It would seem that this is a no brainer for the development team at Media Monkey / Ventis Media. I don't know the exact details but I know Media Monkey promotes purchasing music through amazon's website. Therefore I would imagine there was some sort of partnership hashed out. Audible.com is a subsidiary of Amazon, correct? I know for a fact that you can sign up to audible.com through Media Monkey and do everything needed to download an audio book through the amazon site (at the bottom of the site there is an audible link) because I have done this. So I was surprised that once my book was downloaded by the audible program I downloaded through Media Monkey, that I could not even listen to it through Media Monkey...let alone put it onto my ipod, unless I was to reformat it and go through itunes. This is where I am totally lost. How does Media Monkey promote amazon's mp3 site & state that purchasing helps Media Monkey but then is not supported by audible.com (at least that is what the audible rep's tell me). Could you imagine you are a fan (for whatever reason) of itunes and you download music from the itunes store (Side Note: which if you do, don't reinstall your operating system or you will lose your ability to play the music that you purchased - This is a whole 'nother topic but you have no rights to the music you bought?!?). Everything is great but then when you download an audio book from the itunes store they tell you, "we do not support itunes". Surely, Apple would never say, "You must use Windows Media Plalyer to access your itunes store purchased and downloaded audio book".
I know DRM and the .aa format or the .aax format or whatever they try to keep people from stealing or sharing or whatever. Personally, after every good book I have bought and read I've passed it on...am I Robin Hood? Hardly, this is common practice I do believe. How many people read or listen to the same book over and over? This is not my point though. I am not interested in ways around breaking the format to turn it into .mp3 - I would like to have the ability to use amazon's file format to use in Media Monkey and to put on my ipod through Media Monkey. I hope I have been clear how I can not fathom that audible hasn't worked with Media Monkey since day 1. Unless Ventis has nothing to do with Amazon and it was built in to Media Monkey by one of the kind script developer's not employed by Ventis. Are the parallels I am drawing with Apple off base? Does anyone have any more information on this frustrating situation?
For now I am downloading to my Android phone and bypassing my laptop, Media Monkey, Itunes, & Ipod because I don't have any other choice unless I were to try breaking the .aa format with Goldwave or similar (seemingly if there is a will there is a way). This defeats the purpose and creates an escalating battle of capitalism vs. true free market.
I Never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell. - Harry S. Truman