http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/ Engadget Comments for The Engadget Interview: Paul Aiken, Executive Director of the Authors Guild http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
I've always hated Audiobooks, they seem to me to be a way for people who ordinarily don't have the patience to sit down with a good book to appear like they read.

Even when I was a kid, I used to ditch those stupid 'when you hear the chime, turn the page' tapes, and just read the goddamned book!]]>Feb 27th 2009 12:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/When I read an interesting book, my mind is elsewhere and I'm not very aware of on my surroundings. If an audiobook can do the same, than it's just as dangerous as talking on a cell phone while you drive. Your brain isn't dual core, you can only give your full attention to one task at a time.]]>Feb 27th 2009 12:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
@CJ: Your phrasing sounds like you'd rather maintain your elitism attained by reading books than have them be more accessible to other people. We get it, you read books, you're a freaking genius.]]>Feb 27th 2009 1:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 2:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
The stance of the Authors Guild is worrying as they seem to be saying that people with disabilities that require screen readers or similar shouldn't be allowed to access their content.]]>Feb 27th 2009 2:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
Appreciation of classical music requires active listening. People do listen to it in a passive context all the time, but that's not the same type of listening.

Audiobooks, I've noticed, does require a significant amount of concentration, nearly as much as talking on the cell phone. The only difference is you can switch to passive listening (tuning out) occasionally and fill in the blanks later, while with the phone, you need to hear the entire thing to formulate an appropriate response.

It is definitely more active listening than passive listening, but maybe not as dangerous as talking on the phone.]]>Feb 27th 2009 2:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 2:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 4:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
The point is not content but quality. A professional audio book has voice actors in a studio. They also go through great lengths to "act" the parts. They personalize each character with their voice and set the proper tone. Tom. Does none of this. They are not comparable in the amount of prep and quality of the performance. It would be like seeing Cats on broadway and then paying a license fee to see 5th graders recreate it at your local highschool.

As long as these companies continue to keep slathering these devices with all sorts of DRM.. people are going to shy away..

Now will text to speech work on an unlicensed file? such as my own personal writing or do I have to DRM it and then license it to myself?]]>Feb 28th 2009 9:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 28th 2009 11:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 28th 2009 11:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
Seriously, I hope these nimrods sue Amazon and get made fools of. Of course, that requires an intelligent Judge and Jury, so Amazon would probably get screwed.]]>Feb 27th 2009 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
I think the point is that Amazon is reaping genuine benefits from selling what, at the end of the day, is an audio version of the book that AMAZON hasn't paid the authors for, and the authors want their cut. I can't say I hold that against them.]]>Feb 27th 2009 1:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
They don't seem to be seeking damages. They seem to want to limit the rights to the content to what was explicitly spelled out in contract.]]>Feb 27th 2009 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
This is just ANOTHER case of an industries obsolescence due to tech. why cant these fools just evolve and offer something new, rather than trying to sue their way into a living.

What happened to this nation of innovators? I'm so tired of laziness, if audiobooks want to offer something more, dramatize them, hire voice actors, add sound effects. MAKE it WORTH buying. because text to voice is just going to get better and better, so you're "storyteller" approach is due to die soon.]]>Feb 27th 2009 1:36PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/A. Nothing more than a computer designed with the display of eBooks as its main function.

Q.What is a PC?
A. Nothing more than a computer designed with the general functionality afforded by any loaded software.

So are we now saying that just because the main/intended use of the computer is for displaying an eBook, the eBook text has magically transformed into a hybrid electronic/audio book? What if I were to design a program for general use PCs that is designed to display an eBook and provided an easy interface for built-in text-to-speech? Are they going to then complain that all eBooks need to have this audio option enabled through a micropayment?

It is sad this guy is so afraid of technology. His quote, "We don't want to fight it, we want it to be licensed." just shows his ineptitude in understanding how to leverage emerging technologies. He is falling into the same trap that the music industry is in. They want things to remain the same and squeeze every last penny out of what they currently have instead of actively seeking new revenue streams.

I could sit here all day and burn holes in this guy's arguments, but I have to get back to work.
]]>Feb 27th 2009 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
So, in the end, I would be creating a visual representation of a book automatically. But what happens if that rivals existing artwork? What happens when it evolves to include digitally created actors acting out scenes in greater and greater detail? Do movie companies want to sue me because I made something that can create a movie out of words that is functionally similar but quite different? Will artists sue me?

What if it was a robot that paints these images? Or act them out?

I would think the thing to worry about, in the end, is the obsolescence of people. Will we throw away technology to reach this goal or find ways to turn it into 'markets' and obfusciate what it really is?

The ultimate problem is that the Kindle is the target because it is popular. But in a few years any and every device will have text to speech capabilities as things trickle down. It always happens. And at that point you've lost the war unless you want to sue every manufacturer of PMPs or other media devices.]]>Feb 27th 2009 2:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 2:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 7:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 28th 2009 11:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 28th 2009 1:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 28th 2009 2:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 1:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
What about a possible technology where a robot could read a paperback out loud? Would they then want an additional license fee for that? And how would you measure that.

Even if the Kindle voice was just as good as James Earl Jones, it's still a robot reading to me, which should not be an additional license. I've said it in these comments before, the reason an audio book should cost more is that there was an actual performance by a voice artist or an actor. As such there are fees that have to be paid for the initial performance and the residuals. There's no fee to pay an actor for the Kindle voice, unless of course the Kindle voice is licensed FROM James Earl Jones and then that's a different thing. But still nothing that has to do with some writer's union.

FAIR RIGHTS FOR ROBOT READERS!!!]]>Feb 27th 2009 3:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
This is EXACTLY the same fight that is currently happening with the RIAA and MPAA - the desire to control every possible way you consume media that YOU PURCHASED, and charge you for every version. I mean, doesn't this sound a whole lot like the battle over using MP3s as ringtones? Or ripping CDs to put on your iPod? Or ripping DVDs to put on your mobile player / laptop? Or any other battle where an old industry is trying to arbitrarily profit over something that can be done easily and freely done with technology? First they try and monetize it (just pay us more for something you can already do for free), then they fight it legally (you're stealing from artists!!!), then they accept it (sometimes).

*Buggy whip: a common example of an ancillary industry that dried up as a result of new technology affecting the primary market - the manufacturers of whips used to drive buggies and horse-teams almost completely evaporated as a result of the car replacing the horse as a major method of transportation.]]>Feb 27th 2009 5:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
Paul Aiken is attempting to explain the contractual, copyright, and business reasoning behind the Authors Guild position; aspects of which are clearly explained and delineated, and aspects of which are not. In response, Nilay brings up questions such as the right of individuals reading books aloud and to their children, or the Authors Guild harboring a desire to fight new technology and new markets. I'm not sure why Nilay, of all Engadget writers, is having difficulty with a company or organization that wants to protect copyright, that has issues with contractual obligations, that wants appropriate compensation when work is employed in another manner which was not originally envisioned or accounted for by either their model or their contract, and is not looking to fight Amazon or destroy a potential burgeoning market, but desires appropriate protection and payment of authors work in that new medium. I'm not trying to make arguments for the Authors Guild, or Amazon, and frankly I believe that an open discussion between the different parties which is honest and forward-looking is probably healthy at this point.

That said, I've seen a number of Engadget readers talk about what they 'want' and 'demand'... fine, they can want and demand all they like, after all that is a basic tenet of being a consumer. HOWEVER, there are often legal and business considerations that go beyond, or perhaps come between, a product or service and what the consumer wants or needs. It's not to say that the consumer has no rights, or that their desires are without merit, but discussing (not suggesting that Nilay is) an issue like this primarily in terms of "I want X", or "I demand Y" is not really appropriate or germane -- unless you're a 14 yr old.

My two cents,
Fraggle]]>Feb 27th 2009 6:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 3:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
Now if the Kindle saved these text-to-speech performances as files that could be accessed later, THEN he would have a point. But from what I know, it doesn't do that. So right now a Kindle translation would be a private performance.]]>Feb 27th 2009 12:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
There's quite a few business flaws in his argument, but that's the giant gaping hole in his legal argument.]]>Feb 27th 2009 2:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
I would understand if it was their desire to protect their IP, but the simple fact is that they are trying to create new revenue where there is currently no market. They've chosen the wrong device for their target because the device they really need to go after doesn't exist yet. They should certainly keep in mind licensing for devices whose primary (or even secondary) purpose is to create from plain text an audio representation that rivals traditional audio books, but they're jumping the gun.

If they really want to grow their market in this area they would offer for purchase a modified version of the book that sounds better when read by text-to-speech software. They could modify punctuation and spelling of words so that the output is closer to the author's intent. That would actually provide some value.

I can already see where this is headed...they'll incorporate DRM for text-to-speech so that you have to check that box during checkout and pay the extra. I think they may be surprised just how few people would check that box, though.

]]>Feb 27th 2009 2:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 3:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
The device they really should be going after does not yet exist - but if they wait until such a device comes out, there may be an over-saturation of devices similar to the Kindle, which would have precident leaning away from the authors. By going after the Kindle now, they are trying to block any "revenue stealing" by any future device.

They seem to not care whether you "check that box": or not. They just would like to have some control over their work. Amazon did not write the books, and ultimately should not control in what fomat they appear. The authors are the ones who spent months or years creating these works, and they should have some say in how these works are handled.

Now, I'm not saying that they are in the right, nor am I saying that Amazon is. I think this is a very gray area of copyright law since a device for this purpose and capabilities has not existed yet. I think both parties need to sit down and talk about this and work something out, otherwise there may be no ebooks for anyone to purchase (not likely, but still possible).]]>Feb 27th 2009 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
Same goes for these ebooks. The Kindle is an amazing device and just because they added a mediocre text to speech feature people shit bricks. If I wanted to actually hear an audiobook I would want it done by the author considering the emphasize he can use and how much more of an experience it would be then a computerized voice that takes the words you bought and says them. ]]>Feb 27th 2009 12:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
And who are the people on this blog who are constantly talking about how ABC company isn't interested in the consumer's interests... No shit!!! What do you people do for a living? Businesses are only interested in pleasing consumers to the point that they can retain their business. That's how business works. If a company does a really good job of pleasing the consumers, they'll get a lot of business (Apple) but they're not pleasing the consumers for the consumer's benefit, they're pleasing them for their own benefit.

Engadget comments are usually almost entirely consumer-interest minded. The fact that there are a significant number of people seeing the Author's Guild's point on this, indicates that they're going to win this one.]]>Feb 27th 2009 7:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/
Oh yeah - blind people also listen to audio books, but I don't think they'll really be abusing Kindle's text-to-speech ability.]]>Feb 27th 2009 12:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 1:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 2:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 3:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/the-engadget-interview-paul-aiken-executive-director-of-the-au/Feb 27th 2009 12:54PM