Yazılar

Spotify to sell physical books via Bookshop.org partnership

/in /tarafından

Spotify said on Thursday it will begin selling physical books directly through its app under a new partnership with Bookshop.org, marking an unexpected move beyond its core music and audiobook offerings. The expansion comes as Spotify looks to differentiate its platform and compete more aggressively with rivals such as Apple and Amazon.

The physical book purchasing feature will roll out later this spring for users in the United States and the United Kingdom. Bookshop.org will manage pricing, inventory and fulfillment, while Spotify will integrate discovery and purchasing into its app experience.

Spotify has been steadily building out its audiobook business since launching Audiobooks in Premium two years ago. The service is now available in 22 markets, with an English-language catalogue exceeding 500,000 titles. The company said new audiobook listeners are up 36%, while listening hours have increased 37%, highlighting growing engagement despite intense competition in audio content.

The move into physical books comes at a challenging time for traditional publishing. Sales of printed books have slowed as readers increasingly shift to digital formats. Last year, News Corp, owner of publisher HarperCollins, warned that book orders were weakening, while long-standing distributor Baker & Taylor shut down operations earlier this year.

Alongside book sales, Spotify is introducing a new feature called “Page Match,” designed to bridge reading and listening. The tool allows users to scan a page from a physical book or e-book with their phone camera and jump to the corresponding point in the audiobook, then scan again later to resume reading from the exact spot. Page Match will launch with most English-language titles and is expected to be fully available to all audiobook users by late February.

Spotify has also raised the price of its monthly premium subscription by $1 to $12.99 in select markets, including the United States, Estonia and Latvia, as it continues to invest in new features and content formats.

BBC Set to Strike Content Deal With YouTube, FT Reports

/in /tarafından

The BBC is planning to produce programmes specifically for YouTube for the first time, as the British public broadcaster looks to diversify revenue streams amid a shift in viewing habits toward online platforms, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

According to the report, the BBC will create tailored shows designed initially for YouTube audiences, which would later also be made available on the broadcaster’s own platforms, including BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. The deal could be announced as early as next week, the FT said, citing sources familiar with the plans.

The BBC declined to comment on the report, while Google, which owns YouTube, did not respond to a request for comment outside normal business hours.

The BBC is primarily funded through a licence fee paid by UK households that watch television, allowing its domestic services to remain free of advertising. However, the FT said the YouTube partnership would focus on younger audiences and enable the BBC to generate additional income by running advertisements on content viewed outside Britain.

A limited number of older BBC series may also be made available on YouTube, though this is not expected to be the core of the agreement, the report added.

The move comes as YouTube’s reach in the UK continues to grow. In December, YouTube attracted 51.9 million British viewers, narrowly overtaking the BBC’s 50.8 million, according to Barb Audiences, the UK’s official body for measuring television and video consumption.

Separately, the BBC remains embroiled in legal controversy in the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump is suing the broadcaster for at least $10 billion over the editing of clips from a speech that appeared to suggest he directed supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The BBC has apologised for the edit, which led to the resignations of its two most senior executives, but has said it will contest the lawsuit and seek its dismissal.

How to Use Spotify, YouTube Music, and Apple Music to Discover New Music

/in /tarafından

Just a decade ago, discovering new music meant waiting for a friend’s recommendation, listening to the radio, or following TV and magazine charts. Today, that task is handled by streaming platforms’ algorithms, which analyze your listening habits to predict your tastes and recommend songs you’re likely to love. Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, and TIDAL all have specific features designed to help users find new sounds effortlessly.

Spotify, with nearly 700 million monthly users, offers personalized tools such as Discover Weekly—a playlist of 30 new tracks updated every Monday—and Release Radar, which features fresh releases from artists you follow, updated every Friday. The Daily Mix playlists blend familiar songs with new discoveries grouped by genre or mood. Its newest feature, AI DJ, uses artificial intelligence to act as a personal music guide that mixes old favorites with new tunes and adds voice commentary between tracks.

TIDAL, a favorite among audiophiles, offers My Mix, My Daily Discovery, and My New Arrivals—playlists that combine your favorite artists with new ones, all in high-fidelity sound. The platform also features TIDAL Rising, which promotes emerging musicians worldwide, and an Autoplay function that keeps the music going with similar songs once your playlist or album ends.

YouTube Music stands out for its integration with YouTube, mixing official tracks with live performances, remixes, and covers. You can launch a radio station based on any artist or song, customize how much variety you want, and even switch to Discovery Mode to prioritize tracks you haven’t heard before. Its new Daily Discovery feature refreshes recommendations every day, while upcoming AI tools promise even more tailored experiences.

Meanwhile, Apple Music helps listeners discover fresh music through its Explore tab, which offers curated playlists by genre, mood, and global trends. Its Discovery Station, found under “Stations for You,” plays songs not in your library but similar to your taste, while Your Station mixes familiar favorites with new suggestions.

No matter which platform you use, the best way to improve recommendations is to like songs you enjoy, follow artists, and listen regularly—helping algorithms fine-tune your musical journey.