Comment on Pluralistic: "If buying isn't owning, piracy isn't stealing"

• Saltblue@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Fuck them, they want our money and our data, while giving shit services.

  source
• jasondj@ttrpg.network ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Just for curiosity, how do you find Kobos selection compared to Libby/Overdrive (or similar), if that’s an option in your area?

  I really can’t be happier with either, for audiobooks or ebooks, considering their price (free, through your public library). Drawback being that selections are limited depending on your library (but you can be linked to several, and you may be eligible for several…here in Massachusetts, anybody in the state is eligible for BPL plus the regional networks and colleges (I.e. COFAN). And there are libraries in other states that accept patrons from anywhere. And you can be on multiple waitlists

  But, the limiting selection or not being able to get instant access when you want to scratch that itch. I bought my wife and I kindles on Prime day. Those each came with free Kindle Unlimited months. And then there’s Prime Reading as a benefit of being a prime member.

  But, while I like ebooks, my wife greatly prefers audiobooks (she’s at 140-something for the year, and rarely uses her kindle because the phone is way more convenient for audiobooks). And the audiobook section there is terrible and clunky…they really want to push you to Audible…and while I do enjoy the occasional sales, I can’t justify a “subscription” to “own” an ebook.

  Would love a service that had a good selection of ebooks and audiobooks, and compatible with kindle and IOS

  source

  • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    I have never tried Libby or Overdrive, though one or both are an option in my area, I believe. I have this vague feeling of unease associated with only having a certain amount of time to listen to the book.

    I chose Kobo because they are a smaller company competing with Amazon. They have a subscription where you pay about $15 per month to get 1 credit per month. Since most audiobooks are about $35, it’s pretty economical and I feel like I’m supporting the artists, too. Plus, seeing the new credit every month keeps me reading/listening to literature rather than just doomscrolling.

    Kobo’s selection is very good. The very few times I haven’t been able to find a book on Kobo, it is because of some shitty Audible exclusivity problem. I mean, a person is almost compelled to pirate the book in that case, just to punish, in some miniscule way, Audible’s anti-consumer, anti-competetive practices.

    source
• PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  There are other book sellers besides amazon

  source

  • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Yes, I know. I said in my comment that I am on Kobo’s monthly audiobook plan. My comment about Amazon is that they are fucking with the market by not allowing other companies like Kobo to sell certain audiobooks.

    source
• MaxVoltage@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  imagine buying audiobooks in the age of Perfect Text to Speech

  source

  • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Oh man, you have to listen to Andy Serkis read LOTR. Or the full cast version of World War Z. These are full audio performances. At the moment at least, some narrators are much better than automatic text to speech.

    source