Spotify is letting authors market like musicians

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

This week, Spotify announced a new feature to let audiobook authors and publishers tease their new releases. Countdown Pages, which debuted for music artists last year and has been used by the likes of Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, let fans pre-save an upcoming title and have it pop into their library when it's released. The page is adorned with a large countdown clock - with a timer going down to the second - to get listeners excited. The feature's not revolutionary, but it is in line with how Spotify differentiates itself as an audiobook provider.

Getting ahead of a new audiobook is pretty standard. On traditional platforms like Audible, you can preorder the title, and it will show up in your library on release day. But most people...

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