Audible Listeners Can Now Give Complete Audible Audio Titles Free to Family, Friends and Colleagues

New feature allows customers to use their Audible apps to send any Audible titles they own to others via text, e-mail, Facebook Messenger, and WhatsApp

NEWARK, N.J.--()--Audible, Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced the release of a new feature that allows listeners to give any audiobook they own in their “My Library” to others instantly via e-mail, text, Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp, using their iOS, Android and Windows 10 devices. Each recipient gets his or her first title through the program for free, and Audible will pay authors, actors and other rights holders the equivalent value of each recipient’s first title.

“Audible’s many millions of habitués know how our audio service can enhance the quality and character of daily life – whether driving, exercising, or working around the house. Audible is growing at historic rates as powerful words matched by powerful performances redefine reading and listening,” said Audible founder and CEO Donald Katz. “Audible customers also understand that they own each title they buy as members or a la carte purchasers, and they can carry their Audible libraries around forever. Now, for the first time, our listeners can send complete titles to anyone in the US and the cost is on us.”

Katz added, “We are proud to celebrate our current listeners and listeners to come by offering sharing in the form of a gift – a gift of considerable value in terms of dollars and, we hope, a gift that introduces others to the unbridled and often transformative power of the spoken word.”

Whether an Audible title owner is a book club member who wants to share an audiobook with an entire group, a teacher recommending a title to a class, or an enthusiastic listener giving to a friend, this new feature is designed to be easy to use. Simply tap on the ‘Send this Book’ icon in your My Library, and the audiobook you give will be sent free to as many people as a customer wants to include (and it remains in your library). If it is a recipient’s first time accepting an audiobook via this feature the recipient does not need to sign up for a free trial or use a credit card to redeem the title.

During a recent beta test of this new feature, Audible customers celebrated the opportunity to share their passion for audio storytelling:

  • “It's a wonderful way to get my friends and family hooked on audiobooks.”
  • “It is EXTREMELY cool to be able to share a book I love with a friend for FREE.”
  • “It is so easy, and it allows me another way to share. The social aspect is like a virtual book club.”

Audible invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2015, listeners around the world downloaded 1.6 billion hours of audio from Audible outlets; Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year. Two thirds of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment on the Internet, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 250,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes® Store.

Contacts

Audible.com
Esther Bochner, 973-820-0781
bochnere@audible.com

Release Summary

Audio listeners can now give complete Audible titles free to family, friends and colleagues. New feature allows customers to send any Audible titles they own to others.

Contacts

Audible.com
Esther Bochner, 973-820-0781
bochnere@audible.com