Amazon acquires Audible, grows digital media empire

Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 11:07 AM
Tags: Amazon, Audible, Kindle, Mobile Audio, Wireless, XM

Amazon Kindle
Amazon announced today that they will buy digital audio book provider Audible.com for $300 million.

Audible has been partnered with XM for several years now, from including Audible support in the Helix/Inno, to the XM Audible Store, to various co-sponsored events and XM's Sonic Theater (ch 163) featuring Audible content. But I'm assuming none of that will change, since there's no reason for it to.

One interesting thing to think about is Amazon's increasingly aggressive foray into digital media distribution.

Not only do they have a massive DRM-free digital music service, but now they have the leading spoken-word provider as well.

And with the Amazon Kindle (pictured above), users can access and download all of that content over a built-in high-speed wireless EVDO connection... for free.

While Kindle (which Amazon is struggling to keep up with the demand of) doesn't necessarily market itself as a music player - it's primarily an eBook reader - but the capability is currently there. And there could be more to come.

"There are a number of experimental features. We have made them accessible so customers can tell us if we should work on them and make them part of the product," said CEO Jeff Bezos on the earnings call.

It's nothing, yet, but it sure makes you go "hmm."

[ZDNet, TechCrunch]

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Comments

I hope this doesn't mean both the pests won't be able to download the wacky morning zoo hack 0.0 show. That would be a damn shame.

Man, for a 0.0 show, a lot of people know about them.

Thats because their pics are all over the internet, captioned with FAIL!

Ugh, enough already!

I agree...seems that this 0.0 talk always comes up whenever anything interesting happens in the Sat Radio world! And since Audible is being aquired by Amazon, the 0.0 comments keep coming up....strange? Not really....since these Howard Fucko's always seem to know whenever anything..good or bad...happens to O&A. And in typical Howard Fashion, they spin the news

Lets face facts here...

1st...O&A have been doing Sat Radio FAR longer than Douche Bag Howard has.
2nd...O&A have contracts in place that 100% they will be on XM regardless of any merger
3rd...Mel, as much as sucks Howards Cock...will not get rid of O&A cause he cares more
about the $$$$$ then he does his own soul....
4th...Howard will have to deal with ( as will all you Stern Fags reading this ) O&A being around for a very long time...cause they bring the numbers, and if you know anything about how corporations work...you will know that everything else is 2nd except the numbers...and O&A have them.

O&A always win in the end....so do all of us Orbitcast readers a favor...drop the 0.0 cause you do nothing except make yourself look like an asshole...which you would have to be to listen to that old man on Sirius!

I realize chances are slim, but with Amazon having DRM-free music, and so many other providers going drm-free, makes you wonder if the same possibility is there with Audible's books.

Good move on Amazon's part...Hopefully, they won't mess with the per-book prices or the monthly subscription prices too much.

This is pretty big news.

As for the 0.0 haters, those of us who subscribe to XM AND d/l 0.0 on Audible every day, to hear content that they might have missed number more than a few. Perhaps more than that...

thj

I'm starting to agree with Ryan, the Stern vs. 0.0 comments are getting ridiculous (and I've been as guilty as anyone).

Fellow Stern fans, we need to realize that this is a one-sided war. Why let these clones and their fans bother us? Sure, "they started it", but there is no real fight to fight. As all the metrics have proven, over and over, Stern is by far the more relevant force. Of course, we already knew that. And we also know which is by far the better show. They are not in his league. Not even close.

As the clones lose stations, tank in the ratings and generally continue to spiral downward, they and their fans' only hope of getting attention is by nipping at Howard's heels and trying to latch on to his legend.

We should all take a cue from Howard... treat them like the insects that they are. Ignore them. They are not worthy of our time. Let them fail and sink further into obscurity on their own.

So let's help Ryan keep his blog clean. Despite the temptation, don't post first about 0.0. And if the clone fans insult Stern, simply respond with the facts and let the facts speak for themselves. Take the high road. After all, we have the truth (and the better show) on our side. They do not.

0.0 always lose in the end. And they don't need our help for that.

well put...they will soon be begging and kissing howard ass for a job when the merger goes through anyways..

and when it does, 0.0 can fight with riley martin for the midnight slot on 101

"And if the clone fans insult Stern, simply respond with the facts and let the facts speak for themselves. "

ask the pests for a link about there "#1 ratings" and they go into full spin zone
(apparently only the pests have these secret #1 ratings and they dont share)

should i attack this line by line???????????

"Lets face facts here...

1st...O&A have been doing Sat Radio FAR longer than Douche Bag Howard has.
2nd...O&A have contracts in place that 100% they will be on XM regardless of any merger
3rd...Mel, as much as sucks Howards Cock...will not get rid of O&A cause he cares more
about the $$$$$ then he does his own soul....
4th...Howard will have to deal with ( as will all you Stern Fags reading this ) O&A being around for a very long time...cause they bring the numbers, and if you know anything about how corporations work...you will know that everything else is 2nd except the numbers...and O&A have them.

O&A always win in the end....so do all of us Orbitcast readers a favor...drop the 0.0 cause you do nothing except make yourself look like an asshole...which you would have to be to listen to that old man on Sirius!"

Right, because the Kindle... and... uh...

This obsession some of you have with these 2 radio programs is pretty sad. One of the biggest news stories in a while happens, and of course, I just knew it, first comment is about who? Ryan, please for God's sake man, seriously make this shit stop or this will ruin your credibility and drive loyal website visitors away in droves. Anonymous coward is back up to his old tricks and it needs to stop because it disrupts everything all the time. what amazes me is that the comments keep coming in!We have far bigger issues in the world to deal with and a bunch of sad sacks fight over these 2 radio shows? Pathetic, man, just pathetic. I'm ashamed to even listen to either of these shows. If this is how their listeners behave i want no part of it anymore.

Toonhead, had it with this bullshit

have you considered killing yourself?just a suggestion

carry on

toonhead, calm down dude. 5 fans bickering back and forth in the comment section of certain satrad news stories arent going to effect anything. credibility, the shows, opinions, nothing. if you have a problem with it, my suggestion would be don't click the links to stern and o/a related stories. kinda like if youre offended by certain radio and television content, dont watch it.

my suggestion would be more effective

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