Audible is testing a new smorgasbord service that provides unlimited access to more than 68,000 hours of content across 11,000-plus audiobooks and podcasts.
For $7.95 a month, Audible Plus subscribers can keep up with the latest in documentaries, comedy, journalism, kids, wellness, self-development, and more. The all-you-can-listen membership also features selections from Audible Theater, plus new Originals from big names like Common, Jesse Eisenberg, Tom Morello, Kevin Bacon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kate Mara, Tayari Jones, and Harvey Fierstein. Additional content and “various technical enhancements” will roll out over the coming months, according to Audible’s blog announcement.
New customers can sign up to preview the Audible Plus standalone plan—which includes daily deals, easy exchanges, and newspaper subscriptions—beginning Thursday, Aug. 27. Programming can be streamed instantly or downloaded for offline listening via the official app, as well as Alexa-enabled devices and Amazon Fire tablets.
If that’s not enough to satisfy your audiobook needs, level up to Premium Plus—Audible’s newly merged Gold and Platinum plans. Spend $14.95 per month for access to the full online shop, coupled with one credit for use across the entire Audible library—regardless of price or length.
Audiobooks are still finding their place in a predominantly paper-and-ink world: As of September 2019, some 20 percent of Americans reported listening to recorded stories, according to the Pew Research Center. That number rose from 14 percent in 2016, but continues to lag behind the 65 percent who prefer printed publications. It remains unclear what effect COVID-19 has had on people’s preferences.
