Audiobooks can transport individuals to very different worlds simply through the use of sound.

Oral literature is humanity's earliest form of storytelling, having an unfathomable number of tales being passed down through the generations in most corners of the world for tens of thousands of years. Although certain countries don't put as great of an emphasis on oral traditions like they did in the past, they still persist strongly in certain situations, like telling tales to children. The founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones will realise that oral storytelling has undergone a resurgence recently in the shape of audiobooks. However, although they may seem like a contemporary occurrence, the history of audiobooks dates back multiple years. Sound recordings first became possible around a hundred and fifty years back and the first tests were recitations of nursery rhymes and kid's tales. Spoken word recordings continued to be developed in the next decades but were limited to about 4 minutes in total.

The word audiobook emerged in the 1970s, however it was the 1930s that saw the largest revolution in the format. At that time these were called talking books, that were envisioned as reading materials for blind people. Governments in some nations permitted manufacturers to bypass copyright laws, which offered them usage of a lot of material, but technological limits meant full size books could never be recorded. Instead poems, short stories and plays, and individual chapters of books had been the most frequent early audiobooks. This content continued to remain this way for many years, nevertheless the audience base did see an expansion to children and other adults without sight complications. The head of the hedge fund that has shares in Amazon will likely be well aware that this created the foundation for the future audiobook market, sending it into the mainstream as an independent artform instead of entirely as a way of developing accessibility.

Every single decade for the past fifty years has brought with it technological changes that has affected the way we consume media. Film and television has had DVDs and VHS. Music has experienced CDs and cassettes. Both were influenced by portable products and streaming. Additionally, a few of these technical advancements have actually aided to enhance 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 prevalent that individuals don't need to check out specialised retailers, because many book stores also sell audiobooks. People enjoy being able to listen to stories whilst they are doing additional tasks like driving, chores, and work, which audiobooks are just perfect for. The audiobook industry now employs thousands of people, with the most important roles being narrator, studio engineer, and director.