Cloudaloud Education, the Cloudaloud subscription audiobook app's offering for schools and nurseries, has signed a distribution deal with US audio publishing powerhouse Blackstone Publishing. The agreement enables Blackstone Audio to make over 600 of their titles for children and teens available to stream in educational settings in the UK.
The distribution agreement marks the publisher's first foray into streaming in the UK market.
Blackstone's list comprises classics, fairytales, fantasy fiction, sport stories, and more, offering incredible diversity and choice for the classroom and school library. Its nonfiction list boasts biographies, histories, STEM, and religious education titles.
Marisa McGreevy-Rose, Chief Content and Educational Partnerships Officer at Cloudaloud, brokered the deal for UK distribution. She says, "I’ve been an admirer of the Blackstone list for well over a decade. Their content selection and production quality is second to none, and Anne and her team are a dream to work with! Today’s UK nurseries and schools are opening up to digital, with EYFS key workers and KS1/2 teachers increasingly aware of the proven links between listening and learning. I’m often asked what might tempt reluctant readers away from TikTok and back to books. From my own experience of two (now teenage) boys who moved away from reading for a while, if it’s brilliantly narrated and compelling fiction, or fact-focused with just the right amount of bells and whistles, they’ll listen. A big Cloudaloud welcome to Blackstone’s amazing early years, primary and YA audiobooks!"
Cloudaloud Education is the Cloudaloud audiobook streaming app's suite of resources for teachers and schools. Through the Education licence, Cloudaloud is committed to working with education experts to develop a deep understanding of the national curriculum, the challenges faced by educators and students, and the ways in which audio can be harnessed in the school setting to enrich the classroom experience, enable children to engage with information and stories in new ways and make teachers’ lives easier.