In a deal that combines two of the largest independent companies in the spoken word audiobook industry, Recorded Books has acquired Tantor Media for an undisclosed price. The purchase gives Recorded Books additional clout in the audio retail marketplace, as well as access to Tantor’s recording studios.

Tantor has a backlist of over 4,500 titles and the acquisition, which was completed late last year but only announced this morning, gives Recorded Books a catalog of more than 22,000 audiobooks. Through the deal, Tantor will continue to operate out of its offices in Old Saybrook, Conn. with cofounders Kevin and Laura Colebank staying with the company for a period of time, a Recorded Books spokesperson said.

via Recorded Books Buys Tantor Media.

Normally, consolidations like this hurt libraries, prices go up, the marketplace reduced, less competition. Let’s see how this goes from Recorded Books…