February 6, 2026
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Will Spotify’s New Page Match Feature Impress Bookworms?
While Spotify may have entered the audio game just a few years ago, in 2022, it appears to be doubling-down with a novel new partnership alongside Bookshop.org.
According to a Spotify press release issued Feb. 5, the streaming platform’s partnership will allow users to purchase physical books through its app. Given that 73% of trade publishing revenue in 2025 was driven by the sale of physical books, that’s nothing to sneeze at. Andy Hunter, Founder and CEO of Bookshop.org, was quoted in the release on the subject of the coming partnernship — one which could be a boon for brick-and-mortar retailers of all descriptions.
“We are excited to see the impact Spotify’s scale will have for local bookstores. By meeting readers where they are and linking to Bookshop.org, Spotify is financially supporting indie booksellers with each purchase,” Hunter said.
The good news for bookworms doesn’t stop there, however. On the tech integration side, Spotify is introducing a new Page Match feature that looks quite intriguing for readers on the go.
“Instead of stopping or losing momentum when you need to hop in the car or go for a run, now you can keep the story going. Page Match is an industry-first feature that lets you move between physical books or e-books and their audiobook counterparts with just a quick scan,” the press release stated.
Bibliophiles won’t have to wait very long for this new functionality, either. The Page Match feature is expected to roll out to iOS and Android devices by the end of the month, with the majority of English-language titles supported at that time.
How Spotify’s Page Match Actually Works
Here’s how the feature works, as Mashable detailed:
- When using Spotify’s Page Match (from book to audiobook): First, you open up the Spotify app, then you find your book within the app’s audiobook section. Then, you tap “Scan to listen,” allowing camera access. Simply take a photo of the page you’re currently on, wait for Spotify to sync up with the appropriate timestamp within the matching audiobook, then tap “Play from here,” or “Save for later.”
- Conversely, when swapping from audiobook to a physical volume: You’ll want to again open the Spotify app, and again find the audiobook in question. This time, tap the “Page Match” button, then “Scan to read,” giving up camera access. It’s as easy as taking a photo of any page in your physical book (or even your e-reader). Spotify will process the image, tell you where in the book you stopped listening, and refer you to the physical page number you’ll need to find.
Owen Smith, Spotify’s Global Head of Audiobooks, was equally enthusiastic over the launch.
“We believe the future of reading or listening needs to be flexible and fit more seamlessly into people’s lives. Since launching Audiobooks in Premium, we’ve seen that when books are easier to discover and enjoy, demand grows, making Spotify a real growth engine for the publishing industry and changing how people find their next great read,” he began.
“Now we’re extending Spotify’s discovery and engagement strengths across both audio and physical formats, so authors can build deeper connections with their audiences and books can follow readers wherever they go,” he added.
BrainTrust
Nicholas Morine
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Do you believe Spotify’s Page Match function will drive increased sales of audiobooks as well as physical books? Why or why not?
Do you believe the statistics presented surrounding the dominance of physical books in the bookselling retail space?
Poll
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This is an interesting addition, and I can see some clear use cases. However, our data (which admittedly is focused on purchasing) shows there is meaningful separation between consumers who read physical books and those who listen to audiobooks. I would think this is amplified when it comes to the same title. That said, there is no major downside to Spotify adding this.
Looking forward to testing this feature out as both an avid reader and a Spotify user. The challenge will be how seamless the switch between physical copy to digital copy is. If it is fairly effortless I would find it useful to transition to an audiobook for my commutes. However if it take several minutes to execute the action I would just stick to listening to podcast.
I think Spotify’s Page Match has the potential to expand audiobook engagement and even support physical book sales, but probably not in a zero-sum way where one format replaces the other. The real value of Page Match is that it removes friction between reading and listening — letting users scan a page in a physical book and jump directly into the audiobook, or vice versa. That kind of seamless switching mirrors how many consumers actually consume content today: reading at home, listening in the car, and bouncing between formats depending on context. If the experience proves intuitive and reliable, it could increase total book consumption overall rather than simply shifting demand from print to audio. But as with most retail innovations, adoption will depend on whether customers find it genuinely helpful — otherwise, it risks becoming another overhyped feature that fails to change long-term behavior.
From a sales standpoint, the bigger story is the hybrid reader. Publishers are already seeing signs that consumers want both formats, with audiobook listening rising sharply while some readers still prefer owning physical copies for collection or nighttime reading. Spotify’s move to link audiobook discovery to physical book purchases suggests the company believes these channels reinforce one another rather than compete directly. That makes sense — Page Match essentially turns the audiobook into an extension of the physical product experience, which could deepen engagement and drive incremental revenue across formats.
As for the dominance of physical books, the statistics generally hold up — print still represents the backbone of the bookselling ecosystem even as audio grows quickly. Recent data shows audiobook sales approaching the $1 billion mark, while print sales remain relatively flat rather than collapsing. That dynamic reinforces a broader retail truth: new formats rarely eliminate older ones; they expand the ecosystem. Physical books continue to offer tactile ownership, gifting value, and display appeal, while audiobooks deliver convenience and accessibility. In my view, Page Match doesn’t signal the end of print — it signals the industry moving toward a multi-format consumption model where discovery, ownership, and engagement blend together more seamlessly than ever before.
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This is an interesting addition, and I can see some clear use cases. However, our data (which admittedly is focused on purchasing) shows there is meaningful separation between consumers who read physical books and those who listen to audiobooks. I would think this is amplified when it comes to the same title. That said, there is no major downside to Spotify adding this.
Looking forward to testing this feature out as both an avid reader and a Spotify user. The challenge will be how seamless the switch between physical copy to digital copy is. If it is fairly effortless I would find it useful to transition to an audiobook for my commutes. However if it take several minutes to execute the action I would just stick to listening to podcast.
I think Spotify’s Page Match has the potential to expand audiobook engagement and even support physical book sales, but probably not in a zero-sum way where one format replaces the other. The real value of Page Match is that it removes friction between reading and listening — letting users scan a page in a physical book and jump directly into the audiobook, or vice versa. That kind of seamless switching mirrors how many consumers actually consume content today: reading at home, listening in the car, and bouncing between formats depending on context. If the experience proves intuitive and reliable, it could increase total book consumption overall rather than simply shifting demand from print to audio. But as with most retail innovations, adoption will depend on whether customers find it genuinely helpful — otherwise, it risks becoming another overhyped feature that fails to change long-term behavior.
From a sales standpoint, the bigger story is the hybrid reader. Publishers are already seeing signs that consumers want both formats, with audiobook listening rising sharply while some readers still prefer owning physical copies for collection or nighttime reading. Spotify’s move to link audiobook discovery to physical book purchases suggests the company believes these channels reinforce one another rather than compete directly. That makes sense — Page Match essentially turns the audiobook into an extension of the physical product experience, which could deepen engagement and drive incremental revenue across formats.
As for the dominance of physical books, the statistics generally hold up — print still represents the backbone of the bookselling ecosystem even as audio grows quickly. Recent data shows audiobook sales approaching the $1 billion mark, while print sales remain relatively flat rather than collapsing. That dynamic reinforces a broader retail truth: new formats rarely eliminate older ones; they expand the ecosystem. Physical books continue to offer tactile ownership, gifting value, and display appeal, while audiobooks deliver convenience and accessibility. In my view, Page Match doesn’t signal the end of print — it signals the industry moving toward a multi-format consumption model where discovery, ownership, and engagement blend together more seamlessly than ever before.