Kenyans can now access more than 350,000 audiobook titles through a new service offering an alternative way to experience books while commuting, working or carrying out daily activities.
The service allows eligible users to listen to books through Spotify, with a monthly plan offering 15 hours of listening for Ksh 489. Listeners can purchase an additional 10 hours for Ksh 589 or buy individual titles to keep.
The launch introduces another option for people who want to engage with books without setting aside time to sit down and read.
In a statement seen by KBC Digital, the company said the feature would make spent hours matter.
“From the morning commute along Thika Road to a lunch break or the final moments before bed, audiobooks offer another way to make the time people already have feel better spent,” the statement read. “With 15 hours of audiobook listening each month for Ksh 489, equivalent to around 30 minutes a day, Audiobooks+ makes it easier for listeners to fit stories into their everyday routines without having to find extra hours in the day.”
However, access to the service’s paid listening hours and individual titles means cost will remain a consideration for readers or listeners.
Beyond broadening access, the service could provide Kenyan authors and publishers with another channel to distribute their work beyond the local market.
Through Spotify for Authors, local publishers and self-published writers can upload audiobooks and make them available to audiences in more than 180 markets. The platform also provides information about who is listening to their work.
The partnerships are non-exclusive, meaning authors can continue distributing their audiobooks through other services.
“Spotify believes authors should find the largest possible audience, which is why all of its audiobook partnerships are non-exclusive,” the company said in a statement. “The catalogue in Kenya will keep growing as new partners join and local authors upload their work.”
The service also includes a feature that allows listeners to move between print and audio versions of a book. Through Page Match, users can scan a book’s ISBN barcode and use page numbers to find their place in the audiobook.
Other features include offline listening, a sleep timer and the ability to resume listening across supported devices.
Speaking about the new feature, Owen Smith, Vice President of Audiobooks at Spotify, said books have a transformative effect.
“Books change how we see the world, and the people in it. For a lot of people, audiobooks are how they find their way back to reading, on the commute, on a walk, or at the end of a long day. Bringing audiobooks to more than 180 markets means millions more people can discover that, and authors and publishers can reach readers they’ve never been able to reach before.”
Spotify said monthly audiobook listeners on its platform grew by nearly 40 per cent over the past year, while listening hours increased by more than 30 per cent.
