Spotify Adds Page Match, Sells Physical Books With Bookshop.org
Company will sell physical books in-app and roll out Page Match to most English-language titles by Feb. 23, company officials said.
Overview
Spotify announced Thursday that users in the U.S. and the U.K. will be able to purchase physical books through the Spotify app via Bookshop.org, with purchases routed to Bookshop.org's site, company officials said.
The company also introduced Page Match, a camera-based tool that lets listeners scan a page of a physical or e-book to jump to the equivalent spot in the audiobook, and said all users would have access by Feb. 23, officials said.
Spotify said it partnered with Bookshop.org so every in-app purchase will benefit local independent bookstores while Bookshop.org handles pricing, inventory and shipping, company officials said.
Spotify's audiobook catalog now exceeds 500,000 titles, and the company reported in October that audiobook listeners rose 36% and listening hours increased 37% year over year, company filings and statements show.
Spotify said Audiobook Recaps will arrive on Android in spring and that Page Match will be expanded beyond English-language titles over time, company officials said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Spotify's audiobook expansion positively, emphasizing consumer benefits and indie-support through language like "exciting developments" and "great news for indie booksellers." Coverage privileges company-provided features and growth metrics, omits critical perspectives (pricing, privacy, publisher impact), and structures the piece to foreground opportunity over scrutiny.
Sources (3)
FAQ
Page Match is a camera-based tool that lets users scan a page of a physical or e-book to jump to the equivalent spot in the audiobook on Spotify, using optical character recognition to match text to audiobook timestamps; it also works in reverse to map audiobook progress to the physical page.
Page Match will roll out to most English-language titles for all users by February 23, and is limited to countries where Spotify sells audiobooks like the US, UK, Canada, Europe, and Australia; it requires unlocking or owning the audiobook.
Spotify users in the US and UK can purchase physical books in-app, with purchases routed to Bookshop.org's site; every purchase benefits local independent bookstores, while Bookshop.org manages pricing, inventory, and shipping.
Spotify's audiobook catalog exceeds 500,000 titles, with audiobook listeners up 36% and listening hours up 37% year over year as reported in October.
Audiobook Recaps will arrive on Android in spring, and Page Match will expand beyond English-language titles over time.
History
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