That means Audible Exclusives remain out of reach for anyone who depends on their library for access. There simply isn't the general demand for audiobooks on CD, so companies, including Audible, aren't producing very many of them. While it's still not a huge slice of the book pie, downloadable audio has a clear lead over its disc-borne counterpart, and the gap between them has been steadily widening. By contrast, downloadable audio represents about six percent of that market. Physical audiobooks (CDs) account for less than half a percent of all books distributed (including print titles). It's certainly better than nothing, but only a tiny fraction of Exclusives are issued as CDs. The only exception is if a CD version is released, at which point some libraries may be able to add it to their collection and make it available for lending. These days, libraries have lots of great platforms at their disposal for securely lending digital audiobooks and making sure the publisher and author are appropriately compensated, but they still cannot lend Audible Exclusives. This is my biggest objection to the Audible Exclusives model: the lack of access for libraries. That means that until policies change, the rights change hands, or the book falls out of copyright, no bookstore will ever be able to offer that audiobook, and, what's worse (in my opinion), no library will ever be able to lend it. But sometimes, those rights belong to Audible indefinitely. Sometimes, that exclusivity is only valid for a limited period of time, and after that the audiobook can be sold elsewhere, or at the very least, re-recorded and a new edition released. If the owner of a book's rights sells them to Audible as an Exclusive, that means that legally no other digital audiobook version can be produced, and the Exclusive edition cannot be distributed by anyone other than Audible, and, at their sole discretion, Amazon more generally, and iTunes. After all, you wouldn't expect the latest Hulu show to be available on Netflix, would you?īut here's where it gets tricky. On the face of it, that doesn't seem like such a big problem. ![]() ![]() Audible, the division of Amazon that produces and distributes downloadable audiobooks, offers Audible Exclusives, which are audiobooks that can only be accessed by Audible subscribers. I listen to two or three a week! I love the variety of books that are produced, and the variety of performances available.īut here's something I don't love: the concept of Audible Exclusives.įor those who aren't familiar with the debate around Exclusives, here's a quick rundown.
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