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Booktrack

Booktrack
Booktrack Logo v2.png
Operating systemiOS (iPod/iPhone) , Android , Windows
Available inEnglish
Websitewww.booktrack.com

Booktrack is the creator of the eponymous ereader technology that mixes music, sound effects, and ambient sound to provide an immersive multimedia reading experience. The company was founded and maintains offices in Auckland, New Zealand and is headquartered in New York City, New York. The company is privately funded by a wide range of investors including Peter Thiel, founder and former CEO of PayPal, and Mark D'Arcy, Director of Global Creative Solutions at Facebook.[1]

Contents

Origin

The idea for Booktrack arose in 2008 when co-founder Mark Cameron regularly commuted by ferry in Auckland, New Zealand. He realized that as he read, a song would regularly come up on his music player that would complement the passage, with a bright song serendipitously accompanying a lighthearted passage. As he looked around the ferry at other commuters who were also simultaneously reading and listening to music, he realized the potential for a company that would replicate this experience meld sound with text to provide an immersive reading environment. He reached out to his brother, Paul, and they spent three years building the technology before launching the site in August, 2011.[2]

Product

The proprietary and patented technology behind Booktrack works by determining the speed at which any given reader is expected to progress through every word of a given text, and then matching music, sound effects, and ambient sound to every word. Using advanced algorithms, the audio is matched to readers' speed to provide a seamless and immersive environment in which readers experience the book. Music, sound effect, and ambient audio tracks are recorded separately, allowing readers to set their own preferences.[3]

Booktracks incorporate both original and licensed music from a wide range of sources. To date, Booktracks have included original music composed by acclaimed sound artist Stephen Gallagher performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, as well as music licensed from Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Many authors work in conjunction with the composers to develop appropriate music for their books.

At launch, Booktracks were available for download through the Apple App Store. The company has said that it plans to develop versions for Android phones, PCs and Macs, as well as for other ereader platforms.

Booktrack Editions

The first Booktrack download was a version of The Power of Six, the second book in the Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore and the sequel to I Am Number Four. The book was released in conjunction with HarperCollins and James Frey's transmedia publishing company, Full Fathom Five.[4] The Booktrack edition of The Power of Six includes more than 70 originally scored compositions and was produced under the direction of John Neill, the head of sound at Park Road Post, and includes contributions by award-winning composer and sound editor Stephen Gallagher.[5][6]

At launch, the company also provided a Booktrack edition of Sherlock Holmes' The Adventure of the Speckled Band. Since then, the company has published editions of Salman Rushdie's short story In the South and classics including Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, The Ugly Duckling, The Selfish Giant, Hansel and Gretel, Peter Pan, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.[7] The company is developing more Booktrack editions of both new and classic books, and has deals to publish upcoming short stories by Sam Lipsyte and Jay McInerney.[8]

Reception

At its launch, Booktrack was met with a great wave of interest, with articles written about it in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Mashable, Business Insider, the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian among others.[9] The Times called Booktrack "An Advance in electronic publishing" while The Huffington Post said it was "Revolutionary", TechCrunch called it "An effort to create a whole new genre of e-books," and The Atlantic asked whether it might be "the future of reading."[10][11][12][13]

While many praised the idea, several people criticized it as a bad idea that was counter to the entire purpose of a reading experience.[14]

After it was featured by Apple, the app took off in the iTunes Store, breaking into the top 100 free apps overall by downloads within two weeks of its launch.[15][16]

Notes

  1. ^ "Booktrack About". Booktrack.com. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  2. ^ Mace, William (8-26-11). "Kiwis launch 'world-first' e-book app". NZ Stuff. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  3. ^ "YouTube". What is Booktrack. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  4. ^ "Booktrack.com Blog". NEW EBOOK GENRE BACKED BY MAJOR NAMES IN PUBLISHING, LITERATURE, MUSIC AND TECHNOLOGY. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  5. ^ "Radio New Zealand Sunday Arts". Book Track. 
  6. ^ Gallagher, Stephen. "StephenGallagher.Co.NZ". The Power Of Six /Booktrack. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  7. ^ "iTunes App Store". iTunes App Store "Booktrack". 
  8. ^ "Now read on e-books with sound effects, songs". Times of India. 8-30-11. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  9. ^ "Booktrack Press". Booktrack.com Press. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  10. ^ Mansey, Kate (8-28-11). "Can you Turn Down that Book Please?". The Sunday Times of London. 
  11. ^ "Booktrack Adds A Soundtrack To The Books You Read". The Huffington Post. 
  12. ^ Wauters, Robin. "Fad Or Future? Booktrack Adds Music, Sound Effects To E-Books; Peter Thiel Invests". TechCrunch. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  13. ^ Morais, Betsy. "Books With Soundtracks: The Future of Reading?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 8-31-2011. 
  14. ^ Carr, Paul. "Booktrack: Just A Horrible Idea. Really Horrible". TechCrunch. Retrieved 9-5-11. 
  15. ^ "Booktrack Twitter". @Booktrk Twitter. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
  16. ^ "Booktrack Twitter". @Booktrk Twitter. Retrieved 10-28-11. 
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