OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic voices.” The technology is based on the company’s pre-existing text-to-speech API and it has been in the works since 2022. OpenAI has already been using a version of the toolset to power the preset voices available in the current text-to-speech API and the Read Aloud feature. There are a bunch of samples on the company’s official blog and they sound eerily close to the real thing. I encourage you to give them a listen and imagine the possibilities, both good and bad. OpenAI says they see this technology being useful for reading assistance, language translation and helping those who suffer from sudden or degenerative speech conditions. The company brought up a Brown University pilot program that helped a patient with speech impairment issues by creating a Voice Engine clone pulled from audio recorded for a school project. Despite the potential benefits, bad actors would certainly abuse this technology to engage in some serious deepfake tomfoolery, which is already a problem. With this in mind, Voice Engine isn’t quite ready for prime time, as there are serious privacy concerns that must be met before a full rollout. OpenAI acknowledges that this tech has “serious risks, which are... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-29 19:03:56 UTC ]
Nielsen's 'Understanding the UK Audiobook Consumer' sees the format's growth moving steadily forward in the British market. The post Nielsen’s Look at Audiobooks in the United Kingdom: ‘Curiosity, Multitasking’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-30 09:15:28 UTC ]
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The United Kingdom's audiobook sales show an eye-catching 71-percent jump, January to June this year over the same period in 2019. The post The UK’s Publishers Association Charts a ‘Steep Rise’ in Audiobook Sales appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-28 17:52:33 UTC ]
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Audiobook performances by talented narrators is wonderful, but an audiobook memoir read by its author gives such a personal touch. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-11-23 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Storytel, the international audiobook streaming company, is buying Audiobooks.com from KKR, owner of RBMedia, for an undisclosed amount. This marks the fast-growing company's entry into the English-language audiobook market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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I used to imagine an Apple event where its c.e.o. Tim Cook would unveil a standalone audiobook app with exclusive audio-only titles available on subscription. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-12 06:30:02 UTC ]
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Looking to accelerate its expansion into the audiobook market, the Swedish audio streaming subscription service giant Spotify has agreed to acquire Ohio-based digital audiobook distributor Findaway for an undisclosed price. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-12 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify could soon be home to a lot more audiobooks. The streaming service has acquired audiobook platform Findaway, the companies announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the acquisition suggests Spotify is looking to build out its own library of audiobook titles.Findaway is an... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-11-11 21:00:04 UTC ]
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We at Engadget spend a lot of time thinking about the best tech gifts for anyone and everyone in your life. But during that process, we often can’t help but think about the things we’d like to receive as gifts. We encourage everyone to treat themselves in some way while scrambling to find gifts... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-11-11 15:30:08 UTC ]
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The audio producer, founded in 2018 by author Malcolm Gladwell and former Slate Group chairman and editor-in-chief Jacob Weisberg, has built a slate of more than 25 podcasts since its launch, and is ramping up audiobook production. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Does listening to an audiobook while working hinder or enhance productivity? Let’s discuss. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-30 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook firm W F Howes has teamed up with publisher Head of Zeus on the audio launch for Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström’s debut novel In Every Mirror She’s Black. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-29 01:40:29 UTC ]
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Amazon’s audiobook service Audible and phone apps for reading the holy books of Islam and Christianity have disappeared from the Apple store in mainland China Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2021-10-15 21:01:46 UTC ]
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Farshore has adopted a "total audio" strategy which will see the imprint publish an audiobook for every narrative book published in print. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-05 22:40:19 UTC ]
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Love listening to audiobooks at 1.25 or 1.5 or even 2 times the speed? Here's your challenge to slow down and listen with intention. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-04 10:39:00 UTC ]
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Bafta-winning actor Toby Jones will read the audiobook of John le Carré’s final novel, Silverview, which publishes on 14th October 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-28 22:01:16 UTC ]
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The technology of Speechki, an exhibitor at Frankfurter Buchmesse, offers faster, less expensive paths to audiobook production. (Sponsored) The post Speechki: Synthetic Voicing to Augment the Industry’s Audiobook Inventory appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-21 19:39:32 UTC ]
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As indicated in a leak earlier this week, Amazon is updating the Kindle Paperwhite. The fifth-gen Paperwhite (which marks the first refresh in nearly three years) has a larger, 6.8-inch display, compared with the previous model's six-inch screen. The company says the 300 ppi screen is glare-free... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-09-21 13:00:32 UTC ]
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Our favorites include works by Tanith Lee, Karl Edward Wagner, Stephen King and Charles R. Saunders Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-09-18 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Storytel reports seeing a rise in audiobook downloads in Russia by 45 percent in the last year. LitRes leads market. The post Audiobooks in Russia: Storytel and LitRes Cite Rising Interest appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-14 11:42:09 UTC ]
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Booming audiobook sales and strong performances in some of its largest markets boosted profits up 55.1% at Penguin Random House in the first six months of 2021. Revenue rose 10.9%, to €1.80 billion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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