Amazon is shaking things up by allowing Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers to enjoy one audiobook per month for free from Audible’s extensive collection. This strategic move is an attempt to gain an edge over Spotify, which has been making significant strides in the audiobook arena, while encouraging Amazon Music users to consider buying Audible books or subscriptions.
Subscribers on the upper-tier plan in regions like the U.S., U.K., and Canada can select any audiobook they fancy. Once chosen, they can continue listening to it during subsequent billing cycles, or they can opt to pick a new title every month.
Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch, and Games at Amazon, expressed enthusiasm about this new feature, stating that Amazon Music is now opening the doors of Audible’s vast audiobook library to a whole new group of users.
It’s worth noting that Amazon upped the subscription cost for its Amazon Music Unlimited service for both individuals and families last year. Meanwhile, Spotify, one of Audible’s main competitors, has climbed to the position of the world’s second-largest audiobook provider. Spotify already offers a selection of complimentary audiobooks to Premium members across several regions and even launched a special audiobook plan that allows users on its free tier to access audiobooks with a 15-hour monthly limit.
In contrast to Spotify’s offerings, Audible has its own plans which have distinguished features. For instance, it has a $7.95 per month package featuring original audiobooks, sleep aids, and podcasts. Its more comprehensive $14.95 plan provides one audiobook per month from its premier selections, including bestsellers and new releases.
Amazon has also been enhancing its book recommendation capabilities across its platforms. Last December, it introduced the “Your Books” tracker, which integrates all your purchased or saved titles from Amazon – including Kindle and Audible titles. Moreover, Amazon has plans to leverage Prime Video data to deliver personalized audiobook recommendations to Audible users.
The initiative represents a clear shift in Amazon’s strategy to further integrate its services, offering added value to its subscribers and potentially attracting new ones from a diverse range of interests within its growing ecosystem.
