Spotify started accepting audiobooks created with AI software from ElevenLabs into its library last week, with the software company pitching the initiative to independent authors (though multiple major publishers are working with ElevenLabs as well). Audiobooks generated this way will be “clearly marked in the metadata on Spotify.” Additionally, the book description will begin by stating: “This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.” (In December, Spotify’s Findaway Voices started distributing AI audiobooks from Google Play to “select retail partners.”) Spotify declined to provide a projection of the number of titles this will add to their library. Owen Smith, vp […]
Audio
Spotify Adds Titles From Podium Entertainment and Crooked Lane/Alcove Press
Spotify announced has added titles from two new publishers to its Premium catalog: science fiction, fantasy, and romance publisher Podium Entertainment and Crooked Lane/Alcove Press. Some of the Podium titles will feature video clips (described by the streaming service as “an interview snippet, a backstage video from the audio recording session, a video message from the author, or something else”), which Spotify started testing over the summer. Crooked Lane and Alcove titles will hit the platform in March. They have a first look deal with Spotify and recently collaborated on titles including The Darkest Night, I’ve Got My Mind Set on […]
Sourcebooks Audio to Launch In 2025
In January a new Sourcebooks Audio line will release its first titles, initially producing audio versions of mysteries from Poisoned Pen Press and romance novels from Sourcebooks Casablanca, as well as nonfiction from the Callisto imprint. Catherine Bucaria is vp, publisher of Sourcebooks Audio, having previously served as director of audio strategy & acquisitions at Penguin Random House, and Almeda Beynon is director of audio production, after working as executive producer of audio at Harper Collins. The Sourcebook Audio lines will operate as imprints within Penguin Random House Audio. (PRH owns 75 percent of Sourcebooks, though the publisher operates independently.) […]
Bertelsmann Expands Work with AI Voice Company ElevenLabs
AI voice and text-to-speech provider ElevenLabs issued a press release celebrating their expanding relationship with Bertelsmann and its subsidiaries. “So far, 36 Bertelsmann companies are using our technology to improve production and try new approaches. AI dubbing and multi-language audio are just the start. Together, we’re finding ways to share stories across languages and formats, reaching more people in more places.” Storytel invested in ElevenLabs and has been working with them to produce AI-narrated audiobooks since mid-2023. And Harper Collins started working with ElevenLabs earlier this year to create AI audiobooks of select foreign language backlist titles. In June, ElevenLabs […]
Spotify For Authors Offers Demographic Insights
Spotify has launched Spotify for Authors, which offers additional information for publishers and authors about audiobook readers. “For publishers, Spotify for Authors expands on the catalog management and royalty reporting currently offered in Passport, with insights and analytics to help them better understand their audiences and catalog consumption on Spotify,” according to Spotify. “The platform also provides promotional tools to help publishers enhance their presence on Spotify and expand their listener bases.” Authors—who must be invited by their publishers to access—are able to see age and gender demographics of their listeners, shareable review copy codes and social media assets, and […]
Bloomsbury Enters Licensing Deal With Spotify
Bloomsbury has entered a distribution agreement with Spotify to make its books available through the app’s Audiobooks in Premium feature. Titles will be available to Premium subscribers in the UK, US, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, and also can be purchased a la carte, for those who don’t subscribe. Bloomsbury director of audio Sam Halstead said in a release, “The digital audio market continues to see strong growth globally, and our priority is to ensure that our authors’ and narrators’ works are part of this… The Spotify service is incredibly seamless and we feel confident that this partnership will […]