Coming Soon to ACX: A New Royalty Model and More Opportunities to Earn

[Updated on April 17, 2025]

Audible is excited to share that today, ACX is inviting a select group of creators to participate in early access to our new royalty model and new features. We first introduced this new model earlier this year, prioritizing equity, flexibility, and insight for creators. The new royalty model evolved out of ongoing conversations with authors and publishers of all sizes, and it means that creators will earn based on listener engagement and benefit from insights on how customer behavior drives royalty payments.

Key features of this new model include: Expanded earning potential: Audible’s new royalty model means new opportunities for independent authors and small publishers to earn across all membership listening activity. Reach more listeners through the all-you-can-listen catalog: For the first time, ACX creators can earn by any consumption type and opt their titles into Audible's all-you-can-listen offerings including Audible Plus. New ways to monetize and promote content will drive more flexibility to reach listeners where they are. New royalty rates: Under the new royalty model, creators earn a 50% royalty rate for exclusive distribution and 30% royalty rate for non-exclusive distribution of titles. Suggested pricing and additional insights: When creators enroll in the new royalty model, they also gain access to new tools, including the ability to suggest a price for each of their enrolled titles and insights on how royalties connect with listener engagements.

FAQs

When can I enroll? Audible has engaged a small group of creators for early access to the new royalty model, and we are excited to gather insights and feedback. If you are interested in being considered for the next round of early access enrollees, we encourage you to reach out to earlyaccess@acx.com. We look forward to rolling this out for all creators in the months ahead. Does early access mean my ACX titles are required to be in Audible’s all-you-can-listen catalog? No, Audible’s new royalty model is separate from the ability to opt your titles into the all-you-can-listen offering. Once a title is enrolled on to the new model, participating creators will have the option to submit that title for consideration into Audible’s all-you-can-listen offering through their early access experience on ACX. Is exclusive distribution a requirement to participate? No. Early access to the new royalty model or the option to select titles to opt in to Audible’s all-you-can-listen offering does not require exclusive distribution. How are royalties calculated in the new model? As described in Audible’s announcement last year, royalties on the new model are calculated by taking a member’s plan value (for example, Plus or Premium Plus) and adds the value of any additional credits used, then divides that value among the titles the member listened to over the course of the month. That figure, multiplied by the contractual royalty rate, comprises a creator’s royalty payment. How are narrators/producers impacted by early access? Narrators or producers in a royalty share agreement with a creator participating in early access will receive a notification to approve the new royalty terms on ACX. This will give producers an opportunity to review and agree in order to proceed with enrollment.