Spotify and ElevenLabs Transform Audiobooks

Spotify recently announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence tool aimed at self-publishing audiobooks, developed in collaboration with ElevenLabs. This innovation was presented during the company's Investor Day event, with a beta version expected in June, accessible by invitation only and initially in English.

One of the unique features of this tool is that it does not bind authors to an exclusive contract, allowing them to distribute their AI-generated audiobooks on other platforms. This development continues the partnership between Spotify and ElevenLabs, which had already enabled authors to submit audiobooks created via ElevenLabs' voice AI platform to Spotify.

In parallel, Spotify has also collaborated with Google Play Books to offer digitally narrated content. However, the company seems keen to provide authors access to more advanced and expressive voice models, such as those offered by ElevenLabs. The latter had also launched its own self-publishing platform in 2025.

Linguistic Expansion and New Features

Spotify is expanding its Spotify for Authors platform by integrating 10 new languages, including French, Canadian French, German, Dutch, Latin American Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish, and Norwegian. This linguistic expansion aims to reach a broader and more diverse audience.

The company also plans to expand its Audiobook+ offerings this year, allowing for higher listening limits and introducing new options for students and families. However, Spotify has not yet specified details regarding pricing or the use of these plans.

To date, Spotify has recorded over one million Audiobook+ subscriptions and aims to generate $100 million in annual recurring revenue through this platform.

Innovations in User Experience

During the event, Spotify also introduced a new feature allowing users to ask questions in natural language to discover audiobooks. This summer, the company plans to expand a feature that enables the creation of playlists based on prompts for podcasts and music, now including audiobooks as well.

In recent years, Spotify has intensified its efforts in the audiobook sector, enriching its catalog to 700,000 titles. The company has also introduced the program in international markets, invested in non-English titles, activated in-app purchases, and published audiobook rankings. This year, Spotify launched a program allowing authors to sell physical books in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Through these initiatives, Spotify claims to have increased listening hours by 60% year-over-year. Additionally, more than half of audiobook listeners have started listening in the past year.