SanDisk and four major music companies announced today a new format called slotMusic which puts an album, plus extras, on a compact memory card. It can be played on mobile phones, PCs and portable MP3 players. The cards are inserted into vacant slots on phones and other devices. Included with every purchase is a USB converter.
SlotMusic is be introduced in mid-October at retail outlets including Wal-Mart and Best Buy. The New York Times puts the album price at $7-$10
According to the WSJ, people close to the record companies and retailers said they view the effort as an experiment. The initial batch of releases is to comprise 29 albums, from all four of the big recorded music companies: EMI, Warner Music, Vivendi’s Universal Music Group and Sony BMG, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG.
The releases are mostly by current pop artists including Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke, New Kids on the Block, Weezer, Usher, Chris Brown, Akon and Leona Lewis. In a nod to older buyers, Elvis Presley is also represented.
The music is to be sold in the MP3 format, with no digital locks that prevent copying. An adapter is to be included allowing users to transfer their music to PCs via their USB slots. The albums are expected to cost about $15 and are likely to be stocked by retailers near CDs and portable devices such as MP3 players and mobile phones.
Some bloggers are skeptical. TechCrunch says free on-demand streaming music is available many phones through services like iMeem and, later this week, MySpace Music. They think the cost of the media is also too high. GigaOm says people don’t much care about the “physical media” very much these days, with CD sales dropping from 942 million CDs in 2000 to 511 million in 2007.
Earlier this year Apple’s iTunes Store surpassed Wal-Mart to become the largest music retailer in the world. The record labels have tried various ways to prop up sales of albums, which are more profitable than the 99-cent single tracks that make up the vast majority of iTunes sales, says the WSJ.
Still, what could be more convenient. Pop one in your cell phone and go.
