Do not limit Audiobook listening

[Biff09]

I'm not an expert on the economics of audiobooks, but the reason that Spotify is great is that you get access to all of the music in the catalog and you can enjoy it as much as you like for a flat monthly fee.

Spotify has introduced all sorts of insane new problems by limiting the amount of time listened.  These are just a few examples:

- Do the hours count for multiple people on family/duo accounts?

- How to deal with getting cut off in the middle of a book?

Instead, make Audiobook consumption unlimited JUST like is done for podcasts and music, etc.

If you need to raise the price of the membership then do so.  If you need to make an "audiobook" add-on subscription then do so.

Do NOT limit the number of hours audiobooks or any other kind of media can be consumed.  It's a terrible user experience and is a complete about-face to the model Spotify used to become the dominant music streaming service.

[Hockeymom4]

Nothing more frustrating than the “you’re out of audiobook minutes” halfway through a book. Every month that it happens I look into the competing audiobook app and consider downgrading the Spotify subscription. Why would I pay more for a “top-up” that is still limited than I would pay for the unlimited subscription offered by the other guys?  

[Fiertress]

Audiobooks are like normal books. You like to reread / rehear it at some point. But with the present pay model, every minute you listen to an audiobook again the audiobook time is ticking. This is very unfortunate. Also in case you fall asleep during listening. Sure you can turn on a sleeping timer but still you may fall asleep before the timer will stop. This is a massive restriction for audiobook listeners. 

[dankerneu]

So frustrating to pay per hours, it’s just a very unenjoyable experience over all. Please make it unlimited.

[community_grump]

Agree and for me this may end up being something that drives me away from the platform. It's such a negative experience to be cut off with a (seemingly arbitrary) limit. 15 hours is less than a book. Part of the allure of an audiobook is you can get through them more quickly than reading. But by putting this block in place and not letting someone finish 1-2 books/month it takes away the positives of being able to listen.

I would pay more to get an appropriate (high limit? unlimited?) number of hours

[Linda-5]

There are months when I use all of my audiobook time and months where I don't use it at all. Rather than being asked to purchase more time, I would like to bank the hours I don't use and have it roll over from month to month. My go to for audiobooks is Hoopla and Libby because of your time limit. Sometimes my bookclub book isn't available on either of those platforms and I really don't want to pay more! Just got an e-mail that Spotify is increasing to $21.99/month. Ugh!

[Sloth192]

​I pay for a Premium Family Plan (£21.99/month), which is marketed as a 'full' Premium experience for the whole household. However, the 15 hours of included audiobook listening is currently locked exclusively to the Plan Manager.
​This feels like a 'hidden' tier within a plan we are already paying a premium for. If the concern is licensing costs, why not make the 15 hours a SHARED POOL that any member of the family can dip into?
​It is extremely frustrating that I, as the payer, have 15 hours I might not use, while my partner or child has to pay an additional £8.99 EACH to access the exact same feature. Please make the Family Plan actually for the family.