Audible Studios' Production of Janis Ian's Society's Child Nominated for a Grammy Award® for Best Spoken Word Album

NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Audible Studios, the production arm of Audible.com, the world's leading provider of digital spoken-word entertainment, is celebrating Janis Ian's tenth Grammy nomination, for her bravura audio performance of her acclaimed 2008 memoir, Society's Child: My Autobiography. Three years in the making and recorded entirely live, the audiobook features Ian's intimate narration accompanied by her beloved music; Ian performs every song she references in telling her story. Grammy winners will be announced by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 55^th Annual Grammy Awards on February 10, 2013, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

“It's one thing to read a book, and see it in your imagination,” said Ian. “Being able to add my own voice, tell my own story, sing my own songs, changes the dimension completely. Or at least that's what my fans tell me.” Speaking of her nomination for Best Spoken Word Album, she said, “I'm up against First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Rachel Maddow and Ellen DeGeneres. I'm sure they're all trying to figure out how the heck I got in there…but I'm also pretty sure none of them sang their way through their books!”

In addition to her previous Grammy nominations and awards, Ian has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame on two separate occasions. Ian was recently selected by Bette Midler as Midler's first songwriting partner, and is currently on a seven-month U.S. tour.

“Janis's captivating performance is an outstanding achievement, and it is a stellar example of the quality of artistic output that is popularizing the Audible listening experience,” said Audible.com founder and CEO Donald Katz. “We look forward to continuing to cultivate the art of performing literature and bringing more great listening experiences, like Janis's audiobook, to our customers.”

Earlier this year, Audible Studios secured a record 37 nominations for the 2012 Audie Awards, which honor outstanding audiobooks and other spoken-word performances, and took home six awards in 17 applicable categories. Audible Studios garnered a Grammy nomination in the Best Spoken Word Album category in 2010 for The Woody Allen Collection.

With Audible Studios, Audible.com has become the largest producer of audiobooks in the world.

Audible, which invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, has been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2011, downloads by Audible members increased by more than 40% over 2010, with individual members downloading an average of more than 18 books over the course of a year. More than half of current Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.

ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.

Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary AMZN, is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment on the Internet, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible's mission is to establish literate listening as a core tool for anyone seeking to be more productive, better informed, or more thoughtfully entertained. Audible content comprises more than 100,000 audio programs from more than 1,800 content providers, including leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple's iTunes® Store.