audiobooks blog by MIDiA Research

Blog: audiobooks

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the digital entertainment world. Check out the latest from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage - games, video, music, audio, social, or critical developments.

AI podcasts: Google’s NotebookLM will disrupt — not destroy — podcasting

Cover image for AI podcasts: Google’s NotebookLM will disrupt — not destroy — podcasting

Rutger Rosenborg

2 Oct 2024

On the heels of a North Carolina man being indicted for music streaming fraud, questions about AI and audio — especially as it pertains to intellectual property (IP) rights — continue to swirl. Now,...

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As audio goes long-form, podcasts and audiobooks converge

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Rutger Rosenborg

18 Sep 2024

Songs may be getting shorter, but many of the most popular podcasts are not. As Ashley Carman reports for Bloomberg , Lex Fridman’s August 2024 episode with Elon Musk reached almost nine hours, while...

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The future of AI-generated audiobooks is here

Cover image for The future of AI-generated audiobooks is here

Rutger Rosenborg

7 Aug 2024

Cultural Trends

In March, on the heels of a Danish man becoming the first person convicted of streaming fraud, MIDiA explained how AI could soon enable a golden age of audio piracy . Coupled with the fact that book publishers...

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What Audible’s new royalty model means for its audiobook battle with Spotify

Cover image for What Audible’s new royalty model means for its audiobook battle with Spotify

Rutger Rosenborg

1 Aug 2024

Business Strategy

In early July, Audible’s blog broke the news that the company was introducing a new royalty model for audiobooks. Previously, according to Bloomberg’s Ashley Carman , Audible would do a “buyout”,...

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Audio advertising: What podcasts can learn from radio

Cover image for Audio advertising: What podcasts can learn from radio

Rutger Rosenborg

11 Jul 2024

Business Strategy

Radio has been the dominant audio format for a century — and arguably, it still is. According to MIDiA’s Q1 2024 Consumer Survey , 49% of respondents in all tracked markets (excluding China) say they...

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The countdown begins for audiobooks on Spotify

Cover image for The countdown begins for audiobooks on Spotify

Rutger Rosenborg

23 May 2024

music publishing

As Spotify rolls out music-like features for audiobooks, the company still finds itself at odds with the music business, courting one publishing industry while ruffling the feathers of another. So far,...

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Audio is not enough: Why audio platforms and creators are betting on video

Cover image for Audio is not enough: Why audio platforms and creators are betting on video

Rutger Rosenborg

8 May 2024

subscription video on demand

Video may have killed the radio star, but digital audio platforms and creators increasingly see video as a beneficial supplement to podcasts and audiobooks. From ghost podcasts filmed for social media...

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Spotify’s publisher dilemma: Audiobook bundling makes music publishers mad — is all-in-one audio sustainable?

Cover image for Spotify’s publisher dilemma: Audiobook bundling makes music publishers mad — is all-in-one audio sustainable?

Rutger Rosenborg

25 Apr 2024

Music Streaming

Try as you might, you cannot make everyone happy. Spotify is learning that the hard way as the company tries to make the case for audiobooks to users, shareholders, and the book publishing industry —...

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AI could enable a golden age of audio piracy

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Rutger Rosenborg

28 Mar 2024

Everyone knows the story: In the early 2000s, peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing platforms like Napster, Kazaa, and LimeWire helped digital music piracy proliferate, ultimately decimating recorded music revenue...

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As Spotify corners audiobooks, Audible eyes functional audio

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Rutger Rosenborg

22 Mar 2024

Over the course of 30 years, Audible’s catalogue has grown to include more than 470,000 audiobooks, at least according to their own ads . In less than a year, Spotify’s catalogue has grown to include...

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New audiobook pricing gives Spotify the best of both worlds

Cover image for New audiobook pricing gives Spotify the best of both worlds

Rutger Rosenborg

6 Mar 2024

In late 2023, Spotify slowly started rolling out audiobooks to Premium subscribers in select markets . In contrast with Spotify’s unlimited supply of music, Premium subscribers were allotted 15 hours...

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What indie book publishers can gain from audiobooks

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Rutger Rosenborg

22 Feb 2024

Music Streaming

In the music industry, three major labels generate the lion’s share of revenue: Universal, Sony, and Warner. In the book publishing industry, the “big five” publishers dominate: Penguin Random House,...

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Audiobooks’ Latin explosion — a new front in the streaming wars?

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Rutger Rosenborg

2 Feb 2024

As streaming and demographic shifts bring a second Latin explosion to the music industry, audiobooks are gearing up to follow suit. In a January 2024 press release , popular subscription-based audio platform...

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Audiobooks enter their streaming era, but will it pay off?

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Rutger Rosenborg

3 Jan 2024

Most people agree that streaming saved the recorded music industry, but that only happened because demonetised digital consumption helped bring it to the brink of death in the first place. The internet...

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Spotify’s audiobooks move is another brick in the audio wall

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Mark Mulligan

4 Oct 2023

Streaming has come a long way since its days as a pure music service for super fans. Spotify’s announcement that it is making 15 monthly audiobook hours available to premium subscribers is simply the...

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Spotify’s Q2 podcast financials: Things may get worse before they get better

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Annie Langston

2 Aug 2023

Spotify’s Q2 earnings are a mixed bag for its podcast business. On one hand, monthly active users (MAUs) grew to 551 million, with 10 million new premium subscribers (bringing that total to 220 million),...

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YouTube’s podcast push raises the question: what actually is a podcast?

Cover image for YouTube’s podcast push raises the question: what actually is a podcast?

Annie Langston

18 May 2023

Podcast videos have been all the rage as of late, with YouTube officially launching its podcast vertical — although Bloomberg reports that NPR, Slate, and The New York Times have struggled to kickstart...

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Spotify podcast earnings: Moving beyond the investment phase

Cover image for Spotify podcast earnings: Moving beyond the investment phase

Annie Langston

3 May 2023

Spotify’s Q1 2023 earnings revealed its growing userbase — now at 515 million monthly active users (MAUs) — and some key insights into its podcast vertical. First quarter revenue fell short of expectations,...

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How AI narration could transform Apple Books’ creator economy

Cover image for How AI narration could transform Apple Books’ creator economy

Annie Langston

11 Jan 2023

artificial intelligence

It is a new year for the audio world and Apple is attempting to expand audiobook creation. Apple Books launched its “digital narration” feature which allows authors to publish audiobook versions of...

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How Apple’s commission is reconfiguring Spotify’s audiobook strategy

Cover image for How Apple’s commission is reconfiguring Spotify’s audiobook strategy

Annie Langston

23 Nov 2022

Spotify’s audiobook rollout has hit a major roadblock. Spotify debuted its service in September as a la carte , where users purchased audiobooks individually. In order to avoid Apple’s 30% commission...

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