Audible is subsidizing its streaming plan via premium credits: Difference between revisions
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==Audible updates their royalty structure== | ==Audible updates their royalty structure== | ||
In the past, if you wanted to purchase an audiobook on Audible, you purchased a credit and then used that credit to buy the audiobook you desired.<ref name=":5" /> The understanding was the cut of the credit that went towards the author, only went to the author of the audiobook that was purchased. In August 2025, Audible unveiled a new royalty structure combining its credit-based sales with its streaming service, creating a system that indirectly pushes authors toward the streaming environment.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-11 |title=Audible's New Royalty Model: More Opportunities for Authors and Publishers |url=https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audibles-new-royalty-model-more-opportunities-for-authors-and-publishers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711211955/https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audibles-new-royalty-model-more-opportunities-for-authors-and-publishers |archive-date=11 Jul 2024 |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Audible}}</ref> When a user purchases a book using a credit and also streams another title in the same month, the royalty pool from that single credit is split between both the purchased and streamed works.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":5" /> While financially efficient for Audible, this structure dilutes the revenue earned per title and forces authors to subsidize the growth of Audible's streaming catalog.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" /> Even if authors opt-out of the streaming catalog, they are not protected from the royalty split.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":8" /> Audible has created a system that encourages the streaming catalog to be increasingly populated by works that can be produced cheaply or en masse, such as AI-generated content. Over time, this dynamic risks reducing the diversity and sustainability of high-quality content, narrowing consumer choice. | In the past, if you wanted to purchase an audiobook on Audible, you purchased a credit and then used that credit to buy the audiobook you desired.<ref name=":5" /> The understanding was the cut of the credit that went towards the author, only went to the author of the audiobook that was purchased. In August 2025, Audible unveiled a new royalty structure combining its credit-based sales with its streaming service, creating a system that indirectly pushes authors toward the streaming environment.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-11 |title=Audible's New Royalty Model: More Opportunities for Authors and Publishers |url=https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audibles-new-royalty-model-more-opportunities-for-authors-and-publishers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240711211955/https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audibles-new-royalty-model-more-opportunities-for-authors-and-publishers |archive-date=11 Jul 2024 |access-date=25 Aug 2025 |website=Audible}}</ref> When a user purchases a book using a credit and also streams another title in the same month, the royalty pool from that single credit is split between both the purchased and streamed works.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":5" /> While financially efficient for Audible, this structure dilutes the revenue earned per title and forces authors to subsidize the growth of Audible's streaming catalog.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":8" /> Even if authors opt-out of the streaming catalog, they are not protected from the royalty split.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":8" /> Audible has created a system that encourages the streaming catalog to be increasingly populated by works that can be produced cheaply or en masse, such as AI-generated content. Over time, this dynamic risks reducing the diversity and sustainability of high-quality content, narrowing consumer choice. | ||
A petition at change.org has been made to convince Amazon to change this. https://www.change.org/p/convince-audible-to-revise-its-new-royalty-model?source_location=psf_petitions | |||
==Lawsuit over royalties== | ==Lawsuit over royalties== | ||