RBMedia announced the acquisition of audiobook publisher Upfront Books, founded in 2019 by Tyler Finkelstein. The company works with publishers, self-published authors, and literary estates. RBmedia CEO Tom MacIsaac said in the release, “We’re impressed with the quality of the business and catalog that Tyler and his team have built in just a few years. This acquisition […]
Audio
Spotify Sees Audiobooks As A “Massive Opportunity”
During the company’s Investor Day on Wednesday, Spotify founder and ceo Daniel Ek asserted that, “We believe that audiobooks, in their many different forms, will be a massive opportunity.” Spotify’s planned acquisition of audiobook distributor Findaway, which they had expected to close quickly before the end of 2021, is still pending, presumably awaiting regulatory approval. […]
After All These Years, Barnes & Noble Tries Again with Digital Audiobooks
Barnes & Noble is trying again with a full-fledged offering of digital audiobooks, available for single-title sales or through a monthly subscription priced at $14.99. They promise a catalog of over 300,000 titles. In a bit of brand confusion, the new initiative is called Barnes & Noble Audiobooks, though it’s tied to the all-but-dead Nook […]
Spotify Releases “Bookcast” of Parton-Patterson Novel
Spotify announced the release of its first “bookcast,” an audiobook/podcast hybrid of portions of Dolly Parton and James Patterson’s Run, Rose, Run. The bookcast combines excerpts of the audiobook narration with songs Parton wrote and recorded as the soundtrack for the book. The project functions as a preview for the novel (out March 7) and […]
Bertelsmann’s RTL Will Launch Multimedia Streaming Service that Includes Audiobooks
Last month, Bertelsmann unveiled the first part of an ambitious digital multi-media subscription service in Germany from their giant broadcasting subsidiary, called RTL+. Starting with a rebranded version of their previous service streaming service, by the second quarter of next year the new multi-media subscription will combine “video, audio, magazine, and book publishing assets” from […]
Spotify to Acquire Findaway and Storytel Will Buy Audiobooks.com
Two big acquisitions will fuel hopes for players of scale to challenge Audible’s dominance in core markets. Spotify will acquire distributor Findaway as part of their goal to develop a meaningful presence in the audiobooks market, pending regulatory approval. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2021; the terms were not […]