Here we will see about the Does Amazon Own Audible
Do you like reading books but do not have the time to sit and read? Well the solution to your problem is audio books and Audible is a leading audio book service. It has a huge collection of audiobooks to keep you hooked and a huge range of titles to choose from.
Is Audible owned by Amazon :
Yes audible is owned by Amazon. It is an Amazon subsidiary and the exclusive supplier of digital audio books for Amazon. Amazon purchased audible from Don Katz in the year 2008 for $300 million. Keep reading this article till the end for more detailed information about audible.
How Audible started :
Audible Inc. was launched in the year 1995 in Wayne, New Jersey by Donald Katz. He saw an opportunity to distribute spoken audio through the Internet. An audio book would considerably save the cost of paper, printing, and shipping. An online collection of audio books would allow listeners to access it almost instantly. On some titles you could get the added bonus of hearing the author’s own voice.
Some key dates in the history of audible:
- In the year 1995 Donald Katz and entrepreneur Tim Mott launch Audible
- In the year 1997 Audible launches the first portable digital audio player
- In the year 1999 Audible is valued at $538,000,000 but had to cancel the production of its audio player due to the death of its new CEO
- In the year 2004 the company posted its first profit
Where can you listen to Audible audiobooks?
You can access Audible audiobooks on laptops, tablets and smartphones. You need not worry about transferring the data when you change your device as your audio books are connected to your Audible account.
Here are some devices that support Audible –
- Windows Computers
- Mac devices
- Alexa devices (Including Alexa Echo)
- SanDisk clip jam
- Amazon Fire tablets with OS 5 or newer versions
Key features of Audible:
- You can download audiobooks to your device using mobile data or Wi-Fi And read them later whenever you want.
- It has over 200,000 audiobooks for you to select from. Audible offers a wide range of audio books including best sellers and classics. And some audio books are narrated by the authors themselves.
- Audible currently offers its content in 38 languages
- Audible is available in 10 different countries including the US, the UK, Japan, India, Australia, Germany, Spain , Canada, France and Italy.
- You can speed up or speed down the play speed of the audio books according to your convenience.
- One good policy of audible is that it has a convenient policy that allows the customers to return their audio books. In case you purchased a book based on the reviews but felt later that it wasn’t worth your money, audible will refund your money. The returns must be made within 365 days of purchase.
Conclusion :
Audible is the biggest audiobook platform at the moment. It’s popularity is due to its large collection, affordable price and excellent service. So if you enjoy reading books but don’t have time to read, try Audible .
Frequently asked questions
- Does Audible come free with Amazon Prime Subscription?
- Even though audible is owned by Amazon it does not come free with Amazon prime. Although audible offers its regular Amazon account holders a 30 day free trial period, Amazon Prime members get 90 days free trial. But after that you will have to start paying for its service.
- Are Audible books free?
- No , books on audible are not free. You have to pay for the audio books. But audible offers a small section of audiobooks for free
- How much does Audible cost?
- Audible plus: This plan costs $7.95 per month. It lets you access to unlimited audible originals audiobooks and podcasts.
- Audible premium plus: This plan costs $14.95 per month And gives you one crate per month.
- The above mentioned plans are the most popular ones. There are also some annual plans.
- What are the cheaper alternatives to audible?
- If you want to read audio books but you’re searching for a cheaper alternative, here are some options –
Audiobook Now:
It’s a tough competitor for Audible. It has a collection of more than 85000 titles. It is supported on both iOS and Android devices. One of its key features is that a lot of audiobooks are not DRM (Digital Rights Management) protected.
Nook Audiobooks : Nook Audiobooks are designed by B&N. It has a collection of over 60,000 titles. You have to pay for the audio books you read as there is no monthly subscription plan.
Downpour : The main feature of Downpour is that you can rent audio books and you don’t have to own it.
Scribd: Scribd probably tops the list of Audible alternatives. It has a gigantic collection of 150,000 eBooks along with audio books ,articles, news, and magazines.
