Spotify has announced a partnership with ElevenLabs to enhance its catalog of AI-narrated audiobooks, and make audiobook production more accessible and cost-effective for authors.
As noted by The Verge, this move is designed to tap into the potential of digital voice narration, thereby expanding the audiobook market.
While Spotify’s audiobook distribution platform, Findaway Voices, previously permitted AI-recorded audiobooks from select partners, the inclusion of ElevenLabs is expected to significantly increase the availability of synthetically voiced content on the platform.
ElevenLabs offers authors the ability to narrate their audiobooks in 29 languages, providing a diverse range of synthetic voices. The platform’s free version allows for 10 minutes of text-to-voice conversion per month. Premium subscriptions are also available, with the Pro tier priced at $99 monthly, enabling the generation of up to 500 minutes of narration.
Spotify acknowledges the value of human narration but recognizes that digital voices can make audiobook production more affordable, particularly for smaller authors and publishers. This approach also facilitates the creation of audiobooks for older titles that might not have been financially viable to produce otherwise.
All AI-narrated audiobooks will be clearly labeled, with metadata indicating “this audiobook is narrated by a digital voice,” ensuring transparency for listeners.
The audiobook industry has experienced significant growth, with 2024 being dubbed “the year of the audiobook.” This surge in popularity is partly attributed to Spotify’s entry into the market, offering subscribers up to 15 hours of audiobook content monthly since October 2023.
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