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The microSD flash memory (a nonvolatile storage medium which can be electrically erased and programmed anew and stay retained without a power source) maker SanDisk (SNDK) just announced an initiative called slotMusic, which will store songs and other such data on the tiny cards. The top major record labels Sony BMG, EMI Music, Warner Music Group (WMG) and Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group have also signed on and will be backing the new music format with their massive catalog of artists and performers.
slotMusic is music on memory, generally consisting of a 1 gig (gigabyte) SD flash card. It is much smaller and versatile than a standard CD (compact disc) and allows the users to load additional music, files, pictures and so forth onto the spare space left over on each card. It is DRM (digital rights management) free, so unlike players such as the Microsoft Zune or the very popular Apple iPod you are not stuck with just a few choices of offloading, backup or uploading for use and play of your files. It's a definite step in the right direction! With a 1 gig flash memory card you can purchase purchase an entire album by an artist or group with full liner notes, album artwork and videos, as well as other bonus tracks and special features, that just can not fit on a conventional CD format with around 700 mb maximum to work with. The SD memory format allows for expansion well beyond those earlier limitations. Flash memory will not scratch or scuff if you drop it like a CD will. Fingerprints, which are quite difficult to avoid, on the optical read side of the CD will also become a thing of the past, a distant and happily forgotten memory to be sure!
Again, these little DRM-free memory cards have a lot going for them when compared to the traditional CD, which has been ruling the commercial musical landscape for almost 20 years now. For starters, microSD cards can be plugged via a little USB (universal serial bus) device into a wide range of other devices, including Mp3 players, cellular phones, PCs and even some personal navigational devices.
A majority of people still value a physical form of music which they can touch and feel and carry around with them. Music on memory will likely appeal most to people who don't want to have to deal with creating playlists online and then downloading and organizing those songs to, what is turning out to be numerous and highly incompatible, devices.
This new initiative will address two current and alike trends in tangible music formats. The majority of music is still sold in a physical format, with the latest figures for 2007 showing that over 449 million were sold on CD, compared to only around 50 million songs being sold digitally. These figures are according to Nielsen SoundScan. CDs are decreasingly in their popularity and their market share of ways in which music was purchased by consumers dropped almost 19 percent in 2007 from 2006. More than 1.2 billion mobile phones will ship globally during 2008, easily outstripping other such portable media players so the market for this type of music format is wide open.
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List of major artists and albums currently available on slotMusic (as of October 26th, 2008): Abba - Gold Check back for many more artists and new releases to come, including bonus materials and content that you can't find anywhere else. |
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Flash Memory Sandisk slotMusic Sansa Portable Mp3 Player: Opinion: The SanDisk SlotMusic player is a good idea - Crunch Gear MP3s: SanDisk Releases $20 slotMusic Player, Dozens of SD Card Albums - Gizmodo SanDisk Sansa slotMusic Player MP3 player reviews - CNET Reviews Electronista - SanDisk debuts Sansa slotMusic Player SFGate The Technology Chronicles - SanDisk introduces cheap slotMusic Player for $19.99 SanDisk debuts the slotMusic Player - Gina Hughes : Yahoo! Tech |
 Sony BMG Music Entertainment |
 EMI Music Group |
 Universal Music Group |
 Warner Music Group |
 Best Buy |
 Walmart |
Visit the official SanDisk slotMusic website online.
Coming soon to a vendor (both online and offline) near you - BooksOnMemory.com, MoviesOnMemory.com & GamesOnMemory.com
For press or general inquiries please contact us for further information.
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