Spotify launches AI audiobook tool powered by ElevenLabs
▼ Summary
– Spotify will launch an ElevenLabs-powered AI tool for self-publishing audiobooks in beta this June, initially in English and on an invite-only basis.
– Authors using the AI tool are not bound to an exclusive contract and can publish their audiobooks on other platforms.
– Spotify is expanding its “Spotify for Authors” platform to support 10 additional languages, including French, German, and Dutch.
– The company will expand its Audiobook+ plans this year with higher listening limits and future options for students and families.
– Spotify has over a million Audiobook+ subscriptions and is on track to generate $100 million in annualized recurring revenue from the platform.
Alongside new tools for AI-powered podcasts, Spotify has unveiled a feature that lets authors self-publish AI-narrated audiobooks through its Spotify for Authors platform, powered by ElevenLabs. Announced during the company’s Investor Day event, the tool will enter a beta launch this June on an invite-only basis, with initial support limited to the English language.
Crucially, authors who use this AI audiobook generation tool will not be locked into an exclusive contract, giving them the freedom to distribute their narrated works across other platforms.
This move builds on a prior collaboration between Spotify and ElevenLabs, which already allowed writers to submit audiobooks created on the voice AI startup’s platform. Spotify also had an existing partnership with Google Play Books for digitally narrated content. However, the company likely wanted to offer authors access to ElevenLabs’ newer voice models, which produce more expressive and human-like narration. Notably, ElevenLabs had already launched its own self-publishing platform for authors in 2025.
Beyond the AI narration tool, Spotify is expanding its Spotify for Authors platform to support 10 additional languages, including French, Canadian French, German, Dutch, Latin American Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish, and Norwegian.
The company also plans to expand its Audiobook+ subscription plans this year, introducing higher listening limits and new options for students and families in the future. Spotify did not disclose specific pricing or usage details for these plans in its announcement.
To date, Spotify has surpassed one million Audiobook+ subscriptions, and the service is on track to generate $100 million in annualized recurring revenue.
During the event, Spotify introduced a new natural language search feature for audiobook discovery, allowing users to ask questions to find titles. This summer, the company will also extend its prompt-based playlist creation tool,currently available for podcasts and music,to include audiobooks.
Spotify has significantly ramped up its focus on audiobooks over the past few years, growing its catalog to 700,000 titles. The company has expanded into international markets, invested in non-English titles, enabled in-app purchases, and launched audiobook charts. This year, it also began a program for authors to sell physical books in the U. S. and the U. K.
These efforts have driven a 60% year-over-year increase in listening hours, according to Spotify. The company also noted that more than half of its audiobook listeners started within the last year.
(Source: TechCrunch)
