Spotify has partnered with Bookshop.org to enable users in the US and UK to purchase physical books directly within the app.
Instead of framing audiobooks as a replacement for print, Spotify is positioning the two formats as complementary, with its February partnership with Bookshop.org underscoring the continued dominance of physical books in publishing.
Bookshop.org operates as an online marketplace built to support independent booksellers in the digital space, and Spotify says purchases made through its app will directly benefit those shops as well as the authors behind the titles.
When browsing an audiobook on Spotify, users may see a “Get a copy for your bookshelf” option that links out to Bookshop.org, where the purchase and shipping are completed. The feature is already available on Android, with iOS support expected next week.
The partnership centers on Page Match, a feature launched by Spotify in February that keeps reading progress aligned across audiobooks, physical books, and ebooks for easier switching.
Readers can scan a page from a paperback using their phone camera to jump to the same spot in the audiobook, while support for e-readers allows seamless switching between silent reading and listening.
Spotify has expanded Page Match to support more than 30 additional languages, including French, German and Swedish.
The company has expanded Audiobook Recaps to Android, following its debut on iOS last year. These AI-generated summaries give listeners a quick refresher before resuming, unlocking after the 10-minute mark. Spotify introduced audiobooks in 2022, and Premium subscribers currently get 15 hours of listening time each month.
Maybe you would like other interesting articles?