Slot Music: Next Step in the Digital Revolution of Music? HA!
I am here to talk about “Slot Music”, which is what Sandisk believes will be the next step in the digital revolution of music.
What is slot music?
Slot music is essentially an album being released on a micro SD card. They will take an album, for example Rhianna (bad example, I know) place it onto a 1GB micro SD card, allowing you to put that SD card into your cell phone, MP3 player with appropriate card slot, or PC with the provided adapter. The content is DRM free so you don’t have to worry about running into a wall while distributing it among your multiple electronic devices. This also leaves about half the card available for other uses; storing photos, other music, whatever you please.
How much does this cost?
These Slot Music cards will cost the same price as the regular cd right next to it.
How is this a better option for the consumer?
The idea behind this is thatin this medium the music is easily accessible through much of the technology you already own. Most cellphones can function as an MP3 player through music accessible online through providers or stored onto a micro SD card in your phone. This also allows you to move the music off the card onto your computer for other uses.
Why I don’t think this will work.
The numbers: 500.5 million albums as CD’s were sold last year. 84.4 Million albums were sold last year in a digital format. This is taking the total number of individual tracks sold (844.2 Million) and dividing it by ten, to consider a ten track album. Physical CD sales are down 15%, while digital sales are up 45%, but physical CD sales are still 83% of total music sales. Overall, including Physical CD’s, and digital sales, this makes for a total win on the side of the music industry because this is 14% increase from the overall sales in 2006. They are digging themselves out of the supposed “hole” they have been suffering in, due to illegal piracy of music. Let’s not get me started on that.
So here is the deal and my opinion. The majority of sales are still coming from physical CD sales. Let’s consider the pros of having a physical CD. You have a hard copy, which can stay in a safe case, take up a space in the growing collection, and you get album artwork and liner notes. How coll are those? Honestly, I am a collection hound, and I love reading the “Thank you” portions of CD’s, as well as following along with the lyrics out of the book. You can take a cd, rip it to a computer, put it on your MP3 player (any kind of MP3 player, iPod, San Disk, Creative, Zune, iRiver), move it to an 8GB micro SD for use on your cellphone, and after all that let a friend borrow the cd and rip it to their computer, but we aren’t supposed to do that right. The possibilities are endless with a CD. The same thing is true with the Slot Music program, but here is the real rub. You then have all these tiny little micro SD cards sitting around which are to small to label and you will inevitable loose them, or you need to go out and buy a whole new binder designed for micro SD cards. This transition is becoming more work.
Here is the other problem. Apple’s iPod market share of the MP3 player community is still holding strong at 70%. That means that 70% of all MP3 player owners, own an iPod. These Slot Music cards mean nothing to them. They are more of a hassle. Then think of the people out there who own Zune’s, Sony’s, older Creatives, iRiver’s, Cowon’s, or anyone of the countless number of other MP3 players out there which don’t have SD card slots. How many people actually use their cellphone as an MP3 player, and of those people would they rather have a 1GB card which is filled up half way by the WAV format CD on that card, or would they rather buy an 8GB or now 16GB micro SD card that can store up to 400 albums? Sandisk is launching a new MP3 player specifically handling these slot music cards but I can’t help but think this is a frivolous attempt at capturing a portion of the market which is dead set in their ways. It’s no that we are refusing to change, it’s that we adapted our life and habits around what we are used to and love. Also Sandisk has nothing on Apple’s share of the market, at least they won’t get enough of it to make it that valuable of a venture.
I know I am biased but I don’t see any up side to these Slot Music cards. It just doesn’t seem like a positive financial venture. Let me know what you think. Am I just speaking rubbish because I am a hardcore supporter of CD’s, or am I making sense? What is your opinion? Is this something you would be interested in?
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I must say this is a great article i enjoyed reading it keep the good work
Fuckin awesome write up!! I work with Interscope records and this is what bInkeep telling them, you rock my friend, you hit it on the button.
Your right, I must say you hit it on the nose, sandisk poured too much money into this, they may end up being bought by Samsung for less money now after they realize Slotmusic is a failure. The point I wanted to make is that the artist Akon is promoting Slotmusic, it’s an artist that people aren’t into anymore and has not sold nearly as much as his past albums, Slotmusic will suffer for associating with artist who are not selling enough albums to bring attention to Slotmusic. I hear it’s already considered a failure in the public eye.