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This app and service lets you listen to many news stories read by professional actors and audiobook narrators. (self.Blind)
submitted by rkingett
Below is a link that tells you about the service, and app, A, U, D, M. It is an app that lets you listen to featured stories by publications like Wired, Buzzfeed, and many more, with more publications to come.
All are read by professional actors and professional audiobook narrators. I did the free trial and the reading quality is the best I heard. They have no narrators with vocal fry or anything like that.
VO support is not complete but the app is not hard to learn. at all. VO support is in the works but the developers have no idea when they will get around to it. It is a priority though, they tell me. It seems like they are fully aware of the unlabeled buttons though.
Their soundcloud page has samples.
https://www.audm.com/
All are read by professional actors and professional audiobook narrators. I did the free trial and the reading quality is the best I heard. They have no narrators with vocal fry or anything like that.
VO support is not complete but the app is not hard to learn. at all. VO support is in the works but the developers have no idea when they will get around to it. It is a priority though, they tell me. It seems like they are fully aware of the unlabeled buttons though.
Their soundcloud page has samples.
https://www.audm.com/
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
This has been done dozens of times. Remember Umano? I really don't see the business model here. Either they're losing money, or they're seriously underpaying the voice talent. Before I give them any money at all, I'd want to know that they're paying the union rate (currently $210 per finished hour). And if they are, either they won't be around long, or the subscription must be like $30 a month.
edit to add: What do the journalists who originally wrote the article get? In the case of an audiobook, the author still gets a cut of audiobook sales. I'm not sure why it should be any different in the case of long-form journalism.
edit to add: What do the journalists who originally wrote the article get? In the case of an audiobook, the author still gets a cut of audiobook sales. I'm not sure why it should be any different in the case of long-form journalism.
rkingett [OP] 2 points 6y ago
I tried asking that question because their subscription is $7 a month which tells me they pay below union rate. I also highly doubt the journalists get anything, but, again, nobody answered my questions.
Usually I get audio magazines from my national library, but if you know a better service let me know. Sighted people really seem to like this though so it will stay around for a while.
Usually I get audio magazines from my national library, but if you know a better service let me know. Sighted people really seem to like this though so it will stay around for a while.
fastfinge 1 points 6y ago
I do the same for magazines. Our national library actually just produces them in daisy text format, on the theory that human readers should be reserved for more long-lasting things like books; nobody is going to listen to the July issue of national geographic in three years.
And sure, most of these apps last a year or two before going under. Once they get large enough, newspapers will rightfully begin taking them to court for copyright violation. And people like SAG-AFTRA will come after them too.
In about 15 years, at the speed text to speech is improving, this won't be an issue though. Voice Actors will still be a thing for fiction audiobooks and cartoons, but I suspect all our nonfiction reading will be done by text to speech, and we'll hardly be able to tell the difference.
And sure, most of these apps last a year or two before going under. Once they get large enough, newspapers will rightfully begin taking them to court for copyright violation. And people like SAG-AFTRA will come after them too.
In about 15 years, at the speed text to speech is improving, this won't be an issue though. Voice Actors will still be a thing for fiction audiobooks and cartoons, but I suspect all our nonfiction reading will be done by text to speech, and we'll hardly be able to tell the difference.
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