MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Amazon Caves on Text-To-Speech

Halk · 03-03-2009, 04:38 PM

An Audiobook is an entirely different thing to TTS.

Perhaps in 5 or 10 years time TTS will be bearable. But at that point we're just paying for the TTS software and the media to "read". Currently we pay a premium for Audio Books because it's a niche market, and it requires a voice actor. The cost of the voice actor needs to be split between far fewer consumers than the formatting for the paperback edition.

I suspect many people who pay for Audio Books do so not because it's read by a voice actor, but because it's much more bearable than TTS, and when it comes to the point where TTS is of good enough quality then many people won't want the voice actor.

So the Author's Guild is trying to protect an unwanted product, so they can profit from it.

It's very much the same as hardback books. Sure some people want a hardback, but many people just buy them because they're willing to pay the extra rather than wait on the paperback. I know any hardbacks I've bought have been because I really wanted to read the book right now. However at least with hardbacks people can wait.

I very much hope this blows up in the Author's Guild's faces. This is pure and simple greed.

I am not condoning people breaching copyright, however I have utterly no sympathy for the Author's Guild if it leads to widespread piracy, because they've artificially created demand for DRM-removal.

I hope any Author's who read these forums, and are represented by the Author's Guild voice their concern over these actions.

Good business is built on selling people the product they want, in the format they want, at a price that suits consumers and producers. It is not built on forcing a more profitable format down consumers throats just because they can.

03-03-2009, 04:38 PM	#72
Halk Fanatic Posts: 538 Karma: 469999 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Sony PRS-650 (PRS+ alpha - thanks Kartu!)	An Audiobook is an entirely different thing to TTS. Perhaps in 5 or 10 years time TTS will be bearable. But at that point we're just paying for the TTS software and the media to "read". Currently we pay a premium for Audio Books because it's a niche market, and it requires a voice actor. The cost of the voice actor needs to be split between far fewer consumers than the formatting for the paperback edition. I suspect many people who pay for Audio Books do so not because it's read by a voice actor, but because it's much more bearable than TTS, and when it comes to the point where TTS is of good enough quality then many people won't want the voice actor. So the Author's Guild is trying to protect an unwanted product, so they can profit from it. It's very much the same as hardback books. Sure some people want a hardback, but many people just buy them because they're willing to pay the extra rather than wait on the paperback. I know any hardbacks I've bought have been because I really wanted to read the book right now. However at least with hardbacks people can wait. I very much hope this blows up in the Author's Guild's faces. This is pure and simple greed. I am not condoning people breaching copyright, however I have utterly no sympathy for the Author's Guild if it leads to widespread piracy, because they've artificially created demand for DRM-removal. I hope any Author's who read these forums, and are represented by the Author's Guild voice their concern over these actions. Good business is built on selling people the product they want, in the format they want, at a price that suits consumers and producers. It is not built on forcing a more profitable format down consumers throats just because they can.