Industry Publishing Headquarters Ashland Type of business Private | Products Audiobooks Founded 1987 | |
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Founder Craig Black, Michelle Black Website www.blackstoneaudio.com | ||
Blackstone Audio is one of the largest independent audiobook publishers in the United States, offering over 10,000 audiobooks. The company is based in Ashland, Oregon with five in-house recording studios. Blackstone distributes directly to consumers on their e-commerce site, as well as to the library market with titles from Blackstone, Hachette, HarperCollins, BBC and Disney Press.
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Corporate history
Blackstone was founded in 1987 by Craig and Michelle Black of Oregon.
In August 2012, Blackstone launched an audiobook e-commerce website, Downpour.com, providing Blackstone audio titles as well as other publisher's titles to the retail market. In January 2013 the company was acquired by AudioGO for an undisclosed sum. Ten months later, in October of that year, AudioGO sold Blackstone back to the Black family, with the UK arm of AudioGO ceasing business operations as it sought a buyer or investor.
Awards
In December 2011, Blackstone Audio's production of Hamlet at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2014 the company won two Audie Awards.