![]() As we will show, while the fundamental market changes have been similar in Sweden and Norway, the trade talk has differed significantly. The comparative aspect of the study is motivated by the need to go beyond obvious similarities and uncover differences and contrasts between the two countries. In the study we ask: What are the common and diverging themes of trade talk on audiobooks and streaming services in Sweden and Norway? How are business and policy aspects accentuated in the discourses on audiobooks and streaming services? Thus, this study examines a specific form of ‘trade talk’, as trade publications not only report what takes place, but also constitute a site for discussion and sense-making. ![]() In this study, we have conducted a content analysis of articles found in the book trade press in Sweden and Norway between 20, represented by Svensk bokhandel and Bok365, respectively. Executives and professionals in the book trade naturally discuss these developments. As a result of these significant and quite rapid shifts, existing policies for culture and literature, as well as policies that support business in general, are challenged. The plentiful recent ventures indicate that Scandinavian streaming services also represent innovation, entrepreneurship, and new business opportunities for media companies in a globalised marketplace that is typically dominated by US companies. Since 2015, a number of services catering to the audiobook listening public has appeared. Sales of subscriptions to these services accounted for 23% of net sales in the general book market for 2021, an increase of 31% from 2020. According to figures from the Norwegian Publishers’ Association, the number of single listens to audiobooks in the streaming services increased from 2 million in 2017 to 6.6 million in 2020. Norway is seeing a similar development to Sweden, with rapid and continuous growth. Streaming services had a 26% market share in Sweden, and while that includes e-books, over 90% of streaming is of audiobooks (, pp. 2021 book sales statistics for Sweden indicate that digital audiobook usage has risen dramatically, representing the only major sector of the book industry with continuous growth in the last five years. Major players include Storytel, BookBeat, Nextory and Fabel, all homegrown companies now competing to partake in the audiobook boom. The subscription models at hand are much like a Netflix or Spotify for books: monthly subscriptions, large selections, and unlimited listening. The situation in Scandinavia is notably different. Despite the many announcements of the arrival of the Netflix for books, subscription services in the book industry have not acquired anything like the significance they have in music, film and television industries (, p. T seems likely that subscription will continue to play a relatively minor role in the evolution of the ecosystem of books in the Anglo-American world.
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