When Spotify bagged an exclusive on a new J.K. Rowling audiobook – a celebrity re-reading of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – we wondered if it hinted at ambitions to do more with audiobooks.
Now look: Spotify is recruiting a head of audio books for its Spotify Studios division, based in either New York or LA.
“In this role, you will be responsible for the creative oversight, content strategy, editorial and programming, and execution of our Audiobook strategy,” explains its job ad, which was spotted and tweeted by freelance strategy director Katya Kotlyar.
“This is an opportunity to imagine new possibilities for what AudioBooks can be.” Whoever gets the job will be developing “the book strategy for the Spotify” [sic] including developing original content and licensing audiobooks from partner publishers.
They’ll also “provide persuasive creative direction to key internal stakeholders, including R&D teams building the books experience in the Spotify app”.
Getting into audiobooks is tough, because of the dominance of Amazon’s Audible service – not just in terms of listeners, but in the deals it has with publishers. That said, Spotify might have as good a chance as any tech company: hiring the right person to head up its strategy is the first step.
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Even though Audible dominates the audiobook market there is definitely a space for that giant like Spotify can fit in. The market is growing each year and each company like Scribd, Audible, Google, Apple has its share. Looking forward to seeing Shopify as well.