source: techcrunch ai: spotify launches an elevenlabs-powered audiobook creation tool
level: business
spotify introduced a new ai audiobook creation feature in its spotify for authors platform, powered by elevenlabs. the tool will launch in beta this june on an invite-only basis, starting with english language support. authors can generate audiobooks without signing exclusive contracts, so they remain free to distribute elsewhere. this builds on an earlier partnership where writers could submit elevenlabs-made audiobooks to spotify.
the company also announced spotify for authors will expand to ten more languages, including french, german, and swedish. its audiobook+ subscription plans will get higher listening limits and new student and family options later this year. spotify reported over a million audiobook+ subscriptions and expects to reach 100 million dollars in annual recurring revenue from the segment. listening hours grew 60 percent year over year, with more than half of audiobook listeners starting in the last year.
spotify continues to push into audiobooks, now with a catalog of 700,000 titles. it plans to add natural language search for audiobook discovery and expand prompt-based playlist creation to include audiobooks this summer. the company also started a program for authors to sell physical books in the us and uk. these moves aim to keep authors and listeners inside spotify's ecosystem while using ai to lower production barriers.
why it matters: ai voice generation makes audiobook production faster and cheaper, which could flood platforms with synthetic content and shift how data scientists approach audio quality, moderation, and recommendation systems.
source: techcrunch ai: spotify launches an elevenlabs-powered audiobook creation tool