Audiobooks follow in the tradition of radio dramas in bringing entertainment through sound.
Oral literature is humanity's earliest kind of storytelling, with an unfathomable quantity of stories being passed on through the generations in most corners of the world for tens of thousands of years. Although 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 understand that oral storytelling has experienced a resurgence lately in the shape of audiobooks. However, although they may seem like a modern sensation, the history of audiobooks goes back many decades. Sound recordings first became feasible around a hundred and fifty years ago and the first tests were recitations of nursery rhymes and kid's tales. Spoken word recordings continued to be made in the next decades but had been limited to about four minutes in length.
Every single decade for the past fifty years has brought with it technical modifications that 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. Moreover, most of these technical advancements have actually helped to grow the audiobook market. The leader of the hedge fund that partially owns WHSmith should be able to inform you that it has grown to become so popular that people do not need to consider specialised retailers, because many book merchants additionally offer audiobooks. Individuals enjoy having the ability to pay attention to stories while 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 greatest revolution in the format. At the time they were called talking books, which were envisioned as reading materials for blind people. Governments in some countries permitted manufacturers to bypass the laws of copyright, which provided them usage of plenty of material, but technical limitations meant full size books could never be recorded. Alternatively poems, short tales and plays, and specific chapters of books had been the most typical early audiobooks. This content proceeded to stay this way for many decades, however the audience base did see an expansion to children and other adults without sight dilemmas. 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 as opposed to entirely as a way of making accessibility.