Audio continues to rise: Frankfurt Audio
Dedicated audio area at Frankfurter Buchmesse / Spotify part of the trade programme / Networking for audio and publishing professionals
Audio is one of the steadily growing segments of the publishing industry. With a dedicated audio area, a live podcast from the fair and event highlights for audio professionals and audiobook and podcast fans, Frankfurter Buchmesse (19-23 October 2022) shines a spotlight on audio content.
Frankfurt Audio area in Hall 3.1
250 square metres of audiobooks, podcasts, audio software and services: The Frankfurt Audio area in Hall 3.1 will highlight the spoken word. International players such as Spotify, Zebralution, Beat Technology, Bookwire, Pozotron, I-Contact, Saga Egmont and Blackstone Publishing Audio will have their own stands or workstations in the area. More than 20 German-speaking exhibitors will be present at the IG Hörbuch collective stand.
Trade programme: insights and discussions with Spotify and other international players
Thursday, 20 October 2022, is the day of the fair audio experts and those interested in audio publishing should not miss. In the Frankfurt Studio, Spotify’s Nir Zicherman will talk about the company’s vision behind its brand-new audiobook division. In the Publishing Perspectives Forum, Bookwire’s Jens Klingelhöfer, Nathan Hull from Beat Technology and Sharon Baiden from AkooBooks Audio will discuss the latest developments in audio publishing’s retail landscape and share regional expertise and perspectives from different audio markets.
Spotify’s new world of audiobooks
Thursday, 20 October 2022, 4.00-5.00 pm, Frankfurt Studio (Hall 4.0, Room Europa)
Spotify has begun offering, for the first time, a true audiobook listening experience to its user base of music and podcast fans – and while it’s early days, the company has a vision to substantially grow and reinvent the audiobook space as it did with music and podcasting. VP & Head of Audiobooks, Nir Zicherman, will discuss that vision and the power that Spotify’s approach can bring to authors and publishers, now and in the future.
The audiobook retail evolution
Thursday, 20 October 2022, 12.00-12.45 pm, Publishing Perspectives Forum (Congress Center, Room Spektrum)
The audio retail landscape is increasingly complex and competitive, with evolving business models and more sales platforms. What do publishers need to know to make sure their audiobooks reach consumers? And how is audiobook retail evolving in different global markets? Speakers: Sharon Baiden (Product and Marketing Manager, AkooBooks Audio, United Kingdom), Nathan Hull (Chief Strategy Officer, Beat Technology, United Kingdom), Jens Klingelhöfer (CEO and Co-Founder, Bookwire, Germany), Moderator: Hannah Johnson (Publisher, Publishing Perspectives, United States).
All events can be found in the Frankfurter Buchmesse app and in the Online Calendar of Events: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/visit/calendar-events(opens in a new window)
Networking opportunities
Exhibitors and trade visitors who want to network with audio experts are invited to join the Happy Hours on Thursday – in the foyer of Hall 4.0 and at the German IG Hörbuch collective stand (both on 20 October 2022, from 5.00 pm onwards). New this year is a special service for exhibitors and trade visitors: as the book fair’s audio ambassador, Matthäus Cygan, consultant for media and audio publishing, will be networking interested parties with audio companies at the audiobook collective stand (Hall 3.1 K 61) from Wednesday to Friday (19-21 October 2022).
detektor.fm: live podcast from the fairgrounds
Podcast radio station detektor.fm is Frankfurter Buchmesse’s official podcast partner. The studio stage in THE ARTS+ area (Hall 4.0 G 59) will welcome over 50 authors and speakers during the book fair week. The majority of conversations on stage will be in German. However, some events, such as the conversation on fake news and disinformation with Muhammad Radwan from The Glass Room project (Friday, 21 October 6.00 pm) will be in English. detektor.fm will broadcast live from Frankfurter Buchmesse on each day of the fair; afterwards, the conversations will be accessible through the N99 podcast on the detektor.fm app and at https://detektor.fm/serien/n99(opens in a new window). The podcast can also be found on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Podcasts and everywhere where podcasts are available. To the programme overview: https://detektor.fm/serien/n99(opens in a new window)
For more information about Frankfurt Audio please visit www.buchmesse.de/audio(opens in a new window)
Are you planning to attend Frankfurter Buchmesse 2022?
Apply now for press accreditation online before Friday, 14 October 2022 via My Book Fair: https://services.buchmesse.de/login(opens in a new window)
Press accreditation cannot be provided on-site.