Eight Things You May Not Know You Can Stream on Spotify
Spotify is important to music lovers, but it has a lot more to offer than just good tunes. You can stream audiobooks, radio dramas, language lessons, famous performances, and more for free.
Audiobooks
If you enjoy listening to your literature, Spotify can help you. You won’t find new editions, but there is a decent selection of classics that make it easy to catch up on all those books that the new editions are based on in one way or another.
For example, you can listen to almost all of William Shakespeare’s plays, including tragedies such as Hamlet and Julius Caesar , comedies such as Much Ado About Nothing and The Taming of the Shrew , and historical dramas such as Henry V and Richard III . You can also listen to American classics by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby in full, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, the terrifying Shadow Over Innsmouth by L. P. Lovecraft and Brave New World “ Read by the author. Aldous Huxley himself.
It’s worth noting, however, that the Spotify Free Tier allows you to listen to ad-supported music on demand on your computer or tablet, but only in random order on your smartphone. This means that audiobooks are probably not ideal for listening on a smartphone unless you have a Spotify Premium account.
Radio Drama
There was a radio show before television and it was great. Fortunately, many of the old radio shows have been preserved and are still available for your enjoyment. You can listen to some of the great sci-fi movies, such as George Orwell’s 1984 radio version , several volumes of the Twilight Zone radio show , and some of Isaac Asimov’s finest radio works such as Mistress and Pebbles in the Sky . You can also find some great mystery shows like Dragnet and some stories about vintage superheroes like Blue Beetle . If you want to laugh, I personally recommend the Baby Snooks Show .
Language lessons
You don’t need to shell out over $ 150 on Rosetta Stone to start learning a language . Spotify has playlists of lessons for several popular languages, including:
You won’t learn to speak fluently just by listening to these lessons, but they will give you a solid foundation to develop further.
Stories and Poetry
A true literary genius shines in the short story, and a lot of genius is buried in Spotify’s speaking section. You can listen to classic horror movies such as “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Signalman” by Charles Dickens . Or immerse yourself in the mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome . You will even find short stories read by Benedict Cumberbatch , Cillian Murphy and Neil Gaiman with Amanda Palmer . And the Once Upon a Time playlist contains many classic fairy tales for children and adults.
If you’re going to go for poetry reading, you can almost completely feel at home with readings by D. D. Lawrence , Jack Kerouac , Walt Whitman , Sylvia Plath , Emily Dickinson, and more. However, for the full experience, check out this playlist of poems read by the poets themselves . All you need now is a good cup of coffee.
Famous speeches
If you want to get better at public speaking , it will help you emulate the great orators of history. Spotify features famous performances by Martin Luther King Jr. , lecturer Joseph Campbell, and astronaut Neil Armstrong . You can also find original recordings of US presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Barack Obama.
Guided Meditation and Self-Help
Meditation can be difficult, but guided meditation tracks can help you relax and focus. There are many meditation guides to choose from, but overall, each will walk you through soothing stretches and breathing exercises, and provide helpful mantras to focus on. Many are short and perfect for a busy day at work or for relaxing at home after work.
But what if you want to, say, learn to learn more effectively or get tips on how to train your cat ? Spotify will help you and you. You’ll also find helpful tips on managing stress and anxiety , taking golf shots, and even listening to Dale Carnegie’s radio version of How to Make Friends and Influence People .