[ Thanks to jdeslip for this link. ]
“When people first think of getting audiobooks online, they
probably think of Audible. But, Audible has one really big problem:
DRM (Digital Rights Management). I.e. every book you buy from
Audible is encrypted so that you can only listen to it using a very
limited number of applications and media devices. There is no
application for Linux to play Audible audiobooks, and Android
devices don’t support playing Audible files (yet anyway) either.
Quite frankly, when you purchase a book from Audible, you are not
buying it, you are only renting it. Even if you have a player that
is compatible now, in 5 years when you get the urge to listen
again, it is likely that your new device or computer will no longer
be able decrypt the file. If you are lucky, Audible may pull an
Apple and offer to remove the DRM from the file for additional cash
out of your pocket; so you can finally own the book you thought you
already bought. However, there is no guarantee of even
that…”