Wavesound
Wavesound Pty is an Australian audiobook publisher and wholly-owned international audio brand of RBmedia, publishing over 1,000 titles with leading Australian authors and distributing through major digital retailers and library platforms across Australia and New Zealand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersChatswood, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Wavesound does
Wavesound Pty is an Australian audiobook publisher founded in 2009 and headquartered in Chatswood, Australia. Operating as a wholly-owned international audio brand of RBmedia — the largest audiobook publisher in the world — Wavesound publishes a catalogue of more than 1,000 titles across multiple genres and works closely with leading Australian authors including Tim Winton, Jane Harper, Chris Hammer, Fleur McDonald, and Garry Disher. In 2023, Wavesound's publication of 'The Whitewash' by Siang Lu won the Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) Audiobook of the Year.
The company's core product is audiobook publishing and production, with no proprietary technology platforms disclosed beyond standard digital audiobook creation and metadata management. Its revenue model is built on one-time licensing and per-unit sales: Wavesound sells audiobooks to consumers through major digital retailers (Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, Storytel, Kobo, Nextory) and licenses content to library platforms (OverDrive, BorrowBox, Hoopla, Ulverscroft) for digital lending to library patrons. Physical audiobook CDs are manufactured and distributed via Ulverscroft Australia for libraries requiring physical formats. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by title and format.
Wavesound serves three primary customer segments — libraries (digital audiobook lending), consumers (audiobook consumption), and schools (educational audiobooks) — using a horizontal segmentation approach. As an RBmedia brand, the company's go-to-market is overwhelmingly channel-partner driven, leveraging the parent's broadest-in-industry distribution network rather than operating a direct consumer storefront. With 11–50 employees and no independent funding or M&A activity disclosed, Wavesound's growth and operational cadence are tightly coupled to RBmedia's strategic direction and the broader secular expansion of the global audiobook market.
Wavesound firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wavesound
- Legal name
- Wavesound Pty
- Website
- https://wavesound.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wavesound Pty is an Australian audiobook publisher and wholly-owned international audio brand of RBmedia, publishing over 1,000 titles with leading Australian authors and distributing through major digital retailers and library platforms across Australia and New Zealand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wavesound industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Audiobook Publishing
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Industries (5122), Book Publishers (513130)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Phonograph Records & Prerecorded Audio Tapes & Disks (3652)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Audiobook Publishers (Trade & Consumer) (MPAJAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Audiobook Distribution & Aggregation (To Retailers/Libraries) (MPAJAIAC), Physical Audiobook Publishing & Distribution (CD/MP3 Media, Packaging, Fulfillment) (MPAJAIAJ), Library & Education Audiobook Distribution (Public Libraries, Schools, Academic) (MPAJAIAE)
Keywords
Where Wavesound is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chatswood
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wavesound business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Audiobook Sales: Wavesound publishes and sells audiobooks through digital retail channels and library platforms. The company generates revenue through direct audiobook sales to consumers and licensing/distribution deals with library platforms.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Wavesound product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wavesound publishes and distributes audiobooks in Australia and New Zealand, operating as an international audio brand of RBmedia. The company produces audio editions of works by leading Australian authors across multiple genres, with a catalogue of more than 1,000 titles including bestsellers and award-winners. Distribution reaches consumers through major digital retailers (Audible, Spotify, Apple, Google Play, etc.) and library patrons through dedicated library platforms (OverDrive, BorrowBox, Hoopla, Ulverscroft).
Product overview
Wavesound is an audiobook publishing brand operating as part of RBmedia's portfolio of international audio brands. The core offering is Wavesound's Australian audiobook publishing service, which publishes over 1,000 titles including bestsellers and award-winners, distributed through consumer retailers (Audible, Spotify, Apple, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, Storytel, Kobo, Nextory) and library platforms (OverDrive, BorrowBox, Hoopla, Ulverscroft). RBmedia, the parent company, manages a broader library of over 100,000 titles distributed globally. Wavesound also offers audiobook CDs through Ulverscroft for libraries requiring physical formats.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wavesound Audiobook Publishing Audiobook publishing service that produces audio editions of works by Australian authors across multiple genres, producing bestsellers and award-winning titles. Distributed through all leading consumer digital retailers and library platforms globally.
- Audiobook CD Distribution Manufacture and distribution of audiobook CDs published by Wavesound, supplied via Ulverscroft Australia for public libraries and schools that require physical media.
Companies that use Wavesound
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Wavesound technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
Wavesound partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- RBmediaflagshipWavesound is an international audio brand and subsidiary of RBmedia, the largest audiobook publisher in the world. RBmedia provides distribution network, publishing infrastructure, and access to 100,000+ titles.
- AudiblecoreDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution - one of the key digital retail outlets in Wavesound's distribution network.
- SpotifycoreDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution - key streaming platform in distribution network.
- ApplecoreDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution through Apple Books.
- GooglecoreDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution through Google Play Store.
- Audiobooks.comcoreDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution - dedicated audiobook platform.
- StorytelcoreDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution - subscription-based audiobook service.
- KobominorDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution through Kobo platform.
- NextoryminorDigital retailer partner for audiobook distribution - European audiobook subscription service.
- OverDrivecoreLibrary platform partner for digital audiobook lending to public libraries.
- BorrowBoxcoreLibrary platform partner for digital audiobook and ebook lending.
- HooplacoreLibrary platform partner for digital media lending including audiobooks.
- UlverscroftcoreUlverscroft Australia manufactures, sells, and distributes audiobook CDs published by Wavesound and W.F. Howes. Also distributes in New Zealand.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Wavesound competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tantor Media: RBmedia-owned audiobook publisher with a broad fiction and non-fiction catalogue. Direct comparable as a fellow RBmedia audio brand producing and distributing audiobooks through the same retail/library channels.
- Storytel: Subscription audiobook platform that is both a Wavesound distribution partner and a vertically integrating publisher in its own right. Increasingly competes for original audio rights globally.
- Recorded Books: Sister audio brand under RBmedia and a leading US audiobook publisher serving libraries and retailers. Operates the same publishing-plus-library-distribution model as Wavesound.
- HighBridge Audio: RBmedia-owned audiobook publisher producing audiobooks and audio originals. Operates the same shared infrastructure and channel relationships as Wavesound.
- Bolinda Audio: Australian-headquartered audiobook publisher and CD distributor serving libraries and retailers. Closest geographic and business-model peer to Wavesound, competing for the same ANZ author roster and library contracts.
- Dreamscape Media: RBmedia sister brand producing audiobooks across multiple genres. Highly comparable publishing-plus-distribution operating model under shared parent infrastructure.
Broad incumbents
- Penguin Random House Audio: Audio arm of the world's largest trade publisher. Competes for the same authors, library budgets, and bestseller-list placements, with materially larger scale and balance sheet.
- Audible (Amazon): World's largest audiobook retailer and an increasingly active publisher (Audible Studios). Both distribution partner and dominant competitor for audio rights acquisitions globally.
- Macmillan Audio: Audio division of Macmillan Publishers, producing audiobooks of major literary and commercial titles. Comparable as a Big-5 publisher-owned audio imprint with similar retail and library reach.
- HarperAudio: Audio imprint of HarperCollins, publishing audiobooks of frontlist and backlist titles. Competes for ANZ and global author rights and library shelf share.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wavesound social profiles
Digital presenceWavesound financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wavesound leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Wavesound funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wavesound M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wavesound
What does Wavesound do?
Wavesound publishes and distributes audiobooks in Australia and New Zealand, operating as an international audio brand of RBmedia. The company produces audio editions of works by leading Australian authors across multiple genres, with a catalogue of more than 1,000 titles including bestsellers and award-winners. Distribution reaches consumers through major digital retailers (Audible, Spotify, Apple, Google Play, etc.) and library patrons through dedicated library platforms (OverDrive, BorrowBox, Hoopla, Ulverscroft).
Is Wavesound a public or private company?
Wavesound is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Wavesound founded?
Wavesound was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wavesound based?
Wavesound is headquartered in Chatswood, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Wavesound make money?
One revenue line is on record: audiobook Sales.
Who are Wavesound's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tantor Media, Storytel, Recorded Books, HighBridge Audio, Bolinda Audio and Dreamscape Media. Broad incumbents are Penguin Random House Audio, Audible (Amazon), Macmillan Audio and HarperAudio.
Does Wavesound have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wavesound.
What industry is Wavesound in?
Wavesound's product category is Audiobook Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAIAA, Audiobook Publishers (Trade & Consumer), with a secondary code of MPAJAIAC, Audiobook Distribution & Aggregation (To Retailers/Libraries). Its NAICS code is 5122 and its SIC code is 2731.