I tried Spotify’s new ‘Follow Along’ feature that combines audiobooks with music, but it’s missing one key ingredient

Not only is Spotify one of the go-to music streaming services, but it’s evolved into a reliable platform for audiobooks, and it’s just launched a new immersive experience that aims to help fans connect more with the artists and albums they love the most.

This new immersive feature called ‘Follow-Along’ is now available to use in the Spotify app and can be found in selected audiobooks in Bloomsbury’s 33 ⅓ series, a collection of short books about popular albums that was first released in 2003, including books about Oasis’ Definitely Maybe (1994), to Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love (1985).

So, how is Spotify merging popular music with audiobooks? Well, when you listen to one of the audiobooks in Bloomsbury’s 33 ⅓ series, you’ll see additional media such as photos, graphics, and songs appear in the Now Playing section. Imagine you’re listening to the audiobook that discusses The National’s Boxer (2007), when the narrator goes into detail about a specific song, Follow-Along will show you the track right for you to add it to your library.

In Spotify’s blog post, the music streamer stated that Follow-Along ‘marks the beginning of cross-functional collaboration between Spotify’s music and audiobooks teams’, with Manager of Audiobooks Licensing Henna Silvennoinen describing it as ‘a dream project’ for the audiobook side.

Out of the 192 books in the 33 ⅓ series, Spotify has released 51 audiobooks about some of the most influential albums and the artists behind them. But only a select number will come with Spotify’s new Follow-Along function, including Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly (2015) and Pink Floyd’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) - though if it were up to me, it would be The Wall (1979).

I see the vision, but it needs to involve more audiobooks

Music and books go hand-in-hand, and I’m always coming across videos with book recommendations based on specific artists, as well as literature-inspired playlists in the Spotify app. I tested out the new Follow-Along feature, and while I see the vision, there’s one setback that’s preventing it from unlocking its full potential.

One of my favorite things about popular music is learning about its contextual framework, and Follow-Along hits the nail on the head with this, especially with Bloomsbury’s series of books. But wouldn’t it be great if Follow-Along were applied to fiction audiobooks as well?

Think about it; you’re listening to the audiobook of Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, a story set during a prime time for the evolution of music. Whenever the name of a band or artist is dropped, their Spotify profiles and albums appear, or even better, Follow-Along gives you an insight into the inspiration behind the characters and story, sending you into a discography deep dive of Fleetwood Mac or The Doors.

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