First offered to public libraries in 2004, downloadable audiobooks have grown by leaps and bounds. According to the Audio Publishers Association, their sales today account for 21% of the spoken-word audio market. It hasn't been easy, however. WMA. DRM. MP3. AAC. File extensions small on letters but very big on consequences for librarians, consumers, and the audiobook industry at large. Public librarians across the country shared the issues they have with downloadable audiobook pricing, compatibility, and usability in an informal survey conducted via Publib. To see how the major downloadable audiobook distributors address those concerns, the author also spoke with representatives from OverDrive, Ingram Digital, and NetLibrary. In some instances, progress has been made; in others, not, though the limitations don't always come from the distributors but from the publishers themselves. The author suggests that libraries shopping for a downloadable audio distributor should always ask for a complete and updated list of available publishers. Those in the market for a distributor should also definitely "test drive" the download experience, as each vendor approaches the transaction in a very different way--though, much like the technology on which it is based, everything in the downloadable audiobook industry is subject to change, at lightning speeds.