2024: Highlights from a Big Year at Audible

Throughout 2024, Audible created award-winning content globally, launched a campaign that sparked the world’s imaginations, continued to empower emerging and well-known creators everywhere, used cutting-edge technology to connect customers with their best listens, and much more. In short, we’ve been busy creating the audio storytelling and powerful experiences our listeners love. These are just a few of the top highlights from this year.

The World Imagined More With Us

Creative from Audible’s global brand campaign, “There’s more to imagine when you listen.”

In June, we launched our first truly global brand campaign, “There’s more to imagine when you listen,” bringing Audible’s brand promise to life in several memorable ways. The world saw TV commercials from acclaimed director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, augmented reality activations on urban billboards and screens, and got to witness a massive influencer campaign on social media that even culminated in a love triangle. Several Audible hubs worldwide integrated the campaign into our annual summer parties, with immersive experiences and interactive games for employees, all built around the theme of imagination.

We Made a 1984 that’s “Doubleplusgood”

Actors in the studio performing the Audible Original “1984.” From L to R: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott.

“Gripping” and “star-studded,” said The Washington Post. “A revolution in audiobooks is bringing the biggest names to the studio,” reported The Times UK. Named among Audiofile’s Best Audiobooks of 2024, the Audible Original George Orwell’s 1984 featured an all-star cast including Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, and Tom Hardy as the voice of Big Brother. Directed by BAFTA Award winner Destiny Ekaragha and dramatized by Olivier Award-nominated writer Joe White, with an original score composed by Muse's lead singer and songwriter Matthew Bellamy and Ilan Eshkeri, we released 1984 on April 4, 2024—exactly 40 years after the date of main character Winston’s first diary entry.

We Wondered at the Power of Stevie

Janelle Monáe performs at an event for the Audible Original “The Wonder of Stevie” at CultureCon.

During CultureCon’s celebration of Black creators, we held a star-studded event for the Audible Original podcast, The Wonder of Stevie, which we co-produced with Higher Ground, President Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company. More than 200 lucky attendees were treated to a big surprise as Michelle Obama gave remarks hailing The Wonder of Stevie as “one of the best podcasts you will ever listen to.” The crowd was also treated to performances from some of the podcast’s many glittering guests, Janelle Monáe, DJ Spinna, and Questlove, who also co-produced. The title joined a slate of Audible Originals from Black authors, performers, thinkers and paradigm-shifters, as part of our “Listen. Black. 365.” campaign that spotlights Black creators all year long.

George Clinton has the Funk—and a Grammy Nomination

Britt McCombs, Audible’s Executive Producer: Pop Culture and Memoir, with funk legend George Clinton.

We got a Grammy Award nomination! In …And Your Ass Will Follow, funk legend George Clinton recounts his journey from growing up in Audible’s hometown of Newark, New Jersey, where he delivered milk to Sarah Vaughan, to founding the bands Parliament and Funkadelic and defining an entire genre of music. This is the third Grammy nomination for a title exclusive to Audible (we were nominated in 2016 for Isabel Miller’s Patience and Sarah, narrated by Janis Ian and Jean Smart, and won in 2013 for Janis Ian’s memoir, Society’s Child) but the first nomination for an Audible Original.

We Made it Easier to Find a One-in-a-Million Listen

The only thing better than having one million listens to choose from is having a personal expert who can quickly help you find the right one for that moment. In spring, we launched Maven, the first AI-powered search for audiobooks that responds to natural language used in everyday, conversational speech. Our editorial team used their knowledge of our catalog and customers to help our product and tech teams train Maven to understand very specific criteria, like “uplifting fiction novel with a female protagonist.” Customers can also rely on auto-generated summaries of reviews based on what resonates most with listeners, such as “profound lessons” or “perfect voice.” And our Preferences feature matches new customers with a compilation of authors, podcasts, and audiobook genres they might like based on their selected interests. In addition to leveraging new technologies to empower customers to find listens they love, we're testing ways to expand our catalog to serve authors, including using advanced voice technology to enable them to create content they might otherwise not be able to.

Happy Anniversary, Mates and Freunde!

This year, we celebrated 10 years of Audible’s service for Australia and 20 years of our service for Germany. We launched our service for Australia in 2014, and in 2019, we launched a local Audible Originals program, investing in and amplifying diverse Australian voices and stories. To date, we’ve released 135 Australian Audible Originals, which have collectively been celebrated with 35 prestigious local and international awards garnered from 70 award nominations. Our Australian catalog now includes more than 800,000 titles, and our editors have selected the best 100 listens of the past decade. And since our service for Germany launched in 2004, we’ve played a significant role in shaping the audio landscape there while investing in the creative economy, including growing an international audience for German creators like bestselling author Sebastian Fitzek and working with more than 1,500 German actors to produce Audible Originals, such as Marvel’s Wastelanders, which wrapped its sixth and final season with a table read by the A-list cast. Our catalog of German listens has grown to more than 900,000 titles, and we’ve collected the country’s favorites from the last 20 years here.

Brazil Said “Bem-vindo” to Audible Originals

Members of the Audible team with Brazilian talent at the launch of Audible Originals for Brazil.

We celebrated Brazil’s first year of service and reached a major milestone with the launch of our inaugural slate of Audible Originals for Brazilian listeners. Working closely with local creators, we produced nine new titles spanning genres including entertainment, history, education and journalistic investigation, all with a uniquely Brazilian flavor, highly engaging narratives and rich sound effects. Prominent Brazil talent lent their voices to the slate, such as Alice Braga, Cláudia Abreu, Eduardo Moscovis, Daiara Tukano, Debora Lamm, Jorge Lucas, Lázaro Ramos, Paola Carosella, Patrícia Hargreaves, Rafa Brites, with more Originals launching monthly. To further bolster the local creative economy, Audible’s service for Brazillian listeners announced the initiative, “Pitching: Audible Original,” which will provide an opportunity for writers, screenwriters and other creative professionals to work with us to produce an Audible Original.

We Made an Art of Neighborhood Investment

Artist Eirini Linardaki with her installation, “Beyond the Muse: The Frieze of All Women,” for the Newark Artist Collaboration. Photo credit: Rachel Alban.

We welcomed dynamic new companies into Audible’s multi-award-winning Business Attraction Program, which offers grants and other incentives for companies to relocate or expand within our hometown of Newark, New Jersey, as part of the city’s burgeoning innovation ecosystem. Launched in 2023, the program aims to spur inclusive economic development and increase opportunities for growing businesses, such as those with founders of color and female founders, who might not otherwise access critical resources like financial support and executive mentorship. Newark also enjoyed a new series of large-scale public works by local artists as part of the Newark Artist Collaboration (NAC). Launched in 2021, the NAC has invested heavily in local artists, turning the streets of Audible’s downtown Newark neighborhood into a vibrant and inspiring space. Audible has created similar artist collaborations in Berlin and the UK, continuing to support local artists and encourage investment in the global creative economy.

Nothing but Pride for Emerging Creators

Podcasters William Sinclair Moore and Paige Gilbert at NYC Pride this year with the Audible Pride bus.

Our Podcast Development Program produced its first Audible Original, Sage the House Down: A Healing Pod, which explores healing and spiritual practices from the perspective of those not often represented in the wellness space. Sage’s charismatic creators and hosts, longtime friends William Sinclair Moore and Paige Gilbert, had a blast joining Audible on our Pride parade float. The Podcast Development Program joins several programs, like our Emerging Playwrights Fund, in its fifth year, and the Audible Indigenous Writers Circle, in its third year, that Audible has launched to create meaningful opportunities for storytellers and bring more envelope-pushing content to listeners.

A “Variety” of Audible Events at Sundance

Social media personality Brittany Broski with “The American Society of Magical Negroes” director Kobi Libii (closest to Brittany) and stars David Alan Grier (middle) and Justice Smith (left) at Sundance.

In January, Audible returned to the Sundance Film Festival as the festival’s official audio entertainment sponsor, where we hosted the “Audible Listening Lodge” on Main Street. At Variety x Audible Cocktails and Conversations panels, Audible’s Chief Content Officer, Rachel Ghiazza, and Head of Creative Development for North America, Kate Navin, delved into the art of audio storytelling with Kenya Barris, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Giancarlo Esposito, Alok Vaid-Menon and Susanna Fogel. And at the Listening Lodge, presented by Audible, festival goers immersed themselves in listens on a cozy terrace with scenic views of Park City. We had a blast watching megainfluencer Brittany Broski, who was part of our “There's More to Imagine When You Listen” global brand campaign, bring her famous comedic charisma as Audible’s official reporter, interviewing (some equally star-struck) talent in attendance. This was Audible’s fifth year at Sundance, and our fourth year collaborating with Variety.

For 2025, we look forward to continuing to invest in our worldwide creative community and innovating on behalf of our customers everywhere. Here’s to another great year of listening!