Spotify and author JK Rowling on Tuesday announced the release of free weekly recordings narrated by celebrities of the first book in the wildly popular ‘Harry Potter’ series. You can now stream ‘Harry Potter’ books for free.
To help children — and perhaps adults — cope with confinement measures, Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played the beloved wizard character in the books’ cinematic renditions, voiced the first chapter of the series’ premiere novel, ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerers’ Stone’.
He will be joined by a coterie of stars including soccer legend David Beckham along with actors Stephen Fry and Dakota Fanning, who will lend their voices to the book’s subsequent chapters.
All 17 chapters will be out by mid-summer, Spotify said, and the recordings will be available cost-free on the music platform, which recently began making strides in the audiobook and podcast realms. Videos of the celebrity recordings will stream on the website Harry Potter At Home.
“Parents, teachers and carers working to keep children amused and interested while we’re on lockdown might need a bit of magic,” said Rowling in launching that site last month.
Rowling’s seven-part ‘Harry Potter’ series is the best-selling book collection ever, with more than 500 million copies sold to date.
The first novel, published in 1997, is the series’ best-seller, with more than 120 million editions purchased. A version of the book is already available for free streaming on Amazon’s Audible, narrated entirely by Fry. The novel is also available on that platform in Spanish, French, Italian, German and Japanese.
The series’ publishers have also temporarily relaxed licensing restrictions, which allows teachers to read the ‘Harry Potter’ books to their students during remote classes.
This article is published via AFP Relaxnews.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answer: Most of the 'Harry Potter' books are available as audiobooks on Audible and Random Penguin House in India. These books capture the essence of each story and take readers down the magical world beyond platform 9 ¾. Right from 'Harry Potter and Philosopher’s Stone' to 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows', most of them are available as audiobook narratives.
Answer: While it is true that reading the 'Harry Potter' books instantly transports you to the magical world of Hogwarts, the audiobooks are equally spellbinding with apt atmospheric sounds and narration. If you are unable to catch up on the movies or read the books, these audiobooks are the best way to get the right feel.
Answer: All the 'Harry Potter' audiobooks available online on Audible and Penguin Random House are equally good and give Potterheads a wholesome experience of the magical world. Whether it is 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' or 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince', the audiobooks deliver the right notes.
Answer: The 'Harry Potter' audiobooks available on Audible are can be heard for free during the trial period and then can be accessed with a subscription fee or rental charge both on Audible and Penguin Random House.
Answer: The 'Harry Potter' audiobooks can be accessed for free during the initial trial period on Audible.
