Audible Standard Tier: New $8.99 Sub for Aussies

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One of the worst things about living in the 2020s is the cost of living. Prices just keep on going up.

Bucking the trend, at least a little, is this announcement from Audible that the audiobook company is launching a new standard membership tier with a lower entry price.

Audible's new Standard membership is designed specifically for "lighter" listeners who find the existing Premium Plus plan a bit too expensive for their monthly budget.

The new tier allows you to pick one audiobook each month from the entire Audible catalogue, which you keep for as long as your membership remains active.

It also includes unlimited access to a curated selection of Audible Originals and around 200 popular titles previously locked behind a Wondery+ subscription.

This curated library features hit series like Dr. Death and American Scandal, giving listeners more variety without the $16.45 price tag of the higher-tier plan.

Early testing in Australia has already shown a double-digit jump in sign-ups, suggesting many of us have been waiting for a more affordable way to access professional narrations.

"The launch of our Standard tier reflects Audible's ongoing commitment to serving the diverse preferences and listening habits of story-lovers everywhere," said Cynthia Chu, Chief Financial & Growth Officer at Audible.

The move follows a general trend in the streaming industry where services are introducing tiered options to capture different types of users, though this one lacks the ads often found in budget video streaming tiers.

For those who burn through multiple books a month, the Premium Plus tier remains the better option, but for casual listeners, this is a welcome middle ground.

The announcement doesn't confirm whether the plan will work with the recently announced "Immersion Reading" feature, but I expect it will.