Spotify never fail to surprise me. They’re the gift that keeps on giving and have been for a long time when it comes to music streaming. However, they’ve broken through these restraints and are now fully involved in the readers market.
If you weren’t already aware, Spotify have offered audiobooks for a while now. However, they are now offering a way for readers to switch between reading and listening without having to do any extra work.
I don’t know about you, but in the past, when I’ve listened to an audiobook, I have found myself lost without page numbers. Sure, you can pick up where you left off depending on the provider you’re listening through, but if you want to switch to reading the book, it’s no easy feat.
Likewise, if you lose where you are, you have to choose a chapter and hope for the best, listening in to see if any of the words sound familiar. Well, Spotify seem to have thought of everything when it comes to their reading feature.
Switch between audiobooks and physical books with ease
Spotify users can listen to 15 hours of audiobooks each month if they’re part of a Premium plan. After this, you can choose to buy the book, or wait until your allowance resets to continue listening. Although now, these aren’t your only options.
The music platform partnered with Bookshop.org so readers can purchase books directly through their platform without having to bounce elsewhere. This means, if you’re really enjoying an audiobook and want a physical copy, you can purchase it right there and then.
The fun doesn’t stop there though. Some how, Spotify have gone bigger and better yet again. They have introduced a feature called Page Match, which allows a reader to open their camera, scan the page they’re reading in their book, and Spotify will find the exact point within that book on their platform.
This means you can finish off reading, and switch to the audiobook version to continue the story. Particuarly great for those who might commute, or want to continue their story without the limits of having to carry a tablet or book with them.
Spotify story recap
Not only that, but Spotify have a recap feature. If it’s been a little while since you last tuned into the story and you need to refresh yourself on what happened, Spotify offer this as a feature. Allowing you to jump right back in, without any confusion.
My only negative about all this is, while Spotify claim their Premium members get access to their audiobooks, this is far more limited than they make out. After scrolling down pages and pages of options, none of the books displayed are accessible on my Premium account.
They’re all locked behind a paywall. So, yes, Spotify offers Premium members 15 hours of audiobook listening, but no, this does not apply to every book, and sadly, they don’t yet have a feature on their app to sort by free audiobooks only.
As a huge reader myself, I do love the idea of being able to take my books with me wherever I go and not having to rely on memory as to what page I left off on, while panning through an audiobook trying to find the right chapter.
Overall, I’d say these features are revolutionary, I just wish Spotify made things a bit clearer. Allow Premium users to easily discover books they can read. Not only that, but if I’ve paid for the physical book, don’t make me pay again to listen to half of it, please…
