Overdrive Changes!!! Audio Fans – Please Read!
Great News from OverDrive – and some sad news from Overdrive!
We are excited to announce a new listening option for audiobooks that’s coming on Tuesday, May 19, called OverDrive Listen. Similar to OverDrive Read for eBooks, OverDrive Listen offers the same ease of use; simply browse, borrow, and listen right in your browser with a single click. There are no downloads or software required; all you need is a compatible web browser.
Using OverDrive Listen, you can add bookmarks, take notes, or make highlights. On May 19, this additional listening option will be automatically added to MP3 audiobooks in your digital collection (where publisher permits) at no additional cost. There is no action required on your part.
We look forward to offering this new listening option for your users. If you have any questions, please contact your OverDrive Account Specialist.
Along with that change, however, is the loss of WMA formatted audios. Please read:
To summarize, OverDrive has been working toward the goal of eliminating the WMA audiobook format for some time now, and they’ve convinced many publishers to provide OverDrive with MP3 versions of their titles. This is important because MP3 format is easier to download and works on devices that couldn’t handle WMA audiobooks. (Reminder: WMA audiobooks always had to be downloaded to a Windows computer first, and then transferred to a device. They couldn’t be downloaded to a Mac, and often couldn’t be transferred to Apple iPods, iPads, or iPhones due to publisher restrictions.
MP3 audiobooks, on the other hand, can be downloaded to Mac or Windows computers, transferred to MP3 players, or, using the OverDrive app, they can be directly downloaded to most smart phones and tablets.)
Unfortunately, not all publishers have agreed to provide their content in MP3 format. This means that some audiobook titles that are only available in WMA format will be removed from the OverDrive service beginning tomorrow morning (Tuesday, May 19). Because of this, we will be losing approximately 1,100 titles from out collection, including all or most audiobooks by the following popular authors: Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb, Lee Child, Greg Iles, Dean Koontz (25 of 47), John Lescroart, Jennifer Crusie, John Green, Kristin Hannah, Debbie Macomber, Sandra Brown, Fern Michaels, Iris Johansen, Mary Balogh, Linda Howard, Karen Robards, and Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick. Note that we still own over 7,000 audiobook titles that are available in MP3 format.