Spotify Reaches 300 Million Premium Subscribers as Audiobooks+ Grows
Aug 04, 2026Spotify reached 300 million Premium subscribers in the second quarter as its Audiobooks+ add-on grew to 1.5 million subscribers. The company is now planning more options for frequent audiobook listeners.
Spotify reached 300 million Premium subscribers in the second quarter, a milestone the company says no other audio streaming service has reached.
Premium subscribers increased 9% from a year earlier. Spsotify also reported 777 million monthly active users, up 12%.
The company is using that large customer base to develop paid products around its main subscription. Audiobooks+ gives eligible Premium customers additional audiobook listening hours each month.
Audiobooks+ reached 1.5 million subscribers, up 50% from the 1 million Spotify reported at its Investor Day in May.
Spotify Is Adding More Audiobook Options
Spotify plans to introduce Audiobooks+ tiers with more listening hours for frequent audiobook users. It hasn’t announced prices or the number of hours each option will include.
Family and Student options are planned for later in 2026.
Some Premium customers may be satisfied with the audiobook hours included in their plans. Others want more. Audiobooks+ allows Spotify to earn more from frequent listeners without requiring every subscriber to buy the additional hours.
Audiobooks+ Reaches 1.5 Million Subscribers
When Spotify reported 1 million Audiobooks+ subscribers in May, it said the add-on was on track to generate $100 million in annualized recurring revenue.
Spotify didn’t provide an updated revenue figure with its second-quarter results. The increase to 1.5 million subscribers shows that the add-on continued to attract customers.
Audiobook listening hours were up 60% from a year earlier as of May. Nearly half of Spotify’s audiobook listeners had started listening within the previous year.
Spotify offers more than 700,000 audiobook titles across 22 markets.
The Main Subscription Is Still Growing
Spotify is expanding its audiobook offers while its Premium subscription continues to add customers.
Second-quarter revenue increased 14% to €4.8 billion. Gross margin reached a record 33.4%, approximately 1.9 percentage points higher than a year earlier. Operating income was €655 million.
Audiobooks remain one part of a much larger subscription business. Audiobooks+ shows how Spotify can use an existing customer relationship to sell more listening time to people who want it.
More Options Can Create More Questions
The new tiers could also make Spotify’s offer harder to understand.
Customers will need to know how many audiobook hours come with Premium and what each add-on provides. They’ll also need to understand which options are available with Individual, Family or Student plans.
Those differences will need to be clear when Spotify announces the new tiers and prices.
Add-ons work best when customers can quickly see what is included, what costs extra and what they’ll receive if they upgrade. Too many choices or unclear limits can weaken an otherwise useful offer.
Insider Take
Audiobooks+ gives Spotify a way to earn more from its most active audiobook listeners.
Growth from 1 million to 1.5 million subscribers in a few months shows continued demand for more listening time. The next question is whether additional tiers help those customers find the right option or make the offer harder to follow.
Subscription operators should look closely at customers who regularly reach their plan limits. Would an add-on, a larger allowance or an upgraded tier serve them better?
Whatever the answer, customers need to understand what their current plan includes, when they are approaching a limit and what they’ll receive if they pay more.
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