According to Rzeczpospolita, the new function – currently in beta version – will allow authors to create audiobooks without a recording studio or voice-over. The system uses synthetic voices with a high level of naturalness. The service is scheduled to start in June, initially in the invitation model and in English.
The choice of ElevenLabs is not accidental. The Polish company quickly became one of the most recognizable players in the generative audio segment. Its technology stands out for its quality of reproducing the human voice – from intonation to emotions.
The business approach is also key for creators: Spotify does not require exclusivity, which means that authors will also be able to distribute their audiobooks outside the platform. The publishing process itself is to be simplified – everything will take place in the Spotify panel, without the need to manually upload files.
This is the next stage of cooperation between both companies. So far, it was possible to publish audiobooks created in the ElevenLabs ecosystem, now the tool is more deeply integrated with Spotify.
Read also: OpenAI launches a research center outside the US. Interesting direction
Spotify is fighting for the creators' market
The new function is part of a broader strategy to build the “Spotify for Authors” platform. The company wants to attract independent creators and increase the supply of audio content.
The website also announced the expansion of language support by 10 new languages, including: German, French and Scandinavian. Poland is not yet on this list, but the growing role of ElevenLabs shows that technologies from Poland are starting to play an important role in the global audio ecosystem.
ElevenLabs is dynamically developing its presence on the market. In February, the company announced cooperation with Perplexity, resulting in the “Discover Daily” podcast, generated by AI and presenting the most important events from the world of technology and culture.
Read also: The European Union has become a meme in the AI race. The US and China are long gone
Music is losing to audiobooks
For Spotify, investing in audiobooks is not an experiment, but an element of its growth strategy. The company informs that the Audiobook+ service already has over 1 million subscribers and generates approximately USD 100 million. annual recurring revenue.
The catalog covers 700,000. titles available in 22 markets, and audiobook listening time increased by 60%. year to year. Importantly, half of users started using this format in the last 12 months.
New features also contribute to the increase, such as “Page Match”, which allows you to seamlessly switch between text and audio. According to Spotify's data, the solution increased listener activity by more than half.
Spotify plans to further scale its audiobook offering. The list includes, among others: higher hour limits, new packages (for families and students) and the development of personalization mechanisms. For ElevenLabs, cooperation with Spotify is another step in building a global position.
