Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Overdrive will be IPOD Compatible!!!!!

This is exciting news, Overdrive will soon make mp3s available for download on library sites.

Read below from Library Journal!

OverDrive Breaks the iPod Barrier for Downloadable Audio - 3/19/2008 - Library Journal: "
* 3000 titles will be available
* No DRM means compatibility with iPods, iPhones
* Libraries will remind patrons of copyright

For years, librarians and patrons have complained that the most popular digital audio player, the iPod, was incompatible with the Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, the format for library downloadable audio. OverDrive now says it will offer at least 3000 titles—about 15 percent of its catalog—in MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM), which means compatibility with nearly every MP3 player and mobile phone, including iPods. OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks will go on sale in May at Borders.com and should be available to libraries by the end of June, to be followed with the release of OverDrive Media Console for the Mac.

OverDrive CEO Steve Potash said the policy change emerged from demand in the library market, OverDrive’s track record, and “some recent moves in the audiobook retail market,” including an announcement by Random House that it would make its audiobook titles available without DRM in the MP3 format. While Random titles are limited to retail sales, Potash said OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks would be provided by at least a dozen publishers. “Each publisher is reviewing their entire audiobook list to confirm each title/author"
END SNIP

Constant complaints from libraries drove this. How many times have libraries said, this is great, downloadable stuff! Only for the patron to ask, does it work with Ipods....mmmm no. (No matter how many times I announced this, it was the first question EVERY TIME!)

The library gods smile down upon us so that now we will make something available that makes sense. Now if we can get overdrive to do the same for E-books.....

7 comments:

Emily Lloyd said...

Hallelujah! Alleluia! Hollaylooyah!

'Bout time.

jdscott50 said...

We should all say a prayer of thanks to St. Jerome, patron saint of libraries.

Next is e-books. If we can convince them to the same with e-books, libraries can truly provide the type of content for the next generation.

Anonymous said...

To Download E-books to a Mac, click on the software link for adobe e-books. Options for Macintosh come up. I have no trouble downloading and reading e-books from Overdrive on my intel Mac.

jdscott50 said...

So you can read them on your computer, but can you download an audiobook from the site and transfer it to your ipod?

That has been the big issue. I am glad you are enjoying reading adobe reader books on your mac.

Anonymous said...

In fairness to libraries here - it was Apple that did not want to cooperate and make their content available on Overdrive, not libraries just being petulant. Apple has been too concerned about their precious iTunes and their own digital rights management to reach out to libraries.

Glad to see they are coming around!

jdscott50 said...

True. The reality is that most companies think sharing is a bad word. However, that is exactly what libraries are intended to do, share information and provide access. Doing so in a content world that is already cripled by digital rights management is very, very tricky. This is a big step in the right direction.

Patrick said...

Apple can only offer what the rights holders will allow them to offer. The DRM they used was in place because the owners of the content demanded it.