Sound fictions, audio on demand and Audible: The definitive gateway to the market?

Juan Baixeras, Ana Ramírez, Marcel Ventura and Arantxa Zunzunegui, key names of the team Audible (Amazon) in Spain, analyze the phenomenon of sound fictions, a decided commitment by audio-on-demand platforms that seem to be the key to a market with great possibilities.

The term podcast It is becoming more and more limited given the spectacular growth it has had over the past five years. Once a symbol of everyone radio content prepared to listen how and when the user chose, today it throws a content constellation which could be sorted into dozens of categories based on, for example, their origin, format, duration, style, theme or technology. He audio on demand, therefore, begins to be defined as the term (perhaps less attractive, but more descriptive) that brings together all the options that this modality of information and entertainment can contribute.

Amazon Music, Audible, Cuonda, iVoox, Podimo, Podium Podcast, Sonora o Spotify are some of the audio-on-demand platforms that have decided to join this trend. Regardless of their nature (more editorial or community) or their resources (whether independent platforms or belonging to multinationals), they all have a shared certainty: the importance of creating original formats to connect with local market. In fact, these platforms added a total of 263 unpublished creations for Spain in 2022, providing the market with a total of 1,830 hours according to a study of Nebrija del Español Observatory.

One of the spearheads of this trend is Audible. With 37 titles released in 2022, Amazon's audio-on-demand platform is postulated as one of the most prominent names of the growing Spanish ecosystem through content such as audiobooks, original formats and, especially, sound fictions, formats that allow the listener to feel inside a story thanks to narration, actors, sound effects and soundtracks.

In this interview, Juan Baixaras (JB), country manager at Audible for Spain and Italy; Ana Ramírez Boix (AR), production manager en Audible; Marcel Ventura (MV), publisher relations director ES of Audible, and Arantxa Zunzunegui (AZ), mr. producer originals ES on Audible, confirm the importance for Audible with respect to sound fictions and make known the industrial and technological approach with which they face them.

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Audible in Spain

What assessment does Audible make of its presence in Spain so far?

(JB): The balance we make is very positive. Audible landed in Spain just two and a half years ago, specifically in October 2020. We arrived in Spain with a catalog of 7,000 titles that has been growing at an incredible speed without losing the quality and variety of the content we offer. Currently we have 14,700, 13% more than a year ago.

In terms of hours listened to, the growth has also been notable. Since its launch, Audible users have heard a total of 35 million hours since launch of the service, an exponential growth, taking into account that in just one year the percentage increase is 75% (in April 2022, users had listened to 20 million hours).

In what ways has Audible fought to strengthen a catalog of original content in Spanish (and from Spain)?

(JB): We are currently immersed in the development of new formats that have proven to be popular with listeners and that allow us to work with different members of the creative class. For several months now at Audible we have opted for the format of sound fictions, which have turned out to be a genre on the rise with a great reception from listeners. This format gives a twist to audiobook narrations, including sound effects, casts with multiple voices and soundtracks that manage to introduce the listener completely into the story and experience it in a different way. This is the case, for example, of some novels by Lorenzo Silva or by I will give you all this by Dolores Redondo, which have been presented in a sound fiction version, adding another life, this time in audio, to the paper and digital versions and even to the visual adaptations that have been made of them. In these productions, the joint work with the authors themselves gives the final result a Unprecedented quality and credibility.

We are also working on increasing our catalog in the country's co-official languages. For example, a few weeks ago we presented in Sant Jordi the expansion of our catalog in Catalan, which has grown 20% in just one year, and more developments in co-official languages ​​are yet to come in the coming months.

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Sound Fictions: door to a territory

Do you consider the commitment to originals essential in the consolidation of on-demand audio services in our country?

(JB): Of course. As I said, the audio industry is in full growth and with the appearance of different services bet on originals It is the best way to nurture your own quality offering. Furthermore, through the creation and production of these originals we promote the development of the sector and its professionals.

Audiobooks and the formats in which Audible works, such as sound fiction or audio series, offer new opportunities both creatively and professionally. They allow writers to reach new audiences thanks to a format that connects especially well with the digital generation, and to narrators, directors and sound studios, a new source of work. And to all of them, a new form of artistic expression.

What percentage does sound fiction occupy in your original production?

(MV): We started trying sound fictions of books existing just two years ago, thanks to the interest and complicity of Lorenzo Silva and Grupo Planeta, who were encouraged to let us play with Bevilacqua and Chamorro. Considering the resources and dedication that each project requires, this development of the genre has very little to do with volume and more to do with the opportunity to differentiate ourselves based on an artistic ambition that brings us closer to new users and allows us to give new life to literary works and innovate in formats. With Dolores Redondo and Lorenzo Silva as great banners, sound fictions based on existing books occupy a smaller percentage in our original production catalogue, but this it's just beginning. We have been working on new names for months that we cannot yet advance, but which promise to maintain the ambition.

How does the Audible target audience approach sound fictions? From curiosity? The expectation?

(MV): There is everything. Personally, I really like the radicality that we see among Audible users. There is an immense majority that expresses itself in comments like: “This is wonderful”, o “I finally entered the world of audio thanks to this”, but those who consider sound fiction to be the antithesis of an audiobook and prefer the version are no less amusing. unabridged (that is, narrated without any type of adaptation and, normally, with a single voice). I think everyone is right and it happens like with movies: a adaptation exercise is a creative unfolding which, if done well, should always illuminate a new experience. That's what we're trying to do: expand sound entertainment in every way possible.

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Building sound fiction with local partners

What elements identify Audible's sound fictions?

(AZ): Audible's sound fictions are identified by the robustness of two fundamental pillars: the creative and technical. On a creative level, both with our own fictions and with those of our creative partners, we are very demanding with the level of the scripts. We take care of both the story, the substance of what is explained, and the adaptation of that story to audio language, since an excellent script that does not take into account that the audience has to follow the story without images is of no use to us. That means taking creative decisions, as who carries the weight of the narration and what creative resources are going to be used to tell the story in a credible way, or how the dialogues are going to be adapted.

We are very strict with the technical standards that we demand when entering the studio to record and post-produce our sound fictions. We work with studios that have high-level technical professionals, infrastructure and technology.

On the other hand, and apart from the scriptwriters, we make Audible fictions grow by putting them together with a high-level creative team: producer, director, sound designer, casting, musicians, each of them contributing another layer of artistic quality to the final result of the production. The other fundamental element that defines Audible fiction is the technical quality of them. We are very strict with the technical standards that we demand when entering the studio to record and post-produce our sound fictions. We work with studios that have high-level technical professionals, infrastructure and technology.

What is Audible's policy when creating this type of fiction? Do the ideas come from outside? Are they from Audible's own team?

(MV): The truth is that until now the ideas start from a very essential desire: work with authors and books that are significant, both for those of us who work at Audible and for our users.

How do relationships with external sound fiction studios work? How many studios do you currently work with?

(AR): We have a network of studios and production companies who collaborate with us on a regular basis. The relationship with all of them is excellent, since they are a fundamental part of the team. The number of studios and production companies varies depending on the number of productions.

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Sound fiction: the process

Broadly speaking, what is the process of creating sound fiction?

(AZ): The starting point is to have a quality script. The process and time we dedicate to script development depends a lot on the type and complexity of the project. A fiction is not the same as three hours than one of eight, just as a fiction based on an existing work is not the same as one that is 100% original, or one that has the support of a narrator as one that dispenses with this figure. Broadly speaking, we could say that the development of sound fiction, with its bible, treatment and scripts, usually extends between 6 and 12 months, depending on many specific factors.

Sound fiction productions are very flexible, and They allow pre-production to overlap with pro- and post-production, for example advancing with the secondary recordings and or advancing with the sound design while the main cast has just been completed. What can prolong the longest production phase, where we already operate based on a production plan and a budget, is to close the main casting. In a sound fiction that more or less flows without major setbacks, production could last around 2 or 3 months.

Could you give us more details about what the technical production of your sound fictions is like?

(AR): At production phase runs parallel to the creative process so that the teams are always informed of the changes and creative decisions. Furthermore, since Audible We like to involve authors, especially in the case of literary adaptations. Another key piece is the director, who is in charge of maintaining the creative vision from start to finish. As for the process itself, once the casting was decided we began the recordings. In parallel, the technical script, work is done on the sound recording in which the director and the technician unify criteria on how each scene is going to sound, the work of editing, recording foleys, assembly and mixing which is the phase in which all the elements that make up the sound universe of fiction are combined. Voices, effects and music are processed.

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Keys to achieving top-level sound fiction

What are the critical technological issues to achieve good sound fiction production?

(AR): Having a good team is key. Surrounding yourself with the creative class (screenwriters, directors, sound technicians, designers, actors/actresses, production teams, studios) is essential and that is why we trust the best local specialists in the productions we develop. At a technological level we are committed to teams that are willing to investigate, experiment and even risk in a world where technology advances by leaps and bounds.

Audible is in the constant exploration of technical innovations that take our content to the next level and confirm us as a unique option in the Spanish audio panorama.

The steps to follow to carry out a sound fiction are many and, for this reason, we always count on the work and collaboration of top quality professionals and studios.

What is the standard quality control for an Audible audio fiction?

(AR): Audible's standards are of a high level. Our productions go through several filters at local and international level before being approved.

Immersive is a trend closely linked to the production of sound fictions. How important is immersive audio in Audible's sound fictions and what does it contribute?

(MV): Audible is constantly exploring technical innovations that take our content to the next level and confirm us as a unique option in the Spanish audio panorama. The sound binaural, or the 3D sound, are there to differentiate us, but nothing exists in isolation: without the creative community (from writers to screenwriters, to narrators and directors), technique is only the promise of a possibility.

Is Audible committed exclusively to Dolby Atmos or is it open to future standards that may emerge around sound entertainment?

(AR): We are open to all present and future technology that helps us offer the best productions to our listeners.

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The formula for success does not (yet) exist

Audible has been firmly betting on sound fiction for several years. What are the main learnings you have acquired during this time regarding production and user reception?

(AR): The main learning has been experiment, risk and break conventions. Never stop searching for the formula that turns a magnificent story into a fictional script suitable for audio. From the beginning we relied on directors, actors and actresses who were not necessarily familiar with the world of audio so that they have been able to contribute their particular vision and touch to this world that in a certain way still has that novel point. Audio offers infinite possibilities and we will continue to exploit its full potential.

He audio offers infinite possibilities and we will continue squeezing out all your potential.

What will be Audible's next steps in the field of sound fiction?

(MV): I really want to give you names, but I'm afraid we'll have to repeat this question in a few months. Yes, I can say that, in addition to continuing with Lorenzo Silva and Dolores Redondo, we are working with others two spanish writers that have been in the absolute Top 5 best sellers for at least five years. There will be a lot of news in that sense during 2023.

An interview by Sergio Julián Gómez