Audiobooks follow in the tradition of radio dramas in bringing entertainment through sound.
The term audiobook emerged in the 1970s, but it had been the 1930s that saw the biggest revolution in the format. At that time these were called talking books, which were envisioned as reading materials for blind individuals. Governments in a few countries permitted producers to bypass copyright laws, which provided them access to lots of material, but technical limits meant full size books could never be recorded. Instead poems, short tales and plays, and specific chapters of books were the most typical early audiobooks. This content continued to stay this way for a number of decades, however the market base did see an expansion to children along with other adults without sight conditions. The head of the hedge fund that has shares in Amazon is going to be well aware that this laid the groundwork for the future audiobook market, sending it in to the mainstream as an independent artform instead of entirely as a means of making accessibility.
Every single decade for the last fifty years has brought with it technical modifications that has affected the way in which we consume art. Film and television has had VHS and DVDs. Music has experienced CDs and cassettes. Both have been impacted by portable products and streaming. Additionally, all of these technological advancements have assisted to enhance the audiobook market. The leader of the hedge fund that partially owns WHSmith will be able to tell you that it has grown to be so well-known that individuals do not need to turn to specialist retailers, because most book stores additionally offer audiobooks. Individuals enjoy having the ability to listen to stories while they are doing other tasks like driving, chores, and work, which audiobooks are simply ideal for. The audiobook industry now employs several thousand individuals, with the most essential roles being narrator, studio engineer, and producer.
Oral literature is mankind's oldest form of storytelling, with an unfathomable amount of stories being passed on through the generations in most corners of the globe for several thousand years. Though certain countries usually do not put as great of a focus on oral traditions as they did in the past, they still persist strongly in some situations, like telling stories to children. The founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones will know that oral storytelling has experienced a resurgence recently in the form of audiobooks. However, while they might seem like a modern trend, the history of audiobooks dates back many decades. Sound recordings first became possible around one hundred and fifty years back and the first tests had been recitations of nursery rhymes and kid's tales. Spoken word tracks continued to be developed in the next decades but had been restricted to about four minutes in length.