Acquisition Establishes Audio Editions as Largest Audiobook Catalog Retailer
Audio Editions, a division of The Audio Partners Inc., has acquired the licensing rights to the assets of the Audio Book Club (ABC), including its brand, Web site and customer list. The acquisition establishes Audio Editions as the largest catalog seller of general interest audiobooks. The customer list obtained from ABC includes customers from an earlier acquisition, in which ABC’s original parent company, MediaBay Inc., acquired the Columbia House and Doubleday Direct audiobooks clubs.
According to Audio Editions, publishers will benefit from the acquisition as a result of Audio Edition’s increased direct-to-consumer marketing of audiobooks to ABC customers. “This deal also brings benefits to the larger audiobook industry, as more customers will be contacted with greater frequency and offered a wider range of titles,” says consultant Seth Gershel, who brokered the deal.
Prior to the acquisition of ABC, Audio Editions already offered customers more than 20,000 audiobook titles. “With this deal, we simply get bigger, better and more able to contribute to this growing audiobook business,” says Grady Hesters, chief executive officer, Audio Editions.
- Companies:
- ABC
- People:
- Grady Hesters
- Seth Gershel