Spotify opens the doors to AI-narrated audiobooks
Spotify is making a significant move into the world of AI-narrated audiobooks, announcing a new partnership with AI voice company ElevenLabs.
Spotify are teaming up with ElevenLabs to provide audiobooks read by AI. This collaboration signals a potential boom in the availability of synthetically voiced audiobooks on the platform, offering new opportunities for authors and expanding the audiobook market.
Whilst Spotify has previously allowed AI-recorded audiobooks through its Findaway Voices distribution platform, restrictions and a limited number of accepted partners have kept the selection relatively small. Their new partnership with ElevenLabs, a prominent name in the AI voice space, is set to bring a new wave of AI content to Spotify.
Spotify’s stated in their announcement that it reflects “the potential of digital voice-narration to grow and expand the audiobook market”. However, some users may question Spotify’s relationship with AI as AI-generated music becomes a bigger concern to musicians.
Does this threaten audiobook narrators?
Spotify have emphasised how their partnership will empower authors. ElevenLabs will allow authors to not only create audiobooks from their work with ease, but to produce audiobooks in 29 languages to really expand their reach.
However, human narrators may justifiably question what this means for their careers. Spotify says that it “firmly believes in the power of human narration”. They claim that their partnership with ElevenLabs will empower smaller authors who may not have access to a professional narrator to release their books in audio form.
This could open doors for a wider range of authors to bring their work to the audiobook format. Furthermore, AI narration offers a solution for reviving older, backlist titles that publishers may have previously deemed too expensive to produce as audiobooks. These older works, often neglected due to cost constraints, could find a new audience through AI narration.
Spotify assure that audiboooks provided by ElevenLabs will be marked in their metadata across any platforms. The audiobook will also begin with the statement: “This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice”.
How Elevenlabs AI audiobook technology works
ElevenLabs provides authors with the tools to narrate their audiobooks in an impressive 29 languages, offering a diverse selection of synthetic voices. The platform allows for customization and fine-tuning, giving authors control over the tone and style of the narration.
While a free version offers limited text-to-speech capabilities (10 minutes per month), several premium subscription tiers are available for increased usage. For a full-length audiobook, the $99 monthly Pro subscription, which allows for 500 minutes of narration, is likely the most suitable option.
Once authors have created their digital voice-narrated audiobook in ElevenLabs, they can download the file package to upload to Spotify through Findaway Voices. The audiobook will be reviewed and then go live on Spotify, and any other retailers accepted through Findaway Voices.
The future of audiobooks?
This partnership between Spotify and ElevenLabs raises important questions about the future of audiobooks: Will AI narration become a standard practice, or will it remain a niche offering? How will listeners react to AI voices compared to human narrators?
These are just some of the questions that will be answered as AI-narrated audiobooks become more prevalent on the platform. On a The Verge article, one user commented: “As someone who regularly listens to audio books, I hate this,” going on to explain that they don’t feel the quality of the AI audiobooks are up to scratch.
Another user, a professional audiobook narrator, commented: “I sincerely hope any lovely folks who listen to audiobooks heavily appose (sic) of the practice of AI.” They add: “You cannot replace the emotion and feel of a human narration, AI cannot predict character depiction or depth.”
One thing is certain: Spotify’s move is a significant step towards a future where AI plays a larger role in the audiobook industry, potentially democratizing access to audiobook creation and expanding the market or opening up bigger debates over AI content. This development is certainly one to watch for authors, publishers, and audiobook enthusiasts alike.
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