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 today? Is it a book? Is it a play? Or is it becoming something else entirely? What is clear is that a jostle for market dominance is driving it into new dimensions. The streaming platform Spotify followed its move into podcasting two years ago with the launch of an audiobooks business. Though it has yet to start making its own recordings, last autumn it made a deal for 200,000 audiobooks to be available to its premium users.Not to be outdone, Amazon-owned Audible – accustomed to being the market leader – upped its game, hiring the Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes to record multi-voice versions of the Dickens novels Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, and announcing last month that it had reached an agreement for a recording of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, voiced by more than 100 actors and featuring a “groundbreaking new soundscape”. The new Potter audiobooks, it said, would not usurp but “sit alongside and complement” conventional recordings by Stephen Fry and Jim Dale, which Audible also hosts. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 17:25:03 UTC ]
After Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the most famous friendship from Hogwarts is certainly the four Marauders. Take this Harry Potter ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-12 10:38:28 UTC ]
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Audiobook selections for July cover a swath of the American landscape, from a western river to Louisiana’s gumbo belt. Relax and take it all in. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2019-07-12 09:38:10 UTC ]
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David Walliams has narrated the audiobook of The Curse of the School Rabbit (HarperCollins), written and illustrated by Judith Kerr. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-10 12:22:15 UTC ]
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Condé Nast Pulls Investment From FarFetch [caption id="attachment_161701" align="alignright" width="150"] José Neves[/caption] Condé Nast pulled its nearly $300 million investment in the London-based luxury fashion retail marketplace FarFetch, following concerns about the management of the... Continue reading at Folio Magazine
[ Folio Magazine | 2019-07-09 18:18:07 UTC ]
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Paul McCartney will narrate the audiobook edition of his upcoming picture book, Hey Grandude! (Puffin), which is inspired by his experiences of being a grandfather. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-04 02:57:43 UTC ]
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Your favorite Harry Potter characters got matched up with a perfect-for-them fragrance. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-03 10:34:16 UTC ]
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Warner Brothers is in the very early stages of developing a Harry Potter prequel television series. Find out what we know so far. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-02 18:58:30 UTC ]
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A reader comes to terms with the role audiobooks play in her ability to be more mindful for the sake of her mental health, and considers reading life solutions. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-01 10:41:46 UTC ]
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'Wizards Unite' is bloated and overly complex—but at least it's something different. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2019-06-25 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Hey, there! Bill Gates regrets that he didn't beat Android in mobile, we give our mixed verdict on the new Harry Potter mobile game and review Apple's new iPad OS. Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-06-25 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Mat Smith and Dan Cooper grew up in the UK at the right age to witness the birth of Pottermania. The Harry Potter novels are firmly encoded in their very British psyches, and both are fans of augmented reality, GPS-connected mobile games. So it made... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-06-24 17:28:00 UTC ]
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At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Ad Age sat down with some of the brightest minds in advertising and marketing to discuss some of the bravest and most talked about ideas of this year, some of which also scored big Lions last week. One of the most celebrated campaigns... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-24 17:00:00 UTC ]
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Sweden’s Bonnier has announced a sweeping expansion in Europe of its BookBeat digital service, multiplying by seven times its former reach in terms of markets for audiobooks and ebooks. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson Service Has More Than 50,000 Audiobooks and Ebooks he... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-06-24 12:55:40 UTC ]
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Audiobook streaming service BookBeat has launched in 24 new European markets, making the service available in 28 countries overall. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-24 12:31:26 UTC ]
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Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. You can get an audio version of this briefing on your Alexa device; sign up here. What people are talking about today: Cannes Lions is finished for another year and most of the industry is... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-24 10:25:28 UTC ]
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If you were disappointed at being left out of the initial Harry Potter: Wizards Unite launch, don't worry -- there's a good chance you can play now. Niantic's augmented reality sorcery is now available on Android and iOS in 25 more countries. This... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-06-22 20:26:00 UTC ]
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AT&T is now part of Harry Potter lore as the first brand to ink a sponsorship deal with the new augmented reality game about the wizarding world. AT&T stores are incorporated into the landscape of the game, called “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,” which is by Niantic, the creator of... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2019-06-21 21:00:51 UTC ]
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The creators of mobile gaming phenomenon Pokemon Go unleashed a new game on Thursday that features Harry Potter and other characters from the wizarding world made famous in best-selling books and blockbuster movies. Continue reading at CBC
[ CBC | 2019-06-21 12:31:30 UTC ]
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Niantic's Harry Potter: Wizards Unite officially debuts on June 21st, but you won't have to wait until then to play if you live in the right country. The location-based game is already available for would-be Android and iOS spellcasters in the US an... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-06-20 16:42:00 UTC ]
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You'll be able to save Muggles from rogue magical creatures and misbehaving objects very soon: Niantic will finally start rolling out Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on June 21st. The company has announced the much-awaited mobile game's launch date outsi... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-06-19 01:16:00 UTC ]
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