Spotify has launched its audiobook service in India, adding spoken-word books to the music and podcast platform. The offering is available from 13 November and includes more than 350,000 English-language titles and around 7,000 audiobooks in Indian languages.
The company is introducing a separate Audiobooks+ subscription priced at ₹199 a month. It provides 15 hours of listening each month across the available catalogue and can be used by people on both Spotify’s Free and Premium tiers. Listeners can move between books, hear sample chapters and begin new titles within the monthly allowance.
“Audiobooks on Spotify are the next chapter. With Audiobooks+, listeners get 15 hours a month, with an option to top up or buy individual titles, across a vast catalogue of classics, blockbusters and new discoveries, moving with them alongside their music and podcasts,” Spotify said.
Indian-language books and listening features
The regional-language catalogue covers Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The collection includes works from Indian and international authors, spanning genres such as thrillers, mysteries, romance, self-help and fantasy. Spotify said listeners who use up their monthly allowance can buy additional hours or purchase individual audiobook titles.
The service also brings features designed to connect printed books with their audio versions. With Page Match, a user can scan the ISBN of a physical book and resume the audiobook from the corresponding page. Spotify said more than one million people have used the feature globally since February. Users can also download books for offline playback and set a sleep timer to stop listening automatically after a selected period.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Audiobooks+ price | ₹199 per month |
| Monthly listening | 15 hours |
| Eligible accounts | Spotify Free and Premium |
| Indian-language catalogue | Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam |
A distribution route for Indian authors
Spotify is also opening Spotify for Authors to writers in India. The platform is intended for self-published and independent authors who want to distribute audiobooks, view listener insights from around the world and use promotional tools such as redemption codes. Spotify said its arrangements are non-exclusive, allowing authors to distribute their work through other platforms as well.
Indian users can access the audiobook section by updating the Spotify app, opening the Audiobooks hub or searching for a book. After adding Audiobooks+, they can start playback from the selected title. Subscriptions and account settings can be managed through Spotify’s account page.
- Audiobooks+ costs ₹199 a month and includes 15 hours of listening.
- The launch catalogue includes more than 350,000 English titles and around 7,000 books in seven Indian languages.
- Spotify for Authors lets independent and self-published writers distribute audiobooks and access listener data.
