TitlePlayer: New Preloaded Audiobook Debuts
Raya Kuzyk -- Library Journal, 7/15/2008
- Playaway’s domain challenged by new entrant
- Unique features: FM transmitter and rechargeable battery
- Samples shipping shortly to consortia and library groups
Playaway, watch out—another preloaded, reusable audiobook has entered the library market, offering convenience to library users who don’t want to download a file to their own digital device. TitlePlayer, a tech and engineering company formed in 2005, originally manufactured and sold players to the music industry and publishers like Random House, who then distributed to consumers via big-box outlets including Borders and Barnes & Noble.
At the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference in Anaheim, CA, TitlePlayer announced it would begin licensing content, and, while continuing to serve the retail market, also would be offering libraries a MARC-compatible catalog of more than 500 titles on two different players.
The basic TitlePlayer Classic comes with one AAA battery, earbuds, and a USB connector. The TitlePlayer Ticket (pictured at left) is a sleeker, credit card–sized model that also offers an FM transmitter for listening to an audiobook on your car or home stereo.
Playaway, TitlePlayer Project Leader Christy Meyer pointed out to LJ, lacks either the Ticket model's built-in FM transmitter or its rechargeable (via an external USB cable) internal battery. For libraries, the cost per device, including title (if the title is short, several can be bundled onto one device) runs from $19.99 to $39.99 (Playaway starts, according to its web site, at $29.99).
Meyer told LJ that “we’ve had tons of interest and will be sending out samples to many consortiums and library groups in the coming weeks,” though she was not ready to name any clients. Asked why TitlePlayer decided to enter the library market, Executive Amir Geva told LJ : “In stores, people are used to buying CDs, but as a lending model, they aren’t as convenient to libraries. This was a move that made sense for us.”
Check LJ's 2008 ALA Annual Conference page for more ALA-related coverage
