October 19, 2006
A record released on a USB memory stick
Rock band Keane will be the first act to release a record on USB memory sticks, their record label says. The BBC reports.
The group's next single, Nothing In My Way, will be sold on the gadgets, which are the size of a cigarette lighter and plug directly into a computer. Only 1,500 of the devices will be produced, as Island Records tries to gauge interest in the new format.
...It is chiefly targeted at technology enthusiasts, many of whom have turned to unofficial downloads in recent years.
The device, which weighs less than 5 grams, will contain a video for the song and can be re-used as a memory card, with 512 megabytes of storage space.
The single also comes without copy protection, meaning that it can be played on a wide variety of digital music players.
... In 2004, EMI Music tried a similar experiment when it released Robbie Williams' Greatest Hits on a memory card for mobile phones and hand-held computers."
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/ringtonia/archives/2006/10/013861.htm