Otobank Co., Ltd.
Japan’s first “AI himself audiobook” is available on audiobook.jp The first volume is “Revolutionary Fanfare: Modern Money and Advertising” read in the voice of author King Kong Akihiro Nishino
Convert a professional narrator’s reading into the voice of another celebrity using AI! More than 80% of respondents said that it was “easier to listen to” than speech synthesis.
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Otobank Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yuya Kubota, hereinafter referred to as “Otobank”), which operates “audiobook.jp” with the largest audiobook lineup (*1), is stand. In partnership with FM (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Directors and Co-Representatives: Shingo Kawai and Ayataro Nakagawa, hereinafter referred to as “stand.fm”), we converted the readings of professional narrators into the voices of other celebrities using AI technology. Produced “AI himself audiobook”. As the first step, the audiobook of “Fanfare of the Revolution: Modern Money and Advertising” (published by Gentosha), translated into the voice of the author, King Kong Akihiro Nishino, will be available on “audiobook.jp” from February 8, 2024. We will deliver it to you. This is the first time in Japan that an AI-based audiobook will be distributed (*2).
*1. Researched by Japan Marketing Research Organization in November 2023. Japanese audiobook book lineup survey *2. In-house research
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■Background Audiobooks are usually produced with professional narrators and voice actors reading the book. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of books written by celebrities, and although there is a desire for audiobooks to be made with the authors’ own voices, it is difficult to adjust the schedule for long recording times, and reading skills are also required. There were high hurdles to achieving book publication. On the other hand, in recent years, speech synthesis technology using AI has progressed, and it has become possible to reproduce a specific person’s voice and read sentences aloud. The quality is inferior to that of Therefore, Otobank collaborated with stand.fm to produce an “AI himself audiobook” that uses AI technology to convert the readings of professional narrators into the voices of other celebrities. By combining professional reading technology and AI technology, it is now possible to create a new type of audiobook that is high quality and easy to listen to, even though it is the synthesized voice of the author. As the first step, the audiobook of “Fanfare of the Revolution: Modern Money and Advertising” (published by Gentosha), which has been translated into the voice of the author Akihiro Nishino of King Kong, will be available from February 8, 2024 on “audiobook.jp”. ” will be distributed. Please enjoy this work written by Akihiro Nishino, who goes beyond the boundaries of entertainment and engages in a variety of business and expressive activities, about modern work styles, with his voice certified by Akihiro Nishino himself. ▼“Revolutionary Fanfare: Modern Money and Advertising” sample audio video
[Video 2: https://prtimes.jp/api/movieim.php?url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwxcroQR-ng] ■Work information
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/373/resize/d34798-373-81893323fb85173cf48b-0.jpg&s3=34798-373-95a36b65564e07206a8d6190e5cd7d39-1022×1500.jpg] ●Title of work: Revolutionary Fanfare Modern Money and
Advertising●Author: Akihiro Nishino●Publisher: Gentosha●Sales start date: February 8, 2024●Single item purchase price: 2,057 yen (tax included)●Distribution URL: https: //audiobook.jp/product/268504 ●Work introduction: An individual raised a total of 700 million yen through crowdfunding, the highest amount ever in Japan, and created the picture book “Poupelle of Entotsu Town,” which sold 660,000 copies in Japanese. , the genius creator who led to the mega-hit that sold 70,000 copies overseas and a total of 730,000 copies, talks about “how to make and use money today,” the best advertising strategy, and the way of working in the future.
■Author Profile Akihiro Nishino Born in 1980 in Hyogo Prefecture. Comedian and fairy tale writer. His works include picture books such as “Dr. Ink’s Starry Cinema”, “Zip & Candy Robots’ Christmas”, “Music Box World”, “Poupelle of Entotsu Town”, “Honya’s Poncho”, and “Tic Tac: The Promised Clock Tower”. His works include “Ugly Marco”, his novels include “Good Commercial”, and his business books include “The Magic Compass”, “Revolutionary Fanfare”, “Don’t Deal with Idiots” (co-authored with Takafumi Horie), “New World”, and “Trash Man”. , all of which became bestsellers. He served as the scriptwriter and executive producer for the movie “Poupelle of Chimney Town” released in December 2020, which became a huge hit. It has been highly acclaimed overseas, including winning the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Animated Film and being nominated in the Annecy International Animation Film Festival’s Feature Film category. He is currently engaged in a variety of business and expressive activities beyond the boundaries of entertainment, such as running the Akihiro Nishino Entertainment Research Institute (https://salon.jp/nishino), one of the largest online salons in Japan. ■Comment from author Akihiro Nishino
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/373/resize/d34798-373-fa38b86d2039d1462db8-0.jpg&s3=34798-373-9034c7484ceaa8e0a6c15e2012d89dca-960×1440.jpg] As for my own audiobook, I wanted to read it out loud in my own voice…but I just couldn’t find the time to record an entire book. Meanwhile, the option of “audiobooks powered by voice AI” suddenly appeared (thank you, technology!), so I decided to give it a try. Please enjoy the voice of Akihiro Nishino.
■More than 80% answered that the AI-based audiobook was “easier to listen to” Prior to the release of the AI-based audiobook of “Revolutionary Fanfare: Modern Money and Advertising”, 355 audiobook.jp users who are familiar with audiobooks on a regular basis , a portion of this work was read aloud by an AI audiobook (voice A) in which a professional narrator’s reading was converted into Akihiro Nishino’s voice, and a voice synthesized by AI (Akihiro Nishino’s voice). I listened to the audiobook (audio B) and compared it. As a result, more than 80% of respondents answered that Audio A = AI audiobook was “easier to listen to.”
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■Comment from Yuya Kubota, President and Representative Director of Otobank
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The audiobook market has expanded rapidly in recent years, and there is a need to speed up the audio conversion of content. In order to respond to this growing demand, Otobank developed a unique AI speech synthesis service that enables Text to Speech in 2021 and has been using it for some content. In order to further accelerate audio conversion and meet user needs, we have released an AI-based audiobook produced by Speech to Speech. By using AI to convert professional reading voices into the voices of celebrities, we are able to create speedy and high-quality audio. Otobank will continue to work on new initiatives related to audio, aiming to realize a future where all kinds of content can be enjoyed anywhere. ■Comment from Ayataro Nakagawa, Representative Director and Co-Representative of stand.fm Co., Ltd.
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We have released the first audiobook that utilizes “AI Akihiro Nishino Voice”, which was jointly produced by Akihiro Nishino and
AIVoiceSpeaker. The narrator’s advanced reading skills and Akihiro Nishino’s familiar voice quality harmonize to create new and attractive content. I hope all of Akihiro Nishino’s fans will enjoy it as well. AIVoiceSpeaker will continue to actively work on providing new experience value and solutions that combine cutting-edge AI technology and voice.
■Interview regarding audiobooks Otobank Co., Ltd. Public Relations Office Email: pr@otobank.co.jp For other inquiries, please contact: https://www.otobank.co.jp/contact/
■What is an audiobook?
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An audiobook is a “listening book” in which a narrator or voice actor reads the book aloud. Since you can enjoy reading with just your ears, you can enjoy “reading while doing it” not only for people who have difficulty reading, but also for all kinds of situations in your life, such as while running, while traveling by train or car, or while doing housework. In recent years, the number of audiobook users has rapidly increased due to the rapid spread of smartphones and wireless earphones, which has rapidly improved the environment for the use of audio content, and the introduction of subscription plans that allow unlimited listening to a variety of works for a fixed fee. Currently, audiobooks are becoming the third type of book, following paper books and e-books. [Reference] Learn about audiobook production and recommended works! “Understand everything! Audiobook”
https://bit.ly/3Xg8mFJ
■audiobook.jp (audiobook.jp)
[Image 8: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/373/resize/d34798-373-020c6cfda1abe4e2b0cc-0.jpg&s3=34798-373-115a17fe3abe7a07f5bc409697946478-1448×276.jpg] This is Japan’s largest audiobook distribution service operated by Otobank Co., Ltd. The service was renewed from “FeBe”, which started distribution in 2007, and started service in March 2018. We aim to expand the platform to popularize the audiobook category. The number of members will exceed 2.5 million in June 2022. https://audiobook.jp/ [Service overview] ・Service name: “audiobook.jp” ・Site URL:
https://audiobook.jp/ ・App Store page: https://app.audiobook.jp/ios ・Google Play page: https://app.audiobook.jp/android ・Price structure: Unlimited listening plan costs 1,330 yen per month (tax included). You can use it for free for two weeks after joining. Individual purchases can be made for each work. (*Mainly distributed in the same price range as hardcover books (1,200 yen to 1,500 yen).)
■Otobank Co., Ltd. (Head office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yuya Kubota)
[Image 9: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/373/resize/d34798-373-068bffc092436acce92d-0.jpg&s3=34798-373-4c56c652f6ff7ea396b01c356a71b280-650×280.jpg] We are developing a business centered on audio content, and aim to “create a culture of listening,” “barrier-free access for the visually impaired,” and “promote publishing culture,” and boast one of the largest distribution volumes in Japan. Audiobook company. We have partnered with more than 500 publishers, and our main businesses include audiobook sales through Japan’s largest audiobook distribution service “audiobook.jp,” as well as the online book guide “Shinkan JP” (https://sinkan We also carry out a book promotion business centered on .jp/). https://www.otobank.co.jp/
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