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Spotify $SPOT +1.96% is trialing a new format that adds narrated long-form magazine articles to its platform alongside music, podcasts, and audiobooks. The catalog spans titles such as Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, Vogue, Variety, Billboard, GQ, Wired, Vanity Fair, and Pitchfork, with all content offered in English across the countries where Spotify's audiobook service operates.
Each article in the collection runs no longer than two hours, Spotify said, with all narration handled by the company's internal Audiobooks team. For those on a paid plan, the articles count against the same monthly allowance used for audiobooks; listeners on the free tier can buy access to a single article for $1.99.
The narration uses a mix of human and digital voices, according to The Verge. Spotify spokesperson Rosalind Jeffcoat told The Verge that any article relying on a synthesized voice will carry a visible label, and noted that AI-generated narration makes it more practical to convert shorter pieces that would otherwise never reach an audio audience.
"With Articles, we're introducing long-form journalism in audio as a natural extension of the music, podcasts, and audiobooks people already come to Spotify for, focused on topics we know they love," Colleen Prendergast, licensing lead at Spotify Audiobooks, said in a statement. "By bringing shorter form content into the mix, we're meeting audiences where they are to help build healthy listening habits, ultimately growing engagement with books over time."
