HarperCollins CEO touts Spotify's audiobooks entry, AI's impact on publishing
The future of audiobooks and AI's impact on the publishing industry were points of discussion for HarperCollins, whose CEO, Brian Murray, spoke at the UBS
The future of audiobooks and AI’s impact on the publishing industry were points of discussion for HarperCollins, whose CEO, Brian Murray, spoke at the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Tuesday. During the event, the exec praised Spotify’s entry into the audiobooks market and detailed its future growth plans in the space. He also touched on how AI technology could both threaten and hurt publishers in the days ahead.
Of note, Murray said that audiobooks continue to outsell e-books in terms of total revenues and are helping to offset declines from lagging e-book sales. In terms of AI, the CEO declined to discuss specifics of licensing deals, like the one it signed with Microsoft for AI model training, citing NDAs, but stressed that it’s early days for AI licensing, calling it a “fascinating time” in the industry.
He also specifically praised Spotify’s entry into the audiobooks space, referencing the 15 hours of free listening that’s included with a Spotify Premium subscription in supported markets.