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New Music Format. Slot music?

BeatsoupBeatsoup 511 Posts
edited September 2008 in Strut Central
I really don't think this will succeed. What's the point of putting mp3's on a memory stick when you could just download them? I mean maybe if it was uncompressed audio...but then why not get a CD img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" 21 b,121b,121"In the latest attempt to shore up sales of music on physical media, SanDisk Corp. and the four major music companies plan to announce Monday a new format called slotMusic.b,121b,121SlotMusic is be introduced in mid-October at retail outlets including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Best Buy Co. Each unit is to contain an album, plus extras, on a compact memory card 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 slots are increasingly common on newer phones, but the placement of the slot depends on the phone model.) SanDisk is a maker of flash data storage card products.b,121[New Music Format Is Planned] Getty Imagesb,121b,121Usher is one of several artists whose music will be sold in a new format known as slotMusic. Above, the artist performs in New York City.b,121b,121People 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 Group Ltd., Warner Music Group Corp. Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, 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.b,121b,121The 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.b,121b,121CD sales have been decimated in recent years, as consumers have migrated to digital downloads, whether they pay for them or not. Earlier this year Apple Inc.'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.b,121b,121The music companies over the years have tried to persuade consumers to migrate beyond CDs to a range of new formats, including DVD-Audio -- all with limited success at best. But Daniel Schreiber, general manager of SanDisk's audio-video business unit, says slotMusic has a unique advantage, since it's compatible with a vast range of devices people already own, including hundreds of millions of mobile phones.b,121b,121"I don't have to convince you to buy anything; you already own it," Mr. Schreiber says. "I don't have to convince you to carry anything; you're already carrying it." b,121b,121a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122204010273861109.html?mod=googlenews_wsj" target="_blank"1http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122204010273861109.html?mod=googlenews_wsj/a1

  Comments

  • LuckLoopLuckLoop 103 Posts
    cant imagine this will last long. buying mp3s in a shop is a really retarded idea. if you wanna buy mp3s you can download them and you can get it for free, if you have a CD you can easily rip them to mp3
  • Lucious_FoxLucious_Fox 2,479 Posts
    Best Buy sells vinyl now. They had a rack of re-issues placed at a very high traffic area on 86th st. b,121b,121Steve Miller's Greatest Hits though.
  • triptoyourmindtriptoyourmind 294 Posts
    It's an interesting idea, the biggest advantage as I can see it is people get a physical product to go with the music, something lacking with digital downloads. Maybe it will take off, but it's biggest barrier would surely be the ease of digital downloading compared to going into a store?
  • Lucious_FoxLucious_Fox 2,479 Posts
    I wonder what the "extras" could be?b,121b,121Videos? Exclusive interviews,wallpapers. Everything one can get from the net?
  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    The kind of fantastically stupid idea that has the record industry in the toiletb,121b,121If the files were WAVs and the extras were legit maybe - just maybe - there could be a market... but I'm still not sure why this should be any competition for CDs or downloading... as is its like the worst of both worlds...
  • BaptBapt 2,503 Posts
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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121b,121buying mp3s in a shop is a really retarded idea.b,121b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/oj.gif" alt="" 21
  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121is its like the worst of both worlds... b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121Seriously.b,121b,121I also think that the industry is grossly underestimating the public's want to actually, you know, possess an actual physical product...
  • NachoManCandySandwichNachoManCandySandwich 409 Posts
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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121I also think that the industry is grossly underestimating the public's want to actually, you know, possess an actual physical product... b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121Really though?b,121I think your average music consumer doesn't concern themselves too much with a physical product--unless they're core fans of a particular artist. I think we're probably moving towards a subscription based distribution model, or at least that is where the viable future of music retailing lies, even if we're not yet moving towards it.b,121Dunno...
  • FrankFrank 2,370 Posts
    that's just pitiful... the last half-hearted twitching of the dying giant that once was the corporate music industry... almost makes me want to rush over to Wal-Mart and buy "current pop artists including Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke, New Kids on the Block, Weezer, Usher, Chris Brown, Akon and Leona Lewis" and since I'm an "older buyer" perhaps also some Elvis Presley. But only almost... perhaps they have another try in them, who knows. Who cares? I don't.
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    /font1
    Quote:/font1h,121b,121that's just pitiful... the last half-hearted twitching of the dying giant that once was the corporate music industry... almost makes me want to rush over to Wal-Mart and buy "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" on this new, exciting format. But only almost... maybe they have another try in them, who knows. Who cares? I don't. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121It's less about the format and more about the actual music, and yet the industry wants to enforce more "product" because that's all they're seeing: the sale of "units". It has been that way for decades, but when alcohol beverage companies started buying labels, it was obvious it wasn't going to be the same. To take one frame of mind and place it in something that arguably didn't have an established frame of mind: it's kind of like having surfers taken over by the Olympics committee. The mainstream recording industry are the Olympics, with no doping allowed. There was that story about a singer from England, I believe she's Jamaican, and she was dropped from Sony because she was arrested at an apartment complex on suspicion of drugs. The article that I sourced it from claimed Sony didn't want someone with the potential drama of Amy Winehouse, and I replied that maybe all Sony wants is an automaton.b,121b,121I don't know, I'm always wanting people to listen to something "other than", and all of us do that. Most of us are aware of what is pop and what sells, but we go elsewhere because that kind of pop music may not move us. Yet pop is "popular", and that is meant to move units, sell yogurt, and panty liners.b,121b,121I almost don't want to care, and a big part of me doesn't. The other part wishes people would listen to something different, but we all know there's a certain demographic that wishes to conform. That's the target audience. If and when they choose to want something else, they will. Until then, a walk towards the music section in the BACK of Target also means walking past every other section, tempted to buy other items before they get to their intention. It's not unlike radio, playing music inbetween 8 minute ad blocks. It's not unlike some websites wanting to give music away for free, as it's a lure to click on banner ads.b,121b,121Now, an image that ties in with this thread.b,121img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/30w780k.jpg"1
  • twoplytwoply Only Built 4 Manzanita Links 2,914 Posts
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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121CD sales have been decimated/b1 in recent years, as consumers have migrated to digital downloads, whether they pay for them or not. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121Has anyone ever seen any actual data on this? I can't find reliable info on units sold, but as far as units shipped, and their dollar values, it would appear that many, if not most, of the fluctuations in CD sales have followed the general curve of the economy, and reflect the average consumer's level of disposable income, rather than a massive shift to digital downloads. b,121b,121From the RIAA's website:b,121b,121The figures below (in millions) indicate the overall size of the sound recording industry based on manufacturers' shipments at suggested list pricesb,121b,1211998 $13,723.5b,1211999 $14,584.5b,1212000 $14,323.0 b,1212001 $13,740.9b,1212002 $12,614.2b,1212003 $11,854.4b,1212004 $12,338.1b,1212005 $12,269.5b,1212006 $11,755.1b,1212007 $10,322.7b,121b,121b,121Units shipped (in millions) for CDs:b,121b,1211997: 753.1 b,1211998: 847.0 b,1211999: 938.9 b,1212000: 942.5 b,1212001: 881.9 b,1212002: 803.3 b,1212003: 746.0 b,1212004: 767.0 b,1212005: 705.4 b,1212006: 619.7 b,1212007: 511.1 b,121b,121While units shipped are nearly half of what they were in 2000, and [i]some/i1 of this must have to do with piracy and digital downloads, I can't take people seriously when they say things like, "CD Sales have been decimated."
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
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    Quote:/font1h,121b,121While units shipped are nearly half of what they were in 2000, and [i]some/i1 of this must have to do with piracy and digital downloads, I can't take people seriously when they say things like, "CD Sales have been decimated." b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121They haven't been decimated, because if they were, Wal-Mart wouldn't create exclusive deals with AC/DC, The Eagles, and various other bands. They want people to come in and buy the physical CD, and aren't Wal-Mart considered the #1 or #2 place to buy music, with Best Buy being right up there? Like any other store, Wal-Mart also places exclusive tracks or is able to have the label put together a bonus DVD that you can't get anywhere else.b,121b,121I had read somewhere that for any of us that gets our news from the web, we're all going to unify and believe that CD sales are dead, because we all know where to go to find it for free. But for the person who doesn't have a computer, who goes into Target or Circuit City to buy music, it's not about a need to conform. They want music. They don't want an iPod or Zune, even though those stores are pushing for people to go that way.b,121b,121It's not as if sales aren't going down, but it's not as if everyone got together and stopped buying CD's. There was also a story about Kid Rock not wanting his music on iTunes, so people bought the CD and they're saying he sells 100,000+ copies a week. Not going digital hasn't hurt his sales or popularity, and those who need it that bad can do a Google search.b,121b,121The industry is taking advantage of the forced hysteria of declining CD sales by mastering them to sound like shit, but "since they're made to be ripped and encoded to CD's, that's okay". Right, and that's why gamers discovered that the Guitar Hero version of Metallica's new album is better than the version the band approved of.
  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    /font1
    font class="small"1Quote:
    /font1
    h,121
    b,121
    /font1
    font class="small"1Quote:
    /font1
    h,121
    b,121CD sales have been
    decimated[/b] in recent years, as consumers have migrated to digital downloads, whether they pay for them or not. b,121b,121h,121
    font class="post"1
    b,121
    b,121
    b,121Has anyone ever seen any actual data on this? I can't find reliable info on units sold, but as far as units shipped, and their dollar values, it would appear that many, if not most, of the fluctuations in CD sales have followed the general curve of the economy, and reflect the average consumer's level of disposable income, rather than a massive shift to digital downloads.
    b,121
    b,121From the RIAA's website:
    b,121
    b,121The figures below (in millions) indicate the overall size of the sound recording industry based on manufacturers' shipments at suggested list prices
    b,121
    b,1211998 $13,723.5
    b,1211999 $14,584.5
    b,1212000 $14,323.0
    b,1212001 $13,740.9
    b,1212002 $12,614.2
    b,1212003 $11,854.4
    b,1212004 $12,338.1
    b,1212005 $12,269.5
    b,1212006 $11,755.1
    b,1212007 $10,322.7
    b,121
    b,121
    b,121Units shipped (in millions) for CDs:
    b,121
    b,1211997: 753.1
    b,1211998: 847.0
    b,1211999: 938.9
    b,1212000: 942.5
    b,1212001: 881.9
    b,1212002: 803.3
    b,1212003: 746.0
    b,1212004: 767.0
    b,1212005: 705.4
    b,1212006: 619.7
    b,1212007: 511.1
    b,121
    b,121While units shipped are nearly half of what they were in 2000, and [i]some
    /i1 of this must have to do with piracy and digital downloads, I can't take people seriously when they say things like, "CD Sales have been decimated."1
    b,121
    b,121
    h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121I wonder what sort of overall numbers you'd get if you added download and ringtone ([i]i.e./i1 ripoff) sales.b,121b,121This would only work if the, ahem, [i]slots/i1 are shaped into clever shapes (like the recent Portishead 3 stick) and people get caught up in some charm bracelet mentality. But otherwise, it's another example of music companies not getting the drift. The market has moved drastically away from the physical object, you say? Let's give them a [i]portable/i1 physical object! Bullshit. This should have been a stop-gap measure 8 years ago.b,121b,121I can't even remember when the last time was that I played a CD that I wasn't ripping simultaneously.
  • hemolhemol 2,578 Posts
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    font class="small"1Quote:
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    h,121
    b,121
    b,121 SanDisk Corp.
    b,121
    b,121
    h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121Clearly whoever is making these decisions is as disconnected from the intertubes as McCain. Maybe it will drive the price of Compact Flash cards down though.
  • Lucious_FoxLucious_Fox 2,479 Posts
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    font class="small"1Quote:
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    h,121
    b,121Gamers discovered that the Guitar Hero version of Metallica's new album is better than the version the band approved of.
    b,121
    b,121
    h,121
    font class="post"1b,121b,121b,121b,121 img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoa.gif" alt="" 21
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