Edit: A couple times I’ve said eBook while I actually meant Audiobook. I’ve learned that Spotify has a 15 hour limit per month for their free ‘included in premium’ audiobooks. However these are the two books I listened to for free, and even rounding up to 13 hours it doesn’t make sense, unless they count accidental chapter skips which weren’t actually listened to. But it’s clear now that I know about the 15 hour limit, that they are not counting the time listening to paid audiobooks.

First book I listened to for free:

Second book I listened to for free:

OG post:

I purchased 3 eBooks in the Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy series (2 came free) and I’m on the final book. 20 minutes left in the last book and this is what Spotify tells me.

I’m over the edge now. I’ve been putting it off too long. I have a nice NUC I purchased about a year ago.

I’m tech inclined, 20 years of hobbyism, know the linux command line well. Work in IT consulting. But I’m busy. Very busy, and unmotivated to do things like hours of research and toying with settings getting things to work, if I ever have the time.

But this is the start of my new personal revolution.

I’ll read the wiki and have read about Sonarr, etc, and I also want movies and shows, but is there anything specifically for eBooks? Looks like Readarr is my best bet? Stripping the DRM of already purchased (and free with Spotify ‘Premium’) books to share on a seedbox is also something I’m willing to take requests on. Is there a way to rip from Spotify if you have a premium account? And what’s the best Android eBook reader (the last 3-4 I tried sucked with pirated eBooks)?

I know I’m sounding like a noob asking everything to be handed to me right now, but I am willing to put in the research and welcome and highly appreciate anyone with tips to point me in the right directions.

    • Thorny_Insight@lemm.eeEnglish
      493·
      10 months ago

      Why does anyone use shitify

      Virtually every single song in the world in your pocket for a little over 10 euros a month doesn’t seem like a bad deal to me. Then again why does anyone use spotify for anything other than listening to music, there your guess is as good as mine.

        • Thorny_Insight@lemm.eeEnglish
          405·
          10 months ago

          Oh, my apologies for being a mere mortal with a taste for mainstream mediocrity. Clearly, my lack of access to the obscure, avant-garde, underground artists you champion is a tragic oversight. I’ll just be over here enjoying my basic playlist, blissfully unaware of the elevated musical tastes reserved for the chosen few like yourself. Carry on enlightening us, oh connoisseur of the esoteric.

          • NightAuthor@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            10 months ago

            I saw some avant garde shit the other day, and there it was on spotify. Everyone is on spotify

            Honestly, like… who isn’t on spotify? I think Metallica was holding out, but there on there now, and looks like Garth Brooks is also holding out. No one else I’ve ever looked up, including very small artists, were not on spotify.

        • Damage@slrpnk.netEnglish
          131·
          10 months ago

          No, there’s lots of niche artists on Spotify, as well as old stuff

        • Mo5560@feddit.deEnglish
          91·
          10 months ago

          I hate Spotify (I have to preface with this sentence)

          But plenty of artists these days don’t bother releasing CDs and MP3s and you can legitimately only stream their songs.

          I know small artists who were unable to send me the files of their own songs when I asked them. They just sent me a YouTube link and told me to listen there.

    • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
      33·
      10 months ago

      How is it shitty in this case? That’s literally what OP bought, the right to listen to any book in Spotify’s catalog for free, for a certain number of hours. If they wanted to listen to a specific book unlimited they should have purchased that book directly.

        • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
          61·
          10 months ago

          They haven’t bought anything though. Or rather, they got exactly what they paid for, listening time.

          I’m pretty sure this is a concept OP must’ve seen before, they can’t be that clueless. If you borrow a book from the library you don’t own it, and you have to be done with it by the time it’s due.

          At this point I’m not sure if they’re just new to audiobooks or if they’re misrepresenting Spotify’s time-limited plans on purpose.

          • WallEx@feddit.deEnglish
            37·
            10 months ago

            They baught 3 audiobooks and premium … But sure, shill for spotify.

            • lemmyvore@feddit.nlEnglish
              4·
              10 months ago

              They bought one book, the others were free with time limit.

              If Spotify misrepresented the free books or was unclear about what they represent then by all means, they should be called out. But it’s a bit different from what OP has complained about.

                • Jako301@feddit.deEnglish
                  3·
                  10 months ago

                  Premium is pretty much only for music, the audio book part is more like a free demo. Including them in the normal premium sub is unsustainable.

                  • WallEx@feddit.deEnglish
                    1·
                    10 months ago

                    I geht the first part, but how would that be unsustainable? The cost of streaming audio is next to nothing compared to almost any other media, yet it costs the same or more then netflix, yt premium and the likes