SEPTEMBER 2023 News Roundup
This month kick back, relax, and stroll through a brief history of the audiobook industry or get lost in a story told by your favorite celebrity. Investigate the differences in growth among the international audiobook markets. Read about the successful sale of RBMedia, mobile connectivity deals at Storytel, and delivery modifications at Scribd. In other audiobook news; a Hindi production with a diverse cast, Bob Woodward’s defense presents its case, Stephen Fry warns the community about voice cloning without consent, and a clinical trial for chronic pain patients.
Audiobooks: Reading allowed
Commuter boredom turned billion-dollar industry. [Source: qz.com]
FEED YOUR EARPODS
kick back, relax, and listen to a story narrated by your favorite celebrity
From children's books to the classics, these readers will keep you on the edge of your seat. [Source: countryliving.com]
BEYOND ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Frankfurt Rights Meeting 2: Developments in Audio
Not all international audiobook markets are evolving at the same pace, say speakers in the second online Frankfurt Rights Meeting event. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
Etching history in sound: Neelima Penumarthy’s inclusive audiobooks
What sets her work apart is her unique choice of collaborators: teenagers and the elderly. [Source: sundayguardianlive.com ]
the business of audiobooks
Francisco Partners Joins Forces with H.I.G. Capital to Acquire and Invest in RBmedia
Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm, specializing in technology and media-focused businesses. [Source: businesswire.com]
Storytel teams up with Yettel Bulgaria to boost local presence
The deal involves unlimited access to Storytel's portfolio. [Source: seenews.com]
Bob Woodward seeks to end Donald Trump's lawsuit over audiobook
The defendants proclaim that copyright law prohibits private ownership of government works. [Source: reuters.com]
Scribd Will Move eBooks and Audiobooks To New App
Scribd announced that it will now separate its content across three products, with ebooks and audiobooks moving to a new app called Everand. [Source: lunch.publishersmarketplace.com]
A.I.
Stephen Fry says his voice was stolen from the Harry Potter audiobooks and replicated by AI
—and warns this is just the beginning. [Source: finance.yahoo.com]
AI-narrated audiobooks are here and raise some serious ethical questions
The self-deception involved in assuming that your AI narrator is human parallels, in many ways, the self-deception required to believe that Apple's digital voice technology is an altruistic development. [Source: techxplore.com]
Clinical studies
Testing the efficacy of music vs. audiobook listening to reduce the use of opioids
This clinical trial’s primary objective is to provide evidence on the effects of music vs. audiobook (control group) listening as a coadjuvant maintenance analgesic treatment in chronic pain patients undergoing opioid analgesia. [Source: bmjopen.bmj.com]