Spotify users in Australia can now share audiobook listening hours with family members via a new “Audiobooks+” add-on subscription.
Australia is one of the first regions to get Audiobooks+, after Spotify ran trials in Canada and Ireland. It comes in two distinct flavours: Audiobooks+ and Audiobooks+ for Plan Members.
By itself, Audiobooks+ adds an extra 15 hours of audiobook listening per month for Spotify Premium subscribers on either the Individual, Duo, or Family tier.
Audiobooks+ for Plan Members is specific to other members connected to a Duo or Family subscription. Family members can request 15 hours of listening time from whoever manages the plan, who then also confirms the add-on on behalf of the family member.
In Australia, an Audiobooks+ add-on subscription starts at $15.99 per month (thanks for the tip, Jacobbles!). It adds 15 more hours on top of the 15 hours of audiobook listening time that comes with a Spotify Premium subscription. If that’s not enough, Spotify also sells a 10-hour top-up for a one-off $16.99.
To be clear, that’s on top of the cost of a Spotify Premium subscription, which costs the following in Australia:
- Premium Individual: $13.99 monthly
- Premium Duo: $19.99 monthly
- Premium Family: $23.99 monthly
Previously, only the plan manager could listen to audiobooks via Spotify Premium, leaving family members in the lurch. Audiobooks+ for Plan Members is Spotify’s solution, albeit a costly one.
For comparison, Amazon’s Audible subscription costs $8.99 per month for the Standard tier, while the Premium Plus tier costs $16.45 per month. However, Audible doesn’t offer a family plan.
Alternatively, you can access a range of free audiobooks through your local library. Heaps of popular books are available via Libby, which saves a fair bit of money.
As the Arthur song goes: “Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card!“
