Barely a week after introducing the new Reader App, ElevenLabs has already rolled out a significant update for the AI-powered program. The audio AI startup has announced the addition of the “Iconic Voices Collection,” featuring classic Hollywood stars Burt Reynolds, Judy Garland, James Dean, and Sir Laurence Olivier as voice options for users’ text narration.
ElevenLabs collaborated with the estates of the deceased stars to ensure authenticity in their digital avatars’ voices, providing users with an experience reminiscent of the actors’ original tones.
Introducing ElevenLabs Iconic Voices.
Listen to your favorite books and articles voiced by Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and Sir Laurence Olivier on our Reader App.
The app is completely free to download and use. Get it here.
— ElevenLabs (@elevenlabsio) July 2, 2024
In an announcement blog, Liza Minnelli, daughter of Judy Garland, expressed excitement over making her mother’s voice accessible to millions of fans through ElevenLabs’ innovative technology. The company suggests using these voice avatars to narrate the classic literature associated with each star.
The Reader App features more than a million user- and company-generated voices, allowing users to upload PDFs, copy and paste text, and even link to URLs for audio playback. Currently available exclusively on Apple devices running iOS and iPadOS 15 or later, the service is limited to the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., with plans to expand to the EU market by July 11.
