’s Banijay appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-30 03:03:33 UTC ]
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Bookwire in France: A ‘New’ Audiobook Market

Bookwire's half-day 'All About Audio' conference highlighted trends in the fast-growing but still-young popularity of audiobooks in France. (Sponsored) The post Bookwire in France: A ‘New’ Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-23 18:44:09 UTC ]
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Score a year of Hulu for just $2 a month for Black Friday

Streaming services are getting more expensive, and it doesn’t help that it seems like all the good stuff is spreading out a lot more. If you’re feeling the cable-style pinch of increasing prices and ever-expanding subscriptions, you should check out this deal on Hulu. You can get access to the... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2022-11-23 11:00:00 UTC ]
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AnimeNYC 2022: More Manga, Big Plans for the Future

AnimeNYC returned to the Javits Center November 18-20 with a slightly larger crowd than last year, a bigger manga presence, and even bigger plans for the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-22 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Two-thirds of UK’s biggest advertisers to cut television spend

Traditional TV shunned in favour of digital media and last-minute promotional campaignsMore than two-thirds of the UK’s biggest advertisers intend to cut back spending on traditional TV next year, as the recession fuels a shift to digital media and last-minute bursts of promotion.A survey of 59... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2022-11-21 00:01:39 UTC ]
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Amazon Makes Cuts to Its Book Group

As part of a companywide effort to reduce costs, Amazon has eliminated an unspecified number of jobs in its Books business. Word of the reductions came in a letter sent yesterday to employees from CEO Andy Jassy describing “role eliminations” in the company's Books and Devices units. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-18 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Aaron Carter’s unfinished memoir will be released less than a month after his death.

I guess if you’re a publisher whose stated mission is to disrupt the publishing industry, you have to move fast and break things, no matter how ghoulish that makes you. Such is apparently the case for “hybrid publisher” Ballast Books (“More Than A Publisher, A Brand Builder”), who is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2022-11-11 16:17:28 UTC ]
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Fall Book Festivals Return

After two years of dealing with Covid restrictions, fall book festivals returned in earnest this year, providing readers opportunities to engage with some of publishing’s best-known authors. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-11 05:00:00 UTC ]
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HC Union, Management Plan for Strike

After a planned strike for today was delayed until Thursday, both HC union members and management appear to be gearing up for what the union has termed "an open-ended" strike. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-07 05:00:00 UTC ]
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