Audio drama production company B7 Media is launching a new hosting platform dedicated to independently produced audio dramas, audiobooks, and audio theatre projects, the company has announced.
The new platform will be named Audioteria, and will be available on iOS, Android and online. It aims to deliver original scripted audio content to listeners, as well as hosting content that was previously broadcast but is currently out of licence and looking for a new home.
A number of independent producers have already signed up to the platform, including multi-award-winning companies Bafflegab productions, AudioMarvels, and Ladbroke Productions. Other indie producers and production companies that are interested in hosting their content on Audioteria can contact B7 Media creative director Andrew Mark Sewell and production director Helen Quigley for more information.
“As an independent audio drama producer ourselves, we have long been frustrated by the excessive sales commission levied against our content by the market dominant distribution platforms,” said Sewell. “Outside the main broadcast window, secondary income streams are increasingly important to ensure future investment, but for too long indie producers have essentially been held hostage by these platforms with no viable alternative.”
Audioteria has also partnered with theatre producers PLATFORM 4 and Metal Rabbit to bring plays to its digital platform, and plans to form more creative partnerships with theatre producers in the future.
The digital platform, which was developed with digital agency Studio 14, will work on a purchase-by-purchase basis with listeners being able to register for free instead of having to pay for a monthly subscription, in contrast to Amazon’s popular Audible platform. All titles that they purchase will be added to their personal library on the app and can be played offline.
B7 Media is known for working across film productions, audio dramas, comic books, and more as well as focusing on developing IP across different content forms. With Audioteria, B7 Media will not be commissioning any new content, but says it is open to exploring exclusivity with indie producers who want to host their content on the digital platform first for subscribers, before making it available across all major podcast platforms.
“Our mission is simple – invite the indie audio community to share space on a platform devised specifically with their content in mind, which markets and sells their shows directly to the listener,” said Quigley. “We share their love of audio, but we also recognise the need to make a commercial return so that we can all reinvest profits into making more great content.”
