Spotify on Thursday launched audiobooks in India, expanding its audio streaming services beyond music and podcasts with a catalogue of more than 3.5 lakh English titles and nearly 7,000 audiobooks in Indian languages.
Announced in Mumbai on November 12, the service will be available through Spotify’s Audio books+ subscription, priced at Rs 199 per month. Subscribers will receive 15 hours of audiobook listening every month, with options to purchase additional hours or individual titles.
The catalogue includes works in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, featuring titles such as Premchand’s Godaan, Kalki’s PonniyinSelvan and Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala. The platform will also offer personalised recommendations, offline listening, sleep timers and its Page Match feature, which synchronises audiobook playback with the reader’s position in a physical book.
Amarjit Singh Batra, GM South Asia, Middle East and Africa and MD India at Spotify, said the initiative would make books more accessible while helping Indian authors, including independent and self-published writers, reach wider audiences.
In Kolkata, the inclusion of Bengali audiobooks and literary works such as Tagore’s Kabuliwala could strengthen Spotify’s appeal among Bengali-speaking audiences. The launch also creates opportunities for regional authors and publishers to reach listeners beyond traditional book markets.
Spotify for Authors has also been introduced in India, allowing independent writers to distribute audiobooks and access global listener insights and marketing tools.