HarperCollins explores AI and Spotify’s impact on audiobooks
Spotify’s audiobook model, offering 15 free hours, is reshaping the market by appealing to casual users and benefiting publishers like HarperCollins.
HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray highlighted the evolving audiobook market and AI’s potential during the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. He praised Spotify‘s innovative approach to audiobooks, offering 15 free listening hours to Premium users, which he said attracted casual listeners and boosted HarperCollins’ revenue. Spotify’s wholesale distribution model also provides clear royalty structures for authors.
Murray acknowledged AI’s dual role as a threat and opportunity. Generative AI could flood the market with lower-quality content, but high-quality works may continue to thrive. He noted AI’s potential for streamlining marketing, translations, and audiobook production for niche markets, while also envisioning its use in adapting books for film or television.
Spotify, aiming to grow its global audiobook market, is testing family plan access. HarperCollins is closely watching these developments as both companies explore expanding their audiobook offerings and incorporating AI-driven solutions.
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