Without audiobooks a number of people wouldn't normally have experienced the planet's most famous stories.

Oral literature is humanity's oldest form of storytelling, with an unfathomable number of tales being handed down through the generations in most corners of the globe for tens of thousands of years. While some cultures do not put as great of a focus on oral traditions like they did in the past, they still persist strongly in some circumstances, like telling tales to kids. The founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones will realise that oral storytelling has experienced a resurgence recently in the shape of audiobooks. But, although they may appear like a contemporary trend, the history of audiobooks dates back several years. Sound recordings first became possible around one hundred and fifty years ago and the first tests had been recitations of nursery rhymes and kid's stories. Spoken word recordings continued to be created in the next decades but were limited to about 4 minutes in total.

The term audiobook emerged during the 1970s, however it had been the 1930s that saw the largest leap forward in the structure. At that time they were called talking books, which were envisioned as reading materials for blind individuals. Governments in some countries permitted manufacturers to bypass copyright laws, which provided them usage of lots of material, but technological limitations meant full size books could not be recorded. Alternatively poems, short tales and plays, and individual chapters of books had been the most typical early audiobooks. The content proceeded to stay this way for several years, however the audience base did see an expansion to kids along with other adults without sight problems. The head of the hedge fund that has shares in Amazon will be well aware that this created the groundwork for the future audiobook market, sending it to the mainstream as a separate artform rather than entirely as a way of creating accessibility.

Every single decade during the last fifty years has brought along with it technological modifications that has influenced the way we consume art. Television and film has had DVDs and VHS. Music has had CDs and cassettes. Both have already been influenced by portable devices and streaming. Additionally, many of these technological advancements have actually helped to boost the audiobook market. The leader of the hedge fund that partially owns WHSmith will be able to inform you that it has grown to be so prevalent that people don't need to turn to specialised retailers, because most book merchants also offer audiobooks. People enjoy being able to pay attention to stories whilst they are doing other tasks like driving, chores, and work, which audiobooks are just perfect for. The audiobook industry now employs several thousand individuals, with the most crucial roles being narrator, studio engineer, and producer.