Spotify launches special tier for audiobooks lovers, but it’s a missed opportunity

Spotify has tried to adapt its service to cater to all types of customers. The most recent change that will affect some customers is the addition of an audiobook-only tier for those who don't want to pay for Spotify Premium.

Unfortunately, the price is less attractive than the streaming service's Premium tier, which costs $10.99 and offers 15 hours of audiobook listening, as well as ad-free music and podcasts. Meanwhile, the recently launched Audiobooks Access tier costs $9.99 and only offers 15 hours of audiobook listening time.

Comparing the two tiers, it's pretty clear that for just $1 more, you get everything the new Audiobooks Access subscription tier does, plus unlimited ad-free music and podcasts.

Perhaps Spotify is considering changing the price of the Premium tier to make the Audiobooks Access tier more attractive, but that's just a guess. According to Spotifyits new audiobook-only plan allows listeners to listen to music and podcasts on its free, ad-supported service, while being able to listen to their favorite audiobooks at the same time.

While it's pretty clear who this tier is aimed at, the pricing and benefits of the offerings are nowhere near what Spotify already offers to those who pay for Premium.

Spotify says that since launching audiobooks in Premium, it has seen a 45% increase in the number of free users searching for and interacting with audiobook content every day. That's why they decided to add a new diet option, but the end result feels like a missed opportunity.