Spotify’s next step beyond audiobooks
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Spotify is expanding beyond streaming music and audiobooks to bring physical books into its app. The company has announced a partnership with Bookshop.org that will let users buy real paper books directly through Spotify later this spring. The move comes as Spotify looks to give users more ways to discover and enjoy stories, tying together reading and listening in one place.
Spotify’s new partnership with Bookshop.org connects the streaming platform to a network of independent bookshops, making it possible for users in the US and UK to purchase hardcovers and paperbacks without leaving the Spotify app.
How the Bookshop partnership works
Bookshop.org will handle pricing, inventory, and fulfillment, while readers are directed to the retailer to complete the purchase. With physical books still accounting for a large share of reading habits, Spotify sees this as a way to support both readers and local bookstores while giving authors a broader audience.
The partnership builds on Spotify’s growing audiobook presence, which it introduced in 2022 and has since expanded across more than 22 global markets with hundreds of thousands of English-language titles.
By adding physical books to its ecosystem, Spotify aims to help readers more easily go from discovering a book in the app to owning a printed copy. Bookshop.org’s founder and CEO Andy Hunter said he welcomes the collaboration, noting that it could amplify support for independent booksellers by meeting readers where they already spend time.
For a company best known for music streaming, this move marks a notable shift toward becoming a more holistic audio and reading destination. Alongside the Bookshop partnership, Spotify has also announced its new Page Match feature, which lets readers sync audiobooks with physical books. Just yesterday, the streaming giant also rolled out offline lyrics with translation support as part of a broader wave of product updates.
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