RBMedia is an audiobookpublishing company with sales globally. It claims to be the largest audiobook publisher in the world. It was founded in 2017 through the acquisitions of independent audiobook companies. The companies, which now operate as imprints of RBMedia, include: Recorded Books, Tantor Media, HighBridge Audio, ChristianAudio, Gildan Media, W.F. Howes, Wavesound, Audiobooks.com, GraphicAudio. It was formed during the ownership by Shamrock Advisors, a private equity firm, and was created by the former publisher Recorded Books. The company is headquartered in Prince Frederick, Maryland near the original Recorded Books operations. It has studios in New York and elsewhere.
History
was founded in Maryland in 1978 and was a pioneer in the industry. Recorded Books was acquired by Haights Cross Communications in December 1999, where Recorded Books operated as a division of that company. In May 2014, Recorded Books acquired HighBridge Audio from Workman Publishing. In January 2015, Recorded Books announced its acquisition of Tantor Media Later in 2015, Recorded Books was sold to Shamrock Advisors, a private equity firm. In April 2017 the company reorganized. The new company name was RBMedia and its imprints included Recorded Books, HighBridge Audio, Tantor Media, ChristianAudio, Gildan Media, W.F. Howes, and Wavesound. It would sell or distribute titles directly to customers through Audiobooks.com, libraries, and resellers such as Audible. In September 2017, it was announced Gildan Media was acquired by RBMedia. Gildan publishes business books. In April 2017 RBMedia purchased Audiobooks.com and in October 2017 Audiobooks.com launched in the UK. In July 2018, Shamrock Advisors – who owned the company from August 2015 to July 2018 – sold it to new owners, the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. In March 2020, RBMedia acquired GraphicAudio, a producer of immersive full-cast and sound-effect productions with brands such as Marvel, DC Comics, Dynamite, Vault Comics and authors such as Brandon Sanderson, Peter V. Brett, Michael J. Sullivan, R. A. Salvatore, William W. Johnstone, and Brent Weeks. RBDigital is an app and service for the distribution of digital content including audiobooks, magazines, instruction, movies, comics, and video games. In June 23, 2020 RBDigital finalized a deal to sell to OverDrive, Inc..
