Spotify launches AI audiobook creation tool

Spotify said on May 21 that it will launch invite-only AI audiobook creation tools in June for self-published authors, adding ElevenLabs voice technology directly to its Spotify for Authors platform. The company said authors who use the feature will not be required to distribute their AI-generated audiobooks exclusively through Spotify. The rollout starts in English and in select markets, according to Spotify’s newsroom announcement. TechCrunch first reported the launch on Thursday, and The Verge reported that the beta begins in June. ### Where does the new tool sit inside Spotify’s publishing system? Spotify said the feature is built into Spotify for Authors, the company’s self-service platform for writers and publishers. The new option is called “Audiobook Creation Tools,” and Spotify said it is designed to let self-published authors create audio versions of their books and publish them through the same workflow. (newsroom.spotify.com) TechCrunch reported that the beta will be invite-only when it starts in June. Spotify said at launch the tool will support English only, a limitation also reflected in its own announcement. ### What is ElevenLabs doing in this launch? ElevenLabs is providing the digital voice technology behind the tool, according to Spotify and reports from TechCrunch and The Verge. (newsroom.spotify.com) That extends an earlier relationship between the two companies that already let authors submit audiobooks created on ElevenLabs’ platform to Spotify. Spotify said in February 2025 that it had begun accepting ElevenLabs-narrated audiobooks through Findaway Voices by Spotify. (techcrunch.com) In that earlier arrangement, authors created files in ElevenLabs and then uploaded them for distribution to Spotify and other retailers that accepted digitally narrated titles. The new tool moves that creation step into Spotify for Authors itself. (newsroom.spotify.com) ### Does Spotify require authors to stay exclusive? Spotify said no. TechCrunch reported that authors using the AI audiobook generation tool will not be bound by an exclusive contract, and Spotify’s newsroom post said authors can access audiobook generation and publishing “without exclusive contracts.” That means an author who generates an audiobook through the Spotify tool can also publish that audiobook on other platforms, according to TechCrunch. (newsroom.spotify.com) The Verge separately reported that self-published authors will be able to generate audio versions of their books using AI voices from ElevenLabs once the beta begins. ### Who gets access first, and when? (techcrunch.com) June is the start date Spotify gave for the beta, and the first users are self-published authors. Spotify said the rollout will be invite-only at first and limited to English in select markets. Spotify also said Spotify for Authors is expanding to 10 new languages for its audience insights and publishing tools: French, Canadian French, German, Dutch, Latin American Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic, Danish and Norwegian. (techcrunch.com) The audiobook creation tool itself, however, launches first in English only. ### How does this fit with Spotify’s broader audiobook push? (newsroom.spotify.com) Spotify said on May 21 that audiobooks on its platform are “growing faster than ever,” as it announced the new author tools during its Investor Day updates. The same company post tied the audiobook feature to a wider set of creator and listener products introduced that day. The next concrete step is June, when Spotify plans to begin the invite-only beta for self-published authors through Spotify for Authors. (newsroom.spotify.com) At launch, the participants named by Spotify are self-published authors, ElevenLabs as the voice-technology provider, and readers-turned-listeners in the English-language markets where the beta opens first.