Amazon Prime, the gift that keeps giving, now includes free Audible content

By Bruce Brown Published April 21, 2022

Like audio books and podcasts? If you live in one of the 38 percent of American households that are members of Amazon Prime (according to investment bank Cowen), your world just became more full of sound, according to Fortune.

Amazon Prime members, who pay $99 annually for free two-day shipping, can now access Audible audio service content at no additional cost. You’ll be able to stream from a rotating group of more than 50 audiobooks. You can also listen to ad-free content including podcasts on Audible’s new on-demand service Channels. Non-Prime members pay $4.95 monthly to hear Channel’s curated podcasts and other content.

Recommended Videos

That extra audio content on Channels (now free for Prime members) includes comedy shows, short fiction, talk shows, and audio versions of articles from major publications. Amazon Prime members already have access free music, video, and Kindle e-books, so adding audio content from its newly acquired Audible further fills out the information/entertainment roundup.

One of the video benefits of Amazon Prime is free streaming of Amazon’s own, in-house video productions. The same benefit now applies to content produced by Audible. An example mentioned by Fortune, is Ponzi Supernova, a podcast about the financial shenanigans of convicted American fraudster and former stockbroker, investment adviser, and financier Bernie Madoff. The podcast includes an interview from the incarcerated Madoff.

Amazon is tight-lipped about Prime membership subscribers, saying only that memberships are in the “tens of millions.” What started out as a way to give free shipment to encourage online shoppers has certainly grown beyond just shipping. Amazon is shaping into a media-focused information and entertainment community.

And at the same time, the original purpose for Prime has paid off. Fortune cited The Wall Street Journal’s conclusion that Amazon Prime members spend up to double on the site as non-members each year.

Former Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

Topics

Business

WarpSpeed Wants to Be the AI Assistant That Finally Gets Your Life Organized

Trending Forward

Most of us don't need AI to write sonnets, generate pirate jokes, or explain quantum mechanics for the fifth time. What we really need is much simpler and much harder: help getting through the day.

Email. Calendar. Tasks. Chat. Reminders. Follow-ups. Missed messages. Half-finished replies. The bill you meant to pay. The lunch you forgot to confirm. The document someone sent three weeks ago that you now need "right away."

Business

How can businesses simplify invoicing and payment processing?

Connect invoicing, payments, and accounting into one seamless workflow

Body Part, Finger, Hand

This post is brought to you in paid partnership with QuickBooks.

Creating an invoice is rarely the hardest part of getting paid. For most small businesses, it takes only a few minutes to prepare an estimate, send an invoice, or request payment. The work that quietly consumes time comes afterward, when payments need to be tracked, deposits verified, invoices marked as paid, and accounting records updated. Simplifying invoicing isn't just about creating invoices faster. It's about reducing the manual work that happens between sending an invoice, collecting payment, and keeping financial records accurate. QuickBooks is designed around that idea, bringing invoicing, payments, and accounting together in one connected workflow instead of treating them as separate tasks.

Business

How Can Small Businesses Reduce Late Payments and Improve Cash Flow?

Simple strategies to speed up payments and strengthen your cash flow

Furniture, Table, Desk

This post is brought to you in paid partnership with QuickBooks.

Late payments are one of the most common reasons a profitable small business still runs into cash flow trouble. The fix isn't complicated, but it does require a more connected approach. Clear payment terms, faster invoicing, multiple ways to pay, and automated follow-ups all help reduce delays. Platforms like QuickBooks Payments bring those steps together in one workflow, helping businesses move from estimate to invoice, payment, deposit, and accounting without switching between separate tools.