Spotify is strengthening its audiobook features and expanding into physical book sales, TechCrunch reported on Feb. 4 local time.
Users in the United States and Britain can buy printed books through the Spotify app. Book purchases will be run in partnership with Bookshop.org in a way that supports independent bookstores.
Its audiobook functions will also be improved. A "Page Match" feature will let users scan pages of a physical book and immediately jump to the corresponding location in the audiobook. Android users can now use an "Audiobook Summary" feature. It provides a summary of the last section a user listened to.
Through physical book sales, Spotify appears to be competing directly with large bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, while seeking to position itself as a platform that covers both digital and physical formats. Spotify said it is growing rapidly in the audiobook market, with the number of audiobook listeners rising 36 percent last year and listening time up 37 percent.
Chi-gyu Hwang
delight@d-today.co.kr