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Amazon said on Tuesday that it will let Amazon Prime Music Unlimited subscribers access one audiobook per month from Audible’s catalog for free. This move is possibly to counter Spotify’s growth in the audiobook space and also nudge some Prime Music subscribers to purchase Audible books or plans.
The company noted that subscribers of the top plan in the U.S., U.K., and Canada can listen to to any audiobook of their choosing. Users can keep listening to the selected audiobook through subsequent billing cycles or select a new title.
“Today, Amazon Music introduces the audiobook category to a brand-new audience by making Audible’s industry-leading catalog of audiobooks available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers,” Steve Boom, VP of Audio, Twitch and Games for Amazon, said in a statement.
Last year, Amazon increased the price of its Amazon Prime Music Unlimited plan for both individuals and families.
Audible’s rival, Spotify, became the No. 2 audiobook provider earlier this year. The company already includes a selection of free audiobooks with Spotify Premium in the U.S. and U.K., Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Spotify also debuted an audiobook-only plan in March, giving users on its free tier access to its catalog in the U.S. with a 15-hour listening cap.
In comparison, Audible offers a $7.95 per month plan with original audiobooks, sleep tracks, and podcasts. It also has a $14.95 plan, which gives you one title per month from the company’s premium selection, including best sellers and new releases.
The e-commerce giant has been trying to bolster its recommendation engine for books across platforms. Last December, Amazon launched the “Your Books” tracker that integrated titles that you bought or saved from Amazon, including the ones on Kindle and Audible. Earlier this year, Amazon said it planned to use Prime Video data to present tailored audiobook suggestions to Audible users.
Ivan covers global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web. You can reach out to him at im[at]ivanmehta[dot]com
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