SanDisk, Record Companies Plan New slotMusic Music Format
Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:17 am
SanDisk and the four major music companies today announced a new format called slotMusic.
slotMusic will be introduced in mid-October at retail outlets including Wal-Mart and Best Buy, with Europe to follow. The cards contain an album, plus extras, that can be played on mobile phones, PCs and some portable MP3 players. The cards are inserted into vacant slots on phones and other devices.
The music is to be sold in the MP3 format at up to 320 kbps, with no digital locks that prevent copying. An adapter sleeve is included allowing users to transfer their music to PCs via their USB slots.
"slotMusic offers consumers an immediate, tangible, and high quality alternative to CDs and digital delivery," said Danielle Levitas, Vice President of IDC. "This year, more than 1.2 billion mobile phones will ship globally, outstripping portable media players by nearly an order of magnitude - and this trend is accelerating."
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.
