Audible (service) facts for kids
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| Developer | Audible, a subsidiary of Amazon |
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| Launch date | 1995 |
| Platform(s) | Fire OS, Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, web browser, Wear OS, WatchOS, Windows Phone |
| Pricing model | Variable subscription and a la carte |
Audible is an online service from America where you can buy and listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Think of it as a huge library of stories and shows you can listen to! You can buy content one by one, or you can get a subscription. With a subscription, you get "credits" each month to pick audiobooks, and you also get access to a special library of content you can listen to anytime.
Audible is the biggest company in the United States that makes and sells audiobooks. It's owned by Amazon.com, Inc., a very large online company. Audible's main office is in Newark, New Jersey.
Contents
Audible's Story
Audible started a long time ago, in 1995. Their very first product was a special portable player called the Audible MobilePlayer, released in 1997. It could hold about two hours of audio. People would download audiobooks from Audible's website to put on this player.
In 1999, a big company called Microsoft invested money in Audible. Later that year, Audible faced a sad moment when its CEO, Andrew J. Huffman, passed away. But the company kept going! In 2000, Amazon bought a small part of Audible.
In 2003, Audible made a deal with Apple to be the only place to get audiobooks for iTunes Music Store. This agreement later ended in 2017.
A couple of years later, in 2005, Audible launched "Audible Air." This cool feature let people download audiobooks right to their PDAs (like early smartphones) and smartphones. The content would even update itself, downloading chapters as you needed them. In 2006, Audible started its "A-List collection," featuring famous actors like Anne Hathaway reading popular books.
In 2007, Audible's CEO, Donald Katz, moved the company's main office and its 125 employees to Newark, New Jersey. They moved into a tall building called One Washington Park.
On January 31, 2008, Amazon announced that it would buy Audible for about $300 million. This was a big step for Audible! In April of that year, Audible started making its own special science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.
In 2011, Audible launched Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). This is an online platform where authors can work with professional actors to create audiobooks. It was so successful that by 2012, Audible was getting more new titles from ACX than from its other main suppliers combined! In 2012, Audible also expanded its A-List Collection, bringing in more Hollywood stars like Claire Danes, Colin Firth, Dustin Hoffman, and Kate Winslet to narrate classic books.
Audible even started offering workshops at acting schools like Juilliard. In 2013, Audible's CEO thought the company might be the biggest employer of actors in the New York area!
In September 2012, Audible added a feature called "Whispersync for Voice." This allows you to switch between reading a book on your Amazon Kindle and listening to the audiobook on Audible, picking up exactly where you left off.
In 2016, Audible announced they would open a new building in Newark called the "Innovation Cathedral." It's in a beautiful old church that hadn't been used since 1995.
In 2019, Audible announced "Audible Captions," which would show text on screen while you listened. However, this feature was later stopped because of concerns about copyright violations. Audible agreed not to use it without special permission.
In 2020, Audible changed its return policy. This was to help authors, who felt that some customers were listening to audiobooks and then returning them without paying.
What You Can Listen To and How Much It Costs
Audible has over 200,000 audio programs! This includes audiobooks of all kinds, old and new radio shows, speeches, interviews, stand-up comedy, and even audio versions of newspapers like The New York Times.
Audible offers different ways to subscribe. You can get "Audible Premium Plus," which gives you credits to buy audiobooks each month. You also get access to a special library of audiobooks and podcasts that are included with your membership. There's also a lower-priced "Audible Plus" plan, which gives you access to the special library but doesn't include credits to buy new books.
Once you buy an audiobook, it stays in your library forever. You can download or listen to it anytime you want!
Audible Originals
Audible also creates its own special content, called "Audible Originals." In 2015, they hired Eric Nuzum, who used to work at NPR, to help create these.
In 2016, they launched "Audible Channels," which has short audio programs, including news and other original shows. If you have an Audible subscription or Amazon Prime, you can listen to these. Audible wanted to create content like what HBO or Netflix make for TV, but for audio.
Some of their original shows include Where Should We Begin? (a relationship podcast), Sincerely, X' (anonymous TED Talks), and West Cork (a true crime podcast).
Audible has been focusing more on creating "audiobook-first" deals with writers. This means they work with authors to create audiobooks that are released first on Audible. They've featured famous people like Common, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Caine, and Jesse Eisenberg in their original productions.
Devices You Can Use
Audible audio files work on many different devices, like mobile phones, PDAs, and streaming media devices. For some older devices, you might need a computer to download the files first. You can also listen to titles on your computer using programs like iTunes.
The Audible App is available on Apple iPhones, iPods, Android, and Windows Phone devices. This app lets you download and play your purchased audiobooks right on your mobile device.
Digital Protection
Audible uses a system called digital rights management (DRM) on its audio files. This is like a copy protection system. It helps prevent people from making unauthorized copies of the audiobooks. You can usually use your Audible account on up to four computers and three smartphones at a time.
While you can burn a limited number of CDs from Audible titles, the company uses DRM to protect its content. This is similar to how other digital content, like Kindle e-books, is protected. Audible wants to make sure that authors and publishers are paid fairly for their work.
Audible's Role in the Market
Audible runs the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). This platform helps authors and publishers connect with professional actors and producers to create audiobooks. These audiobooks are then sold on Amazon and iTunes. ACX is available in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland.
Audible produces about 10,000 new audiobooks every year! It's a very important company in the audiobook world and even helps create many jobs for actors in New York City.
See Also
- RBMedia
- LibriVox
- Storytel
