Overview
- Spotify announced the Articles trial on Tuesday, May 26, making more than 650 English-language long-form magazine stories available in markets where its audiobooks product operates.
- The pieces were produced by Spotify Audiobooks under licensing deals with publishers including Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, GQ, WIRED, Vanity Fair, Vibe, and Pitchfork.
- Premium subscribers can stream Articles using their monthly audiobook listening allowance while free users may buy individual articles for $1.99 each, and purchases also follow Spotify’s audiobook purchase and top-up options.
- Narration uses a mix of human and AI-generated voices, and Spotify says any digitally generated portions will be clearly labeled for listeners.
- Spotify frames Articles as part of a broader push into AI-driven spoken-word products aimed at growing audiobook engagement after rolling out multiple AI audio features since launching audiobooks in 2022 across 22 markets.