Apple has quietly launched a catalog of AI audiobooks that could be the beginning of the end for human readers. Guard.
The article says the strategy is an attempt to oust the lucrative and fast-growing audiobook market, but it also promises to speed up Apple’s anticompetitive conduct scrutiny.
The audiobook market has grown in popularity in recent years, and technology companies are trying to gain a foothold in this market. Sales rose 25% last year to over $1.5 billion. Experts in the industry believe that by 2030, the global market for the industry could exceed $35 billion.
Apple was supposed to kick off the project in mid-November, but the chaos over Meta layoffs (known as extremist and banned in Russia) and Twitter’s takeover by Elon Musk put it off as the tech industry was overshadowed, according to the publication’s authors. to indicate.
The company’s Books app includes a catalog of works. They’ve been described as “told in a digital reader-based voice.”
In recent months, Apple has approached independent publishers, including some in the Canadian market, as potential partners, but not all have agreed to participate in the project. Apple promised authors royalties only from sales. Publishers participating in the project were required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Publishers, writers and literary agents speaking to The Guardian said the strategy, if successful, could have a huge impact on the market. But others are skeptical.
“Reader is creating a whole new form of art in audiobooks, and we think that’s a powerful thing. They create something different from a print book, but adds value to this new art form,” said David Caron, co-producer of Canada’s largest audiobook publisher.