Home » Tech » Spotify Now Sells Books & Syncs Audiobooks with Page Match

Spotify Now Sells Books & Syncs Audiobooks with Page Match

by Lisa Park - Tech Editor

Spotify is expanding its audiobook offerings beyond streaming, venturing into physical book sales and introducing a novel synchronization feature called Page Match. The company announced , that users in the US and UK will be able to purchase physical books through the Spotify app, initially partnering with Bookshop.org.

The move aims to bridge the gap between digital and physical reading experiences, allowing users to seamlessly transition between listening to an audiobook and reading a physical copy. According to Spotify, the partnership is designed to “make it easier for users to go from discovering a new book to getting the format they prefer.”

Supporting Independent Bookstores

A key component of the partnership is a commitment to supporting independent bookstores. Spotify states that purchases made through the app will financially benefit independent booksellers and authors. Andy Hunter, founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, emphasized this aspect, stating, “We’re excited about the influence Spotify’s reach will have on local bookstores. By meeting readers where they are and directing them to Bookshop.org, Spotify financially supports independent booksellers with every purchase.”

Users will find a “Add to Bookshelf at Home” button on audiobook pages within the Spotify app. Clicking this button redirects them to the Bookshop.org website to complete the purchase. The timing of this expansion may also be a justification for Spotify’s recent price increases, implemented in .

“Page Match”: Seamless Transition

Alongside the new book sales feature, Spotify is launching “Page Match,” a technology designed to synchronize a user’s progress between an audiobook and a physical book. The feature is currently available to Premium subscribers and will be fully rolled out to all audiobook users by the end of .

Page Match utilizes the smartphone’s camera to scan a page of a physical book. The software then employs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to analyze the text and jump to the corresponding point in the audiobook. The process works in reverse as well; scanning a page in the physical book will display the approximate page number in the printed edition.

At launch, Page Match will be available for “most English-language titles” within Spotify’s catalog of over 500,000 audiobooks, with plans to expand language support in the future. The feature requires that the audiobook be either purchased through Spotify or accessible via a subscription; otherwise, users will be prompted to make a purchase.

The technology is similar in concept to Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice, which allows seamless switching between Kindle ebooks and Audible audiobooks. However, Spotify’s Page Match distinguishes itself by working with physical books and ebooks on any e-reader – though it won’t function with ebooks viewed on a phone screen, as it relies on the camera to scan the physical page.

The feature’s accuracy, while generally reliable, has been described as “inconsistent speedwise” in initial testing. The system can’t pinpoint the exact page due to variations between book editions (hardcover versus paperback, for example), but it can guide the user forward or backward until it identifies the correct sentence, highlighting the relevant passage on screen.

Spotify’s expansion into physical book sales and the introduction of Page Match represent a significant step in the company’s broader strategy to become a comprehensive audio and reading platform. The move reflects a growing trend of integrating different media formats to enhance the user experience and cater to diverse reading and listening preferences. The success of these initiatives will likely depend on Spotify’s ability to effectively leverage its existing user base and continue to innovate in the evolving landscape of digital and physical media.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.