Talking About Audio: Analysing Book Industry Trade Talk on Audiobooks and Streaming in Sweden and Norway

Abstract

Streaming services are creating significant shifts in Scandinavia, with audiobooks distributed through subscription-based services accounting for about a quarter of sales in the Swedish and Norwegian book markets. In this study we ask: What are the common and diverging themes of trade talk on audiobooks and streaming ser- vices in Sweden and Norway? Our findings indicate that trade talk in the two coun- tries differs distinctively. The differences suggest that discussions over audiobooks and streaming form two quite distinct discourses: A business and innovation dis- course which is dominant in Sweden and a cultural policy discourse which is domi- nant in Norway.