Audiobook platform joins Romania’s digital landscape

Echo is the first Romanian platform to offer thousands of audiobooks in Romanian and English, all in one place. The entire user experience is based on simplicity, with easy access through mobile and tablet apps and a monthly subscription model. Business Review talked to Radu Nicolau, the general manager of Echo, about the challenges of launching the platform.

By Oana Vasiliu

How did you come up with the idea for Echo, considering the fact that several audiobook platforms were already established on the market?

The idea behind the Echo platform is the result of a rather spontaneous discussion that took place in early 2020 between two entrepreneurs with editorial and tech backgrounds. The book market had already started its digitalization process and audiobooks were clearly the next big step. With that in mind and in the pandemic context, which showed everyone how important it was to be digitally present, Echo started its journey. The existing audiobook platforms only encouraged us to create Echo because first, we saw the potential of the audiobook product and second, we understood how important it was to have a local platform that was tailor-made for Romanian readers. How has the market - both publishing houses and users - responded to your services?

Publishing houses have been our biggest allies and we want to thank all of them, whom we now call partners and without whom we wouldn’t have had all these amazing audiobooks on Echo. There was a joint effort and I think that both sides are now happy to see the positive feedback we receive from readers daily. We hope more publishing houses become our partners so we can grow our library and make more readers happy together. As for our users, we hope Echo will have a definitive role in creating a habit of listening to audiobooks.

How did you choose the narrators?

you’ll find on Echo are professionals with years of experience on stage or on the radio. Usually, when preparing for a recording, we first look at what type of voice would best fit that particular book – whether it should be a feminine or masculine voice, a stronger or softer voice, as well as many other factors. A children’s book requires a completely different voice than a thriller, for example. After going through this process, we listen to samples from our portfolio or look for new ones to make sure we deliver the best experience for each audiobook. You will find familiar voices on Echo, including Romanian actor Andi Vasluianu or radio host Bogdan Serban.

Do you have any estimation of today’s local audiobook market?

We do not have a clear estimation at this point as this market is only now starting to take shape. Sure, some publishing houses have already launched several audiobooks, but I think that in order to define and quantify a market you need to have multiple parties engaged, such as dedicated distribution services, content producers, etc. All of these have started to happen over the past months and we are confident that the audiobook market will consolidate soon. And, of course, we hope Echo will be a major player.

Do you believe there is a civic duty inherent in the act of reading?

There are a lot of things that we can call civic duty, and a lot of things that one person might consider to be a civic duty while others might not. I think that the act of reading is first a duty to yourself and it can help you grow, develop, and gain information. Echo steps in to facilitate that purpose.