Swedish audio streaming company Spotify has expanded its audiobook service to Canada, offering some 350,000 titles for purchase. Last September, the company launched a pay-per-book services in the U.S., offering books from a variety of publishers, including Hachette Audio, Penguin Random House Audio, and Simon & Schuster Audio, as well as independent publishers. In 2021, the company purchased digital audiobook publisher and distributor Findaway, a transaction that was completed in June of last year, signaling its intent to move into the fast-growing U.S. audiobook market.
The Canadian service extends Spotify's reach into the English-language audiobook market, which already encompasses the U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, in addition to the U.S. Perhaps the biggest difference between the Canadian and U.S. service is the availability of some titles in French as well.
"We're very excited to start getting Canadian users listening to audiobooks and start making connections between fans and authors. We are still very much in the early innings of our audiobooks journey, but we've seen really promising engagement across available markets already," Laura Pezzini, communications for audiobooks, wrote in an email.
