Shift in Audio Formats for Audiobooks
The advent of digital downloading for music and other audio selections has radically changed how consumers listen to music. As a result, record companies have had to react to the change in consumption trends. Now, consumers are changing their habits of listening to audiobooks, a media format that, until now, has been dominated by the cassette tape. Research shows that nearly a quarter of consumers obtain their audiobooks from bookstore/online retailers, just over a quarter use digital download services, and over 40 percent obtain their audiobooks from libraries.
Since 2002, when cassettes accounted for 65 percent of audiobook sales, CD’s have become the dominant format, reaching 60-70 percent of sales. Recently, some audiobook distributors have stopped offering their selections on cassette. Some distributors, such as Time Warner AudioBooks, are hoping that audiobook consumers continue to phase out their consumption of cassettes so that those distributors can cut out their cassette tape offerings (and, thus, reduce costs). Audiobook distributors are trying to target traditional audiobook consumers (those that use cassette tapes) by placing digital audiobooks in libraries and by targeting users of digital download services.
Newman, Andrew Adam. “The Future of Formats.” AudioFile. August / September 2005.
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