If you thought Big Tech’s dreadful year of layoffs would be confined to 2023, you’re (sadly) mistaken. Audible laid off around five percent of its employees on Thursday, which Variety reports is “just over 100 staffers.” The cuts in the audiobook division are part of parent company Amazon’s most recent round of layoffs, also affecting Prime Video, MGM, and Twitch. “We did not take this route without considerable thought,” Audible CEO Bob Carrigan reportedly said in an audio memo delivered to staff. “But getting leaner and more efficient is the way we will need to operate now — and in the foreseeable future — in order to continue delivering best-in-class audio storytelling to our customers around the world.” For those keeping score, “leaner and more efficient” echoes the language in numerous recent Big Tech layoff announcements. Variations of “In these uncertain times...” have also been popular. Carrigan ironically began by talking about Audible's strong performance last year. “I want to acknowledge the strong year we had in 2023, in which we delivered amazing listening experiences for our customers thanks to outstanding collaboration with creators and partners,” he reportedly said. “Our business is in good shape, and that is because of the hard work of each and every one of you.” The CEO extolled how much the company values its workers. “A big part of what makes working at Audible so special is our many talented and dedicated employees who bring their passion to work each... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-01-11 22:00:11 UTC ]
The pending acquisition of Dreamscape will add more than 7,000 titles to RBmedia's catalog, giving the audiobook publishing giant more depth in such genres as mystery/thriller and romance. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day is later this month, and the retailer has been promoting the big sale with additional discounts with early Prime Day deals. Right now, members of Amazon Prime can snag three months of an Audible Premium Plus subscription for free. This deal runs through July 31. After the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-07-02 20:42:45 UTC ]
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Music artists say the bundle is ‘cheating’ the royalties system while authors have concerns about how streaming will affect how they’re paid and rights over their workAudio streaming giant Spotify, one of the world’s largest audio platforms, entered the audiobook market last October, offering... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-07-02 03:23:25 UTC ]
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Based in Frankfurt, Bookwire is to provide ebook and audiobook distribution to the US distributor IPG's clients. The post Germany’s Bookwire in Distribution Partnership with IPG appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-07-01 18:46:13 UTC ]
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Industry group says rise of vocal technology could upend many creative fields, including audiobooks – the canary in the coalmine for voice actorsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastVoice actors say they’re... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-06-29 20:00:00 UTC ]
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Washington D.C.'s Folger Shakespeare Library reopens with an impressive new exhibit, audiobook narrators get their due, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-06-24 15:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify has a new plan for US subscribers that keeps you on the old $11 monthly pricing — as long as you don’t mind ditching audiobooks. The new Basic tier includes the music and podcast content you get from Premium but without 15 hours of audiobook access, a recently added feature we suspect... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-06-21 18:36:40 UTC ]
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Golden Voice narrator Kate Reading joins host Jo Reed to discuss her career in audiobook narration. Her experience with audiobooks began with her first job at the Library of Congress’s Talking Books program, which gave her an education in audiobook narration. In their conversation, Jo and Kate... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-06-21 08:01:04 UTC ]
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The April 2024 StatShot report from the Association of American Publishers tracks especially strong performance in digital audio. The post AAP StatShot: US Book Trade Was ‘High-Performing’ in April appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-06-17 15:00:07 UTC ]
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Spotify has once again drawn the ire of the music industry. The National Music Publishers' Association has called on the Federal Trade Commission to examine the streaming service's addition of audiobook content into all of its paid subscription plans. According to the group's FTC complaint,... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-06-12 23:52:55 UTC ]
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A survey from BookNet Canada found that 58% of audiobook listeners in the country obtained their books from free sources, such as the library or YouTube, while 62% of e-book readers and 51% of print book readers found free sources for their reading material. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The newly released 2024 APA consumer survey shows a rise in US audiobook revenues, 63 percent saying they use a subscription. The post Audio Publishers Association Survey: 9-Percent Growth appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-06-03 13:01:03 UTC ]
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The audiobook market in the United States is steadily growing, the Audio Publishers Association reports, with revenue increasing by 9% to $2 billion in 2023 and 38% of American adults having listened to an audiobook in the last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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As part of its efforts to force Spotify to be more transparent about how it pays authors, the Coalition of Concerned Creators commissioned a survey to discover how audiobook listeners felt about the service. It found mixed results. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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'AudioFile' has named the three winners of its annual Golden Voice awards, which honors voice actors who have made significant contributions to audiobook publishing. The recipients are Dominic Hoffman, Robert Petkoff, and Kate Reading. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Audiobooks continue to be a major bright spot for the industry. According to Audio Publishers Association, in 2022 alone, publishers’ audiobook revenue grew a whopping 10% to $1.8 billion. Here, PW takes a look at the publishers, platforms, and production companies bringing you the best in... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The world’s most popular streaming service has expanded into audiobooks, with a suite of services to offer publishers, authors, and agents and with a listening base hungry for audiobook content. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Welcome to the shiny new version of Best of Book Riot! Who doesn’t love a glow-up? 💔 Nobel Prize-winning author ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-15 15:31:13 UTC ]
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How many of these free audiobook sources have you tried, and which ones are your favorite? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-15 10:00:00 UTC ]
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When is a book not a book? When it is performed by a starry cast of hundreds. Except it has always been more complicated than thatNews this week of a 17% hike in the UK’s audiobook sales might seem like a niche business story, but it raises an existential question. What exactly is an audiobook... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 17:25:03 UTC ]
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