Spotify is upgrading its audiobooks streaming service with a new feature called Countdown Pages, inspired by a similar feature popular among music fans. These Countdown Pages, reminiscent of those on YouTube, were initially introduced for artists on Spotify last year. This feature provides a dedicated space on artists’ profiles where a timer counts down to an upcoming release. Now, Spotify is extending this feature to audiobook publishers and authors, a move announced today at the London Book Fair.
With the Countdown Pages for audiobooks, Spotify users can now pre-save books before their official release. Once the book is available, users will receive a notification from Spotify. This new feature enables publishers and authors to generate buzz around their upcoming titles before they hit the shelves, similar to pre-order options on platforms like Amazon.
In addition, when users visit the Countdown Page to save a title, they will have the opportunity to explore a “More Like This” section that suggests similar audiobooks that are already accessible for immediate listening. This could potentially drive more users to embrace audiobooks as a whole.
Prior to being introduced for audiobooks, Countdown Pages were popular among artists like Taylor Swift, Karol G, Florence and the Machine, Paramore, and the Jonas Brothers, who showcased the feature at a Spotify event last year. Subsequently, over 80% of users who engaged in pre-saving a release would stream the new content within the first week, on average.
The Countdown Pages for audiobooks are set to launch in mid-April, as per Spotify’s announcement.
Spotify also shared an update on the usage of its audiobooks service, revealing that millions of users have listened to over 150,000 titles on the platform since its inception. The service boasts a catalog of more than 200,000 audiobooks. By introducing the Countdown Pages feature, Spotify aims to further expand the adoption of its audiobooks service by leveraging its vast global user base of over 600 million listeners.
Spotify initially unveiled its plans to include audiobooks in its Premium subscription towards the end of 2022, starting with launches in the U.K. and Australia followed by the U.S., Canada, and other regions. With a Premium subscription, users can stream up to 15 hours of audiobooks monthly. Alternatively, Spotify’s free users can now opt for a standalone audiobooks subscription priced at $9.99 per month, which was introduced earlier this month.
The Countdown Pages for audiobooks will be available in all markets where Spotify’s audiobooks are offered, including the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.
