OverDrive Breaks the iPod Barrier for Downloadable Audio

Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 3/19/2008

• 3000 titles will be available
• No DRM means compatibility with iPods, iPhones
• Libraries will remind patrons of copyright

For years, librarians and patrons have complained that the most popular digital audio player, the iPod, was incompatible with the Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, the format for library downloadable audio. OverDrive now says it will offer at least 3000 titles—about 15 percent of its catalog—in MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM), which means compatibility with nearly every MP3 player and mobile phone, including iPods. OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks will go on sale in May at Borders.com and should be available to libraries by the end of June, to be followed with the release of OverDrive Media Console for the Mac.

OverDrive CEO Steve Potash said the policy change emerged from demand in the library market, OverDrive’s track record, and “some recent moves in the audiobook retail market,” including an announcement by Random House that it would make its audiobook titles available without DRM in the MP3 format. While Random titles are limited to retail sales, Potash said OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks would be provided by at least a dozen publishers. “Each publisher is reviewing their entire audiobook list to confirm each title/author has these rights so the exact title list is forthcoming. Participating publishers… include Blackstone Audio, Books in Motion, CSA Word, Audio Evolution, Audio Realms, plus others that we need to clear for PR purposes.” He said “thousands more” titles should be cleared by launch.

 Users at participating libraries, he said, will see catalog records indicating that the audiobook appears in two formats, just as some films appear in both VHS and DVD formats. "We expect to see two different catalogs develop, and advantages for each format as they are offered by our libraries," he said, noting that "WMA audiobooks are faster to download, smaller files to transfer and use, and work great on a variety of inexpensive players." While any publisher that wants to sell DRM-protected audiobooks at Apple’s iTunes store must have a relationship with exclusive provider Audible, he said, OverDrive has obtained permissions from a number of publishers to produce DRM-free audiobooks, so no negotiating with Apple was necessary.

OverDrive currently offers libraries both a one-book, one-user model and “Maximum Access,” which allows unlimited users for a licensing fee. Potash said that OverDrive MP3 would be limited initially to the one-book, one user model. Pricing, he said, will be set by the publishers. “I expect most of the titles will be priced comparable to our WMA titles,” he added. “I have had discussions with publishers that are considering offering this format for library lending at a premium over the WMA version.”

And what if library users are tempted to take advantage of DRM-free files? “We are working to develop new messages and protocols on library download pages, as well as within OverDrive Media Console to remind users that all download titles, including MP3 titles, are subject to U.S. and international copyright laws,” OverDrive says in a letter to libraries. “These messages will include information on permissible uses and the specific rights patrons have to the download title during the lending period. Patrons will be prompted to delete and destroy any and all copies of the content at the end of the lending period and instructed that all download titles are for patrons’ personal, non-commercial use."

Added Potash, “If we’re going to support growth of the format, we need to keep everyone comfortable we’re creating a service that doesn’t promote unauthorized replication or distribution.”