Spotify, which has offered access to audiobooks (including its own first-party titles) for a few years now, has begun offering long-form magazine articles in audio format. The new “Articles” category dishes up more than 650 English-language pieces from publishers like The Atlantic, Vogue, Rolling Stone, Wired, Vanity Fair, Variety, Billboard, GQ, and Pitchfork. Each article tops out at about two hours and appears in the same catalog as audiobooks (not in podcast feeds).
In its announcement, Spotify says narrated articles will count towards Premium subscribers’ 15-hour monthly audiobook allowance. Listening to an article uses minutes from that allowance in the same way as an audiobook chapter. Free users can buy individual articles, priced at around $1.99 per article at launch.
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The articles use a mix of human and digital narration, and Spotify says the app will clearly label parts that use digital voices. The company has not explained whether these digital voices use specific AI systems. It has also not shared details about revenue sharing or payment structures for partner publishers.
Spotify’s audiobooks licensing lead, Colleen Prendergast, says the company hopes these shorter listens can attract users who may not enjoy committing to full-length audiobooks, as well as those who wish to consume conventional journalism on the go.
