Eleven Labs and Spotify Partner to Stream AI-Narrated Books

Eleven Labs has launched the Eleven Reader, a new application designed to enable users to publish and stream books narrated by artificial intelligence. This innovative service is supported by a partnership with Spotify, allowing for a seamless integration of AI-generated audio content.

The primary goal of this initiative, as outlined in a recent blog post from Eleven Labs, is to make book narration more accessible. Currently, only about 5% of published books are available in audio format, primarily due to the high costs associated with traditional recording methods. The Eleven Reader aims to democratize this process, enabling authors and content creators to utilize the platform for audio narration.

Authors can now access this service, although there is a waitlist for new users. During its initial rollout, the narration service is free, but plans are in place to introduce a subscription model in the future. Reports suggest that monthly fees could range from $11 to $330, which is significantly more economical than traditional studio rentals and hiring voice actors.

In terms of monetization, authors will not receive direct payment for placing their content in the app; instead, they will earn compensation based on user engagement. Specifically, for every eleven minutes of listening time, authors will receive $1.10. During testing, it was found that the average listening duration for an audiobook was 19 minutes, which could yield a moderate income for authors. Initially, this payment structure will apply only to English-language books authored by U.S. writers. Additionally, listeners will have the option to choose the voice used for narration, contingent on the author's preference.

Eleven Labs specializes in voice AI technology, offering services that allow businesses to integrate speaking AI agents into their systems. Their software enables the creation of voice recordings for various applications and can also translate these recordings into different languages.