Audible, Bertelsmann's Verlagsgruppe Random House, and holtzbrinck networXs Partner to Bring Audible Service to Germany.WAYNE, N.J. -- Audible.de to Combine Audible's Technology and Digital Audio Device Compatibility with German Publishers' Content Audible, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADBL ADBL Agricultural Development Bank Limited (Nepal) ) today announced an international venture that will serve German language listeners worldwide. Audible.de is a joint venture between Audible Inc., Verlagsgruppe Random House, and holtzbrinck networXs and is being created to serve Germany and German-language speakers worldwide with digital downloads of audiobooks and other valuable spoken word audio titles. Audible.de is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2004 and will consist of a German language Web site featuring German audio content as well as audible.com's English language English language, member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages (see Germanic languages). Spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world, English is the official language of about 45 nations. content for download. The format and user experience of audible.de will resemble audible.com, offering listeners thousands of hours of German language audiobooks and spoken word titles from German publishers and broadcast partners. All audio titles will be available for secure download to a listener's personal computer and transferable to most MP3 players, burned to audio CDs, or enjoyed through the computer's audio playback system. Audible's AudibleReady(R) technology platform is compatible with Apple iPods and other MP3 players, palmOne and Pocket PC personal digital assistants, and other devices available to German consumers. "Audible offers several hundred thousand listeners a superior service by providing a vast content portfolio based on relationships with more than 175 U.S. publishers and unique features such as bookmarking In genetics and epigenetics, bookmarking is a biological phenomenon believed to function as an epigenetic mechanism for transmitting cellular memory of the pattern of gene expression in a cell, throughout mitosis, to its daughter cells. and flexibility of mobile playback on multiple devices or audio CDs," said Martin Weber, Managing Director, holtzbrinck networXs. "We believe the German market, as Audible has proven in the U.S., will be very responsive to this innovative digital media system and service." "Random House has been a strong supporter of audible.com in the past since it effectively fulfills consumers' needs for easy access to content with authors' and publishers' needs for copyright protection," said Dr. Joerg Pfuhl, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Verlagsgruppe Random House. "We look forward to audible.de opening a new sales channel for audio content in Germany." "Audible and its distinguished partners in Germany intend to provide German language listeners with the best audio information, entertainment and education," said Donald Katz, Chairman and CEO, Audible, Inc. "We are particularly proud to partner with Verlagsgruppe Random House and holtzbrinck -- two of Germany's most important media companies -- to bring premium digital audio services to the German marketplace." About Audible, Inc.: Audible(R) (www.audible.com(R)) is the Internet's leading premium spoken audio source. Content from Audible is downloaded and played back on personal computers, CDs, or AudibleReady(R) computer-based mobile devices. Audible has 50,000 hours of audio programs from more than 175 content partners that include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible.com is Amazon.com's and the Apple iTunes Music Store's pre-eminent provider of spoken word products for downloading or streaming via the Web. Additionally, the Company is strategically aligned with Random House, Inc. in the first-ever imprint to produce spoken word content specifically suited for digital distribution, Random House Audible. Among the Company's key business relationships are Apple Corp., Bertelsmann AG Bertelsmann AG German media company. Beginning as a religious printer and publisher in 1835, the company grew steadily over the next century. Though virtually destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945, it recovered quickly after World War II. , Creative Labs, holtzbrinck networXs, Hewlett-Packard Company, Microsoft Corporation (company) Microsoft Corporation - The biggest supplier of operating systems and other software for IBM PC compatibles. Software products include MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Microsoft Access, LAN Manager, MS Client, SQL Server, Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC), MS Mail, , palmOne, Inc., PhatNoise Inc., RealNetworks, Inc., Rio Audio, Roxio, Inc., Sony Electronics Sony Electronics Inc., headquartered in San Diego, Calif., is the largest component of Sony Corporation of America, the U.S. holding company for Sony's U.S.-based electronics and entertainment businesses. , Texas Instruments See TI. (company) Texas Instruments - (TI) A US electronics company. A TI engineer, Jack Kilby invented the integrated circuit in 1958. Three TI employees left the company in 1982 to start Compaq. Inc., and VoiceAge Corporation. About holtzbrinck networXs: holtzbrinck networXs is the corporate venture capital company belonging to Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck (Rowohlt, S. Fischer; Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus & Giroux Publishing company in New York City noted for its literary excellence. It was founded in 1945 by John Farrar and Roger Straus as Farrar, Straus & Co. , New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Henry Holt, New York, Die ZEIT DIE ZEIT (pronounced /diː tsait/, in English, literally The Time, more idiomatically The Times) is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism. etc.). networXs invests in media companies dealing with technologies such as internet/e-commerce and mobile. About Verlagsgruppe Random House: Verlagsgruppe Random House, based in Munich, Germany, is part of Random House, Inc., the leading international group of consumer publishers. Random House, Inc. is a division of Bertelsmann AG. The 25 publishing divisions of Verlagsgruppe Random House (amongst them traditional publishing houses such as Goldmann Verlag, Heyne Verlag, Siedler Verlag, and Luchterhand Literaturverlag) publish around 175 new titles per month. They cover a broad spectrum of entertainment, modern and classic literature, as well as a diverse nonfiction program. Amongst its authors are commercial blockbusters such as John Grisham “Grisham” redirects here. For other uses, see Grisham (disambiguation). John Ray Grisham (born February 8, 1955) is a former politician, retired attorney, American novelist and author best known for his works of modern legal drama. , Stephen King <noinclude></noinclude>
Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror and , and Frederick Forsyth Frederick Forsyth, CBE (born August 25, 1938) is an English author and occasional political commentator. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Fist of God, Icon, ; European novelists such as Stefan Heym and Niccolo Amaniti; literary authors such as Christa Wolf, Antonio Lobo Antunes and Hanns-Josef Ortheil; as well as public figures such as Helmut Kissinger and Madeleine Albright. Audible, www.audible.com, AudibleListener, and AudibleReady are registered trademarks of Audible, Inc. and all are part of the family of Audible, Inc. trademarks. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners. This press release contains information about Audible, Inc. that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements about the company. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, Audible's limited operating history, history of losses, uncertain market for its services, and its inability to license or produce compelling audio content and other risks and uncertainties detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. |
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