AudioBoo should soon be making a bigger noise in the US after a fresh funding round today.
The UK-based service is the best technology I’ve encountered for creating and instantly publishing high-quality mini-podcasts while on the go.
It is simplicity itself and has the bonus features of allowing users to add a map and image from their location, as well as post to their own iTunes channel.
Mark Rock, AudioBoo’s founder, told me on a visit to San Francisco this month that the goal was to become the YouTube of audio or an iTunes of the spoken word, although I’ve always viewed it as the Twitter of audio.
Its site is structured in similar fashion and following the Twitter-like stream of brief audio podcasts from users around the world is fascinating. Organisations like the BBC have also used it to assemble quick voxpops on subjects of interest and a Pro version is a big part of the free service’s plans.
More immediately, his company Best Before Media is bringing out a version for Android phones to partner its improved iPhone app. A PC version where users can boo from their laptops or desktops is also in the works.
Audioboo has around 70,000 registered users including notables such as the actor Stephen Fry and DJ Tony Blackburn. Mark Rock himself mashed boos on his US trip with Google Maps to provide a mapped-out audio travelogue.
4iP, an investment arm of the broadcaster Channel 4, was the party announcing further funding for AudioBoo on Monday. It said the money would be channelled towards development on other mobile platforms and establishing a solid presence in the US.
A lack of presence in the US is AudioBoo’s major weakness, with the service not getting the same level of media attention as more recent US arrivals such as Cinch.
