• Booktrack

  Led · Series B · Jul 2015

  Booktrack is a New Zealand startup that creates synchronized soundtracks—music, ambient audio and sound effects—that automatically sync with a reader’s pace for e-books. The company offers a library of 15,000 titles and has 2.5 million users. Its Booktrack Classroom product is subscribed to by over 12,000 schools, and students using booktracks reportedly read 30% longer and score 17% higher on comprehension tests. Publishers can produce their own soundtracks or pay Booktrack around $1,000 per novel for soundtrack creation; about 50 publishing companies, including Harper Collins and Random House, use the platform. Booktrack launched its first two tracks on the App Store four years ago and is led by founder Paul Cameron. The company will use the new funding to expand its library and continue rolling out soundtrack personalization features. Booktrack is a San Francisco, CA–based platform that synchronizes soundtracks to eBooks to match the storyline as readers read. Led by CEO Paul Cameron, the company has developed Booktrack Studio to enable self-published writers to add soundtracks to their ebooks. The service creates a unique soundtrack paced to an individual’s reading speed and synchronized to the storyline. In five months since launch, over 300,000 users have created more than 3,600 Booktracks in 30 languages. The company raised US$3m and intends to use the funds to expand into the education sector and to go mobile. Booktrack produces e-books with integrated background music and sound effects that play alongside the text to enhance reader engagement. The company has published soundtracked editions from authors such as James Frey and Salman Rushdie and even released a soundtracked version of the Bible. It works with publishers, including Random House and HarperCollins, to integrate soundtracks into commercial titles. Booktrack distributes titles through its website and mobile apps and uses the ePub format to enable conversion for other platforms. Operational metrics cited by the company show about 27% of customers who download a free sample purchase the book, and roughly 40% of downloaded books are read cover-to-cover. With new funding, Booktrack plans to expand its catalogue, broaden distribution outlets, and roll out a self-serve platform for authors and publishers.

No current team members are available.