Milpitas, Calif. — SanDisk will offer DRM-free music from more than 50 new and emerging artists on a microSD card available free to consumers who buy the 8GB version of the Sansa Fuze MP3-video player.
In September 2005, SanDisk (www.sandisk.com) ran a similar promotion but with a microSD card bearing DRM-protected songs from the Rolling Stones.
The $129-suggested 8GB Fuze ships to dealers at the end of March. The promotion, which ends July 5, preloads more than 50 songs in MP3 format on the card along with some music videos and photos.
Because the music is DRM-free and preloaded on a card, the music can be played back through any device featuring a microSD slot and MP3 playback, including cellphones and other-brand MP3 players, San Disk emphasized.
“Artists want to give their fans an easy and legal way to experience and share their music, while labels are looking for a form of physical distribution with more usability than the CD,” said Daniel Schreiber, senior VP and GM for SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video product line. “The Sansa Sessions promotion is a great opportunity to explore this new format and gives both artists and labels a glimpse of the potential for music distribution in this medium.”
NonStop Riot, a Los Angeles-based entertainment and music marketing agency, selected and licensed the tracks, and the company is working with SanDisk to develop relationships with labels and artists to distribute music on devices and flash memory cards, SanDisk said.
The card features rock, pop, and hip hop songs from more than 30 labels. Featured artists include All Time Low, Ladytron, Magnet, Nada Surf, Of Montreal and The Coup.
