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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City’s new $112B budget undoes cuts as Adams looks to re-election

Mayor Eric Adams announced a deal on a $112 billion budget with the City Council on Friday, reversing a small but notable fraction of his unpopular cuts as he looks toward a difficult re-election bid next year.The spending plan for Fiscal Year 2025 also makes some new investments at the urging... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-06-28 21:14:47 UTC ]
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A Comic Anthology for Pride Month and Beyond

Dive into this comic anthology featuring 29 transgender and nonbinary comic artists sharing their unique coming out journeys. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-05 13:30:00 UTC ]
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U.S. Audiobook Sales Hit $2 Billion in 2024

The audiobook market in the United States is steadily growing, the Audio Publishers Association reports, with revenue increasing by 9% to $2 billion in 2023 and 38% of American adults having listened to an audiobook in the last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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8 Incredible Books To Read For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

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[ HuffPost | 2024-05-23 10:45:08 UTC ]
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10 New Audiobooks for Spring 2024

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[ The Millions | 2024-05-21 12:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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6 of the Best Free Audiobook Apps

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The Guardian view on audiobooks: a growing market that asks existential questions | Editorial

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[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 17:25:03 UTC ]
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[ Book Riot | 2024-05-10 11:30:00 UTC ]
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UK audiobook downloads up 17% last year, Publishers Association data shows

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[ The Guardian | 2024-05-07 15:28:43 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-02 23:49:50 UTC ]
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Audible is testing a cheaper plan in Australia

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[ Engadget | 2024-05-02 19:13:47 UTC ]
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[ Fast Company | 2024-05-02 12:22:42 UTC ]
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[ AdWeek | 2024-05-01 21:11:08 UTC ]
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