Commerce Essentially I'm posting this up here because I thought it would be a much bigger story, but judging by Google News, it's been covered by the local press, but AudioGo, the BBC's primary audio release stream has entered administration.
The payment system on the website hasn't been working for a few weeks which seemed to be because of technical difficulties but now it looks like it could have been something else.
As late as last week, Rachel Josephson, AudioGO's head of marketing and sales was telling The Bookseller, "There is a considerable amount of interest in AudioGO and we are hopeful of achieving a swift resolution. Protecting and respecting the rights of everyone that we work with is uppermost in our considerations and we are grateful for the fantastic support we have received from our colleagues throughout the industry."
But yesterday she told The Bath Chronicle, "Unfortunately, we were not able to conclude negotiations with a potential buyer. There will be significant redundancies made on Thursday this week.”
The US operation is now pointing users to Downpour, AudioGo US having been sold back to its founders Blackstone.
The UK site looks much as it has for weeks, offering its inventory but no way to pay.
My first thought is for employees especially those who have been and are involved in all the Doctor Who releases over the years, notably the missing episodes, and in making so much of the BBC's content available at such cheap prices. If the company can't be saved, I hope they're able to find decent employment and can look after themselves.
The next thought is what will happen to all of that. Audible's the closest rival in the UK market, but perhaps Big Finish will take on the license to produce straight Doctor Who audiobooks and indeed it's worth asking what happens to the material which has already been prepared for release. From what I can gather this isn't just the sales wing but the entire operation.
But it is worth asking again: why isn't this a much bigger story especially on Who websites, in the wider press due to the BBC connection? Odd.
Updated 30/10/2013 The BBC News website finally has the closure of AudioGo. In the local news section pretty unheralded.
No comments:
Post a Comment