Medium has launched a new feature that could add more incentive to its paid membership program: audio stories. The paid member exclusive offering will provide an audio version of every story created specifically for its members, and will also be made available for some of the best posts on Medium, as selected from the company’s own staff.
These aren’t just text-to-speech translations of content; instead, they’ll be professional recordings from actual voice artists, or from the post writers themselves in some cases. Medium thinks that its members will enjoy using this while on-the-go, or while doing other activities that require them not to also be reading, essentially.
Audio debuts today, on both the website and in Medium’s iOS and Android apps. At launch, it’ll include over 50 stories, with plans to add more each week going forward.
Medium also plans to do more with audio in the future, the company tells me, with more planned for its membership model specifically “coming soon,” too. This foray into a realm adjacent to podcasts presents some interesting possibilities for Medium’s future content aims, but for now it’s reserved for a select few, since Medium’s membership program is still only available as a limited program.