“While e-books get the headlines, it is the audiobook market rather than the print book one that has truly been the real digitization story," Michael Norris, senior analyst at Simba Information. “The format has undergone a massive transformation in just a few short years.”

Another factor assisting the rapid change in format preferences has to do with the relationship consumers have with audio content. “Whether a consumer listens to an audiobook with a tape cassette player or through a digital photo frame, the user experience is pretty much the same since the content flows through wires either way,” said Norris. “When there aren’t a lot of consumers saying they love the feel of a CD in their hands there’s a big opening for a change in how the content is packaged and distributed, especially since the online world makes things noticeably easier for the consumer.”

The report also presents a comprehensive review of the audiobook market from Simba Information’s own intelligence and a compilation of national consumer data. The analysis shows trend information regarding the number of adults buying audiobooks, how many titles they buy, and presents key demographic characteristics of the buyers, including age, ethnicity, gender, geographic region, occupation type, household income, and more. Tables depict the characteristics of audio buyers, traditional book buyers, and the general population.

In addition, Audiobook Intelligence Briefing 2010 contains psychographic data on audiobook buyers which uncovers their thoughts, tendencies, media habits, Internet habits, shopping behaviors and technology influences as compared to book buyers and the general population, providing a definitive picture of the buyers audiobook publishers and retailers should be targeting.

To learn more about the audiobook market and its buyers order your copy today.

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