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SanDisk, Music Publishers Push DRM-free SlotMusic Format
Strudelkugel writes "The LA Times and others are reporting the music industry is working with SanDisk to try unrestricted music files on microSD memory cards to improve sales of physical media: 'In addition to music, the slotMusic cards will come pre-loaded with other things, such as liner notes, album-cover artwork and sometimes video.' The important part: 'The music on slotMusic comes without copyright protection, so it can be used on almost all computers, mobile phones and music players — but it won't play on an iPod, which doesn't have a micro-SD memory slot. It has one gigabyte of memory, and the music tracks are played back at high quality.' Could it be the labels have finally recognized that providing features and convenience to customers is preferable to suing them?" Most computers also don't have microSD slots; according to EMI's press release, there will be a "tiny USB sleeve" packaged with each card, and the "high quality" format means up to 320kbps MP3. From the given description, it seems like it would be no harder to transfer the tracks to an iPod (via a computer) than to most other players.
Won't play on iPods like a cd won't play on an iPod. Awesome reporting. Wasn't biased or anything, right?
--mike
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but the idea of buying music without in some way being able to damage the environment has been KILLING me.
Way to get on that EMI. Thank god!
RandomAndInteresting.comdefending the world from stupidity since 1979
we all know it'll only catch on if the porn industry start distributing on microSD as well.
-- Sex is the antonym of pringles. Once you pop it's time to stop.
I don't think cluelessness is usually considered a bias.
Shhh... Don't tell them how easy it would be for someone like Apple to create an SD dongle for legacy iPods then integrate support for new iPods (glad their Dock Connector doesn't support USB or you could even take advantage of the aforementioned tiny USB sleeve). A small software update for support and you can listen to that music as you're walking out of the store.
...they have conceived of a method of using physical media to transport bits. And they'll still charge $15 for an album.
You know, watching these guys over the last decade has been like watching a retarded child learning to go poo in the toilet. They're six years old when they finally get it right, and then they look at you like they've just won the Olympics.
No disrespect to retarded children intended.
They _really_ screwed up and posted the journalist's email address for the byline, so thousands of picky slashdotters can politely point out the difference between copyright and copy protection...
You've got to leave room on the card for at least 500MB of advertising media and bloatware players.
but it won't play on an iPod, which doesn't have a micro-SD memory slot. It has one gigabyte of memory, and the music tracks are played back at high quality.
I don't know about you guys, but my ipod doesn't have a CD-ROM drive, either. Hasn't stopped me yet.
Am I missing something here? Is it supposed to be some kind of deterrent that I can't just shove the thing into my little white music thingy?
Tell that to the people mixing albums from the ground up for 5.1 listening.
What, to all five of them ?
That's too much work !
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
I have a porch. If only I could afford a porsche though! ;-)
America, Home of the Brave.
But I'm not audiophile, ...
They all say that until someone finds children's music on their computer!
Universal, the world's largest record label, will start with 30 albums available on slotMusic cards, including new releases and compilations. The next album of one of its hip-hop stars, Akon, will be released on slotMusic as well as on other formats.
I was under the impression that they were releasing "music" in this format.
I bet you even consider yourself an audiophile. Buy a good pair of speakers, get your thousand dollar cable, still a terrible sound? You didn't buy the most important part. While their knobs have been discontinued; it appears that Arbelos now sells similar pieces of wood for the same price as the ever important Wood Lenses!