Audible and Simon &Schuster Audio Announce Digital Audiobook Distribution Agreement.

Business &Technology Editors

WAYNE, N.J. and NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000

Hundreds of Simon &Schuster Audiobook Titles

Included Under Agreement with audible.com(tm)

Audible, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBL), the leader in Internet-delivered spoken audio for PC-based listening or playback on AudibleReady(tm) portable digital audio devices, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Simon &Schuster Audio, the audiobook division of Simon &Schuster Inc. The agreement means that Audible's Internet audio service (www.audible.com(tm)) will continue to offer digital versions of many of the vast selection of audiobook bestsellers from Simon &Schuster Audio (www.simonsays/audio.com).

&uot;This agreement significantly broadens our relationship with Simon &Schuster Audio, one of the best audiobook publishers in the industry,&uot; said Brian Fielding, Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs for Audible, Inc. &uot;Simon &Schuster Audio's best sellers and its estimable backlist are of immense benefit to our customers.&uot;

&uot;We continue to be very particular in granting access to our content for digital transfer. The agreement we have reached speaks to the confidence we have in Audible's capacity to fulfill and nurture consumer demand for on-line audiobooks, while protecting our content from copyright infringement,&uot; stated Seth D. Gershel, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Simon &Schuster Audio.

The terms of the agreement grant Audible access to a very large selection of mutually agreed upon titles in both abridged and unabridged formats. This will dramatically broaden and extend a current agreement between the two companies, under which audible.com customers have been able to purchase and download digital versions of such exclusive Simon &Schuster audiobooks as 'Tis by Frank McCourt, Bag of Bones by Stephen King, You Belong to Me by Mary Higgins Clark, The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson PhD., Beating the Street by Peter Lynch, The Roaring 2000s by Harry S. Dent Jr., D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose and many others.

About Audible, Inc.

Audible is the Internet's largest, most diverse provider of premium spoken-audio services for content download or playback on personal computers and AudibleReady(tm) mobile digital audio devices. Audible allows customers to take advantage of their commute, travel and desktop computer time by delivering premium entertainment and information while their eyes are busy but their minds are free. Audible's content partners include leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, magazine and newspaper publishers, business information providers, and educational and cultural institutions. Visitors to www.audible.com(tm) can browse, sample, purchase and subscribe to more than 20,000 hours of audio programs. audible.com is Amazon.com's exclusive provider of spoken-word programming for downloading or streaming via the Web. Among the company's key business partners are Casio Inc., Compaq Computer Corporation, S3/Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics, RealNetworks, Inc. and Texas Instruments.

About Simon &Schuster Audio

Simon &Schuster Audio is the audiobook publishing division of Simon &Schuster, the publishing operation of Viacom Inc (NYSE: VIA, VIA B) Simon &Schuster is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed and multi-media formats. Its divisions include Simon &Schuster Trade Publishing, Pocket Books, Simon &Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon &Schuster New Media, Simon &Schuster Online, Simon &Schuster U.K., and Simon &Schuster Australia. For more information about Simon &Schuster Audio, visit our website at http://www.simonsaysaudio.com

This press release contains information that is not historical fact and may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements. 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.