Spotify's growing audiobook service has attracted a significant number of new listeners, which has contributed to revenue growth at several major publishers since launching in October 2023, according to the company, which released new data this week.
The streaming platform's English-language audiobook catalog has expanded to more than 400,000 titles, nearly tripling in size since the Premium audiobook feature was introduced.
According to Spotify, the number of audiobook listeners in the U.S., U.K., and Australia rose by 30% from January 2024 to January 2025, and listening hours increased by more than 35%. In France and the Benelux region, where audiobooks launched last year, the number of listeners has grown by a monthly average of 12%. "Much of this growth is driven by users who were listening to an audiobook for the very first time," the company said.
The growth aligns with broader industry trends. The Audio Publishers Association recently reported that audiobook sales grew by 13% in 2024, with 99% of revenues generated by digital audiobooks.
Several publishers have cited Spotify as a factor in rising audio revenue. U.K. publisher Bloomsbury reported that audio sales during its 2025 fiscal year "grew 57% in part driven by our new commercial relationship with Spotify." French publisher Lagardère noted in its 2024 financial report that "digital sales grew significantly in the audio segment (up 38%), driven by a new partnership with Spotify."
HarperCollins reported audiobook sales rose by 13% in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. No one is more supportive of Spotify's entrance into the digital audiobook market than Robert Thomson, CEO of HC parent company News Corp, who has repeatedly cited Spotify as the catalyst for double digit sales growth of the format that HC has seen in recent quarters.
