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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Meredith plans to sell off Time, Fortune and Sports Illustrated and cut 1,000 jobs

Meredith Corp., which bought Time Inc. and its stable of magazines in January, plans to sell the flagship publication Time, as well as Sports Illustrated, Fortune and the Money brand, after completing a review of the $1.8-billion deal. The company also intends to eliminate about 1,000 jobs over... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bought time #sports illustrated #meredith corp


Poland’s Ebook and Audiobook Subscription Service Legimi Plans IPO for International Expansion

Announcing an IPO on the Warsaw Stock Exchange's NewConnect index for this year, Poland's Legimi ebook and audiobook subscription pursues development in Germany, China. The post Poland’s Ebook and Audiobook Subscription Service Legimi Plans IPO for International Expansion appeared first on... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-03-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #post poland #international expansion


4 great audiobook selections for Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month we chose four African American authors worth hearing any time of the year.   Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2018-02-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Library cuts planned in Wales and Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire and Powys are the latest councils to come under the spotlight for planned cuts to their public library service. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-08-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson Plans More Cuts, May Sell School Group

Pearson said it has plans to further reduce costs by $300 million, and it is also reviewing its strategic options for the K-12 courseware business. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pearson plans #reduce costs #$300 million #strategic options


Houghton Mifflin plans to cut hundreds of employees

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Co., the Boston-based education publisher facing financial headwinds, said it plans to cut as much as 10 percent of its workforce in effort to save money, according to regulatory filing. With a total workforce of 4,500 workers as of the end of last year, the cuts could... Continue reading at Silicon Valley Business Journal

[ Silicon Valley Business Journal | 2017-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #save money #regulatory filing


Protest planned over Lewisham library cuts

Library campaigners plan to gather this Saturday to protest the £1m cuts to Lewisham Council’s library budget, which will see staff removed from four libraries across the borough. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-08-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #library budget


Derby plans to hand 11 libraries over to volunteers

Derby city council intends to transfer 11 libraries over to volunteers in a bid to save £648,000 - but campaigners say this is the same as "destroying" them. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pearson UK 'ahead of plan' on 2016 job cuts

A spokesperson for Pearson UK has said the company is "80% of the way there and ahead of plan" on its latest job-cutting restructure, as the wider company looks to make £250m annualised cost savings globally this year plus a further £100m in 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #wider company #pearson uk


Fresh plans to cut 22 more libraries across England emerge

Libraries across the country continue to be threatened with closure, with councils proposing to close 22 venues altogether across Swindon, Gateshead and Coventry. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #country continue


Pearson to cut 4,000 jobs after second profit warning in three months

World’s biggest education publisher aims to make £350m in cost savings by the end of 2017Pearson is to cut 4,000 jobs after issuing its second profit warning in three months. The world’s biggest education publisher said it aimed for annual savings of £350m by the end of 2017 and it would end its... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #profit warning #cost savings


Library protests planned for Cardiff while Lincolnshire confirms cuts

Protestors in Cardiff will use National Libraries Day this weekend to raise awareness of cuts facing the city's library service. Campaigners in Birmingham have already announced their own plans to protest on the day, forming a human chain "hugging" the threatened Library of Birmingham.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-02-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #raise awareness #library service


The Industry Celebrates Audiobook Month

To commemorate Audiobook Month, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) is orchestrating a blog tour as a part of its June Is Audiobook Month campaign (JIAM), during which 31 different websites will give away an Audie-winning audiobook each day in June. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstone plans to "return chain to stock-holding roots"

Written By: Bookseller Staff Publication Date: Mon, 28/03/2011 - 09:30 Tim Waterstone is reportedly assembling a management team for Waterstone's with a view of returning the chain to its stock-holding roots, as speculation mounts about a bid. The weekend press extensively reported on the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-03-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book chain #management team #strategic options


Behold: A reading list for Women’s History Month (and all months).

Dear reader, I know what you are thinking! Isn’t Women’s History Month basically over? Isn’t it a little too late for this listicle? No! To put this reading list before you at the very beginning of the month would be to subscribe to the idea that March is the set time to educate yourself on […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-03-26 19:40:27 UTC ]
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Chirp Audiobooks Review: Does Chirp Change the Audiobook Game?

What is Chirp? How does it differ from other services like Audible? And, is it worth getting? Learn more in our Chirp audiobooks review! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-11-13 11:34:00 UTC ]
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Tattooist proves indelible at the top as The Cut Out Girl cuts in

Heather Morris’ The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Zaffre) has secured a fourth non-consecutive week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 17,106 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s TCM—a bump of 11% in volume week on week. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #volume week #heather morris #auschwitz zaffre #nielsen bookscan


Monthly E-Ranking: The Girl on the Train scores 11th month at summit

The Girl on the Train, having dominated the ebook charts throughout 2016, scores the final Monthly E-Book Ranking of the year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2017-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #monthly e-ranking #ebook charts


Amazon Prime flaunts a monthly price tag, now offers streaming and two day shipping for $7.99 per month

Amazon Prime's trifecta of two-day shipping, instant media streaming and monthly Kindle book rentals just became a little more consumer friendly at a slightly higher price. As a Hacking Netflix reader recently noticed, Amazon is now inviting users to buy into Prime for $7.99 a month, bringing... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #inviting users #yearly fee #full year #good deal #holiday season


Physical book sales slump 4% month-on-month

Written By: Philip Stone Publication Date: Mon, 05/09/2011 - 14:05 Spending on printed books slumped 4% in August, with sales plummeting to a seven-year low for the month, according to Nielsen BookScan data. A total of £107.5m spent on physical books at UK booksellers in the four weeks to 27th... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #27th august #physical books #uk booksellers #6m year-on-year