WorldWide Tech & Science. Francisco De Jesús.
Billed as an immersive new way of experiencing the written word, Booktrack matches music, sound effects and ambient sound to the text of ebooks.
Never judge a book by its cover the saying goes - but what about it's soundtrack? That's right. Now that electronic books have gone mainstream, a company called Booktrack is looking give readers a little more stimulation. CEO Paul Cameron explains the concept.
SOUNDBITE: Paul Cameron, Booktrack CEO and Co-Founder saying (English) "So Booktrack is a soundtrack for books. The soundtrack's made up of a combination of different music that's mixed so it includes music, sound effects and ambience audio and that's all synchronized to the pace the reader is reading the book at."
A typical soundtrack will add 10 to 20 percent to the cost of a book This is the booktrack app for a book called The Power of Six. Here's an example of what it sounds like: SOT Don't like the sound effects?
You can take them out. Lose your place? Tap on a word and the soundrack adjusts according. Cameron concedes this experience will not appeal to everyone, but he believes it will entice a lot of readers who want to tune out the world when they dip into an ebook.
SOUNDBITE: Paul Cameron, Booktrack CEO and Co-Founder saying (English) "The thing about booktrack is it's a read first, listen second phenomenon. We're not adding video, or making you play a game.
A lot of enhancements to books have been things that take you out of the experience. What we're doing is leaving you in the reading experience, we're providing a backdrop of audio that's synchonized and carefully matched down at the word level with what you're reading.
What we believe is that provides a more immersive experience." The company has some big name investors including Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel and Facebook's creative director Mark D'Arcy. Though the new form is still in its infancy, Cameron has big ambitions.
SOUNDBITE: Paul Cameron, Booktrack CEO and Co-Founder saying (English) "In 10 years time I really believe that a lot of new books coming out would, as a default, if they're a bestselling novel or aiming to become a well-selling novel that they'll all come out with soundtracks." Booktrack says it expects around 20 titles will be available with soundtracks by the end of the year.
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