Swedish streaming titan Spotify has announced it will allow its premium subscribers to buy hardcover and paperback books through its app.
Launching in the coming months, premium Spotify subscribers in the U.S and U.K will be able to purchase books from within the app thanks to a partnership with Bookshop.org.
Spotify got into the book business back in 2022 when it introduced its audiobook offering.
According to the partnership, the indie retailer will handle pricing, stock, order and delivery for the streaming platform, whilst also sharing revenue with local bookstores. Spotify will take a cult of all in app purchases, though the size of that commission has not yet been disclosed.
“We are excited to see the impact Spotify’s scale will have for local bookstores,” said founder and CEO of Bookshop.org Andy Hunter “By meeting readers where they are and linking to Bookshop.org, Spotify is financially supporting indie booksellers with each purchase.”
Not only will the streaming powerhouse be taking on Amazon’s dominance in the online books sales sector, the move also presents a challenge for major publisher Penguin.
As platforms like Spotify diversify their offerings and gain greater influence over the way consumers discover books. The move signals a shift in negotiating power away from traditional publishers and toward larger tech platforms, particularly as they begin to shape consumer behaviour through in app recommendations and bundled offerings.
Spotify has categorised the move as a new opportunity to reach new audiences while deepening connections across audio and print.
Owen Smith global head of audiobooks at Spotify described the move as: “a real growth engine for the publishing industry and changing how people find their next great read.”
