Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers in the US, UK and Canada are getting audiobooks as part of their subscription.
It follows the launch of 15 hours of audiobook listening as a bonus for subscribers on Spotify a year ago. With a vast catalogue of major titles and bestsellers, the bundling of audiobooks was a clear threat to Amazon’s Audible business, which offers subscribers one audiobook a month.
However, the addition of audiobooks on Spotify prompted a row with music publishers in the US over lower mechanical royalty rates as a result of the bundling.
Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can now listen to one audiobook a month from Audible’s premium library, including a UK catalogue of more than 800,000 audiobooks.
As a result of the move, Amazon Music Unlimited describes itself as the “premier destination for audio entertainment”, including 100 million songs in HD audio, as well as podcasts and the largest catalogue of audiobooks. Music and audiobooks are available in spatial audio.
"The combination of Amazon Music and Audible, two pioneers in audio streaming, brings an unmatched selection of audio entertainment to customers,” said Steve Boom, VP of audio, Twitch and games for Amazon. “Amazon Music redefined audio streaming through the magic of Alexa, and with the introduction of high-definition and spatial music. Today, Amazon Music introduces the audiobook category to a brand-new audience by making Audible’s industry-leading catalogue of audiobooks available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers.”
The combination of Amazon Music and Audible, two pioneers in audio streaming, brings an unmatched selection of audio entertainment to customers
Steve Boom
“Audible has revolutionised the way people worldwide consume books, and as our category continues to evolve and scale, we’ve seen an ever-growing appetite for audiobooks,” said Bob Carrigan, Audible CEO. “The opportunity to extend Audible to Amazon Music subscribers enables us to captivate the next generation of listeners with a treasure trove of storytelling, while Audible’s standalone service will continue to provide its exceptional library and customer experience in a suite of plan options for audiobook lovers who can’t get enough.”
Amazon Music Unlimited individual plan subscribers, as well as primary account holders to the family plan, can listen to one audiobook at a time (of any length) per month with their subscription. Customers who want more beyond their monthly allowance can subscribe to an Audible membership or purchase titles a la carte directly from the Audible app.
Audible recently announced a new co-production of the original Harry Potter stories, revisiting the listening experience for the first time ever. The full-cast audio productions are scheduled for late 2025, featuring immersive audio with Dolby Atmos.
Prime members can subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited for £9.99 a month or £99 a year for an annual subscription. Non-Prime customers pay £10.99 a month. A promotional offer means new subscribers can get three months of Amazon Music Unlimited for free.
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