Uncovering audiobook developments and features

Uncovering audiobook developments and features

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Audiobooks can transport people to different places simply through the use of sound.

Oral literature is mankind's earliest kind of storytelling, with an unfathomable quantity of tales being passed on through the generations in most corners of the world for tens of thousands of years. Though some countries do not place as great of a focus on oral traditions like they did in the past, they nevertheless persist strongly in certain situations, like telling tales to kids. The founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones will realise that oral storytelling has undergone a resurgence lately in the form of audiobooks. But, while they may appear like a modern-day phenomenon, the history of audiobooks dates back several decades. Sound recordings first became possible around a hundred and fifty years back and the first tests were recitations of nursery rhymes and children's tales. Spoken word tracks continued to be produced in the following decades but had been restricted to about four minutes in length.

Each and every decade for the past fifty years has brought with it technical modifications which has impacted the way we consume art. Television and film has had VHS and DVDs. Music has had CDs and cassettes. Both have now been impacted by portable devices and streaming. Also, a few of these technical advancements have helped to develop the audiobook market. The leader of the hedge fund that partially owns WHSmith should be able to inform you that it has grown to be so popular that people need not check out specialised retailers, because many book retailers also sell audiobooks. People enjoy having the ability to tune in to tales whilst they are doing other tasks like driving, chores, and work, which audiobooks are simply perfect for. The audiobook industry now employs thousands of people, with the most crucial roles being narrator, studio engineer, and producer.

The phrase audiobook emerged in the 1970s, however it had been the 1930s that saw the biggest leap forward in the format. At the time they were called talking books, which were envisioned as reading materials for blind people. Governments in some countries allowed manufacturers to bypass the laws of copyright, which provided them usage of plenty of material, but technological limitations meant full length books could not be recorded. Instead poems, short stories and plays, and individual chapters of books were the most common early audiobooks. The content continued to remain this way for several decades, but the audience base did see an expansion to children and other adults without sight issues. The head of the hedge fund that has shares in Amazon will likely be well aware that this created the groundwork for the future audiobook market, pushing it into the mainstream as an independent artform rather than entirely as a method of developing accessibility.