Tag: tools

Audiobook Authors and Publishers Get a New Suite of Tools With the Launch of Spotify for Authors

November 26, 2024

Spotify’s audiobook catalog brings more than 300,000 titles—and counting—to the ears of listeners around the world. Now we’re launching a new platform to offer more for the authors and publishers behind the audiobook content we all love. Introducing Spotify for Authors.

Much like Spotify for Artists and Spotify for Creators, the new Spotify for Authors platform empowers authors and publishers with better tools and data to maximize their success on Spotify.

For publishers

We have worked alongside publishers to develop impactful tools that deliver better insights and growth for publishers and authors alike. For publishers, Spotify for Authors expands on the catalog management and royalty reporting currently offered in Passport, with insights and analytics to help them better understand their audiences and catalog consumption on Spotify. The platform also provides promotional tools to help publishers enhance their presence on Spotify and expand their listener bases.

For authors

For authors invited by publishers, Spotify for Authors offers direct access to industry-leading insights, as well as growth and promotional tools to help them grow their listeners and catalogs, including:

  • Aggregated age and gender demographics that provide more insight than ever before, to let them know who is listening to their content on Spotify. 
  • Redemption codes to share royalty-free copies of titles with reviewers, superfans, and collaborators (if enabled by their publishers).
  • Promo cards to generate professional and shareable social assets for their titles in just one click.
  • Early access to author profiles, a new feature rolling out to Spotify so fans can easily discover more about the authors behind their favorite books.

For the Record caught up with Owen Smith, VP of Audiobooks Product and Technology at Spotify, to learn more about Spotify for Authors and what this new platform means for the people and teams behind the audiobooks listeners love.

What makes Spotify for Authors unique in the publishing industry?

We believe that one of the best ways to support authors and publishers is by giving them access to the right tools and data. With Spotify for Authors, we’re giving our partners across the audiobooks industry more comprehensive insights and marketing features to make the most of their presence on Spotify. 

This platform is unique for the industry because it is built to support any author or publisher — we’re not gating any features or limiting them based on exclusivity. Our aim is to push the entire industry forward for the benefit of all authors and publishers, and we believe they need the right tools and technology to reach their maximum potential. We’re just beginning to roll out access to Spotify for Authors but are eager to see the impact a platform like this can have for publishers and authors of any size.  

How will Spotify for Authors help publishers and authors reach new audiences?

The more we give rich and granular insights to publishers and authors, the more they can understand their audience and make strategic decisions about how to market their audiobook. For example, they can now see the age and demographic info of who is listening to their titles on Spotify, and also what genres of podcasts they’re listening to. This is important because podcasts are a big part of any book’s release campaign and ongoing success—so now they will have a better sense of what kinds of shows to target. I’m also excited to see authors leverage redemption codes to promote their titles and draw in new and existing fans. 

How will Spotify continue to innovate and update its audiobook offerings?

With audiobooks, we know Spotify can uniquely reimagine the format, and Spotify for Authors is the foundation on which we’ll expand the much-requested creative options for authors and publishers. We have a lot in store for audiobooks on Spotify in 2025: bringing our partners better tools and more insights through Spotify for Authors so they can connect more authentically with their readers and fans, building richer and more dynamic experiences for listeners (like our follow-along experience we’re currently testing), and enhancing our discovery and cross-promotion efforts across content verticals to introduce new audiences to the format. 

Lastly, I’ll say: We’ve worked closely with authors and publishers to develop Spotify for Authors, prioritizing what to build based on their feedback and needs, and will continue to iterate and partner with them along the way. So, if you’re an author or publisher using our tools, please send us your notes! 

Today’s launch is just the first step as we help authors and publishers reach new audiences, connect more deeply with their fans, and drive listening. 

Spotify for Authors is available in all Spotify markets, enabling authors and publishers to utilize Spotify’s tools regardless of where they publish from. Publishers can access Spotify for Authors with their Spotify logins and can invite authors to join at authors.spotify.com. We will be expanding access to authors using Findaway Voices early next year. 

If you’re an author or publisher, visit this link to learn more.

Spotify’s New Publishing Tool Makes It Easy To Turn Broadcasts Into Podcasts

April 13, 2023

At the end of 2021, Spotify announced the acquisition of Whooshkaa, an Australia-based podcast technology platform that let radio broadcasters turn their existing audio content into on-demand podcast content. Today, we are excited to share that this technology is now available for any publisher with a Megaphone account. Megaphone is our podcasting platform for enterprise publishers and professional podcasters, and it offers a comprehensive set of tools that helps them publish, measure, and monetize their podcast businesses.

This technology, which we are calling broadcast-to-podcast (B2P), gives broadcast publishers—whether they’re already in the podcast game or new to the medium—an easy-to-use tool that allows them to leverage existing content to reach new, younger audiences and extend their revenue potential.

For the Record spoke to Emma Vaughn, Global Head of Advertising Business Development & Partnerships at Spotify, to learn more about this technology and what it means for broadcast creators.

First, can you share how radio listening habits are changing?

Radio listening has been gradually shifting from over-the-air to streaming as consumers increasingly choose to listen through their digital devices. In fact, the time people spent listening to broadcast radio online in the U.S. grew by 50% from 2019 to 2022. 

Similar to TV, busy consumers want to listen to their favorite audio content on their own schedule. This partly explains the tremendous growth of the podcast industry—creators, publishers, and platforms are responding to the demand from audiences. At the same time, there are more ways for people to listen thanks to a high adoption of devices like smart speakers, smartwatches, and more. 

Does this new B2P tool require extra effort or technical knowledge to use?

No! The ease of use and automation are major benefits to this product. After a simple, one-time setup process in Megaphone, broadcast-to-podcast will automatically create new podcast episodes from previously broadcasted content, making it easier than ever for broadcast publishers to reach new audiences with their content. It’s honestly so cool.  

It typically takes publishing teams approximately 30 to 60 minutes to manually convert each individual broadcast episode to a podcast. This includes downloading the episode off the radio platform, removing the ad spots, placing ad markers, and uploading the episode to a podcast platform. 

This amount of friction does not work at scale when converting hundreds of episodes per day across a network. B2P helps automate this entire process for publishers.

Spotify Turns Up the Volume in Pakistan With Events and Music Campaigns

April 6, 2023

an artist performs on stage at a concert event

Two years ago, we introduced Spotify to listeners in Pakistan. Since the launch, we’ve worked with the country’s artists to expand their reach and share their music with new fans worldwide—and now we’re taking things to a new level.

March marked the first anniversary of our EQUAL women’s empowerment program in Pakistan, with singer Tina Sani as the Ambassador of the Month. RADAR, which highlights emerging artists from all around the world, also recently made its debut in Pakistan, featuring Taha G up first. He’s at the top of the RADAR Pakistan playlist, and Spotify worked with the singer to create a mini-documentary that spotlights his life and career.

In addition to bringing these programs to the region, we’re finding unique ways—from Masterclasses to cricket campaigns to local playlists—to connect with artists. 

Lending artists support with a Masterclass in Lahore

Our music industry experts were ready to share their knowledge during a Spotify for Artists Masterclass event in Lahore, PK. “We hosted at the historical Haveli Barood Khana mansion, and used this opportunity to educate and share information on music streaming trends and new product features with the burgeoning music industry in the region,” shared Khan FM, Artist and Label Partnerships Manager for Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Renowned Coke Studio music producer, curator and artist Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan shared his perspective on the Pakistani music industry with an audience that included more than 150 artists and their teams. 

Want to Start a Podcast? Hear How From Anchor Podcasters

April 2, 2020

Always wanted to host and produce your own podcast? While it may feel like a significant undertaking, there are plenty of tools that can help—and podcast experts who are ready to guide you along the way.

Anchor, the podcasting platform Spotify acquired in 2019, provides easy-to-use creative tools, free content hosting, and distribution to listening platforms, including Spotify. Since its creation, Anchor has enabled people all over the world to broadcast their voices.

Looking for additional guidance and inspiration on starting your podcast? Well, look no further than Anchor’s How I Podcast series, where podcasters deep dive into their processes and best practices. Check out this roundup of great advice from Anchor creators Ashley Smith and Kristy Brannon, Evan Pricco and Doug Gillen, Aaron Bernstein, and Alex and Christine Schiefer.