Say Goodbye To CDs

Forget those old-fashioned CDs, USB memory stick albums, Ringles and terrible-sounding MP3s. The SanDisk corporation has a whole new format that will allow you to re-purchase all the music you already own in a new, really tiny package called slotMusic. Thanks to deals with all four major labels, SanDisk’s microSD card format will be the new, new way to purchase your music legally this holiday season. Though the official release did not mention any specific albums, RollingStone.com reported that the first batch of cards will feature 29 artists, including Weezer, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo and Elvis Presley.

The one-gig cards — which will come in a USB “sleeve” in order to interface easily with computers, cell phones and MP3 players — will hit Best Buy and Wal-Mart before the end of the year. Each card contains a DRM-free album in 320 kbps quality on a card the size of a fingernail. (So, no worries about dropping one between the seats of the car or anything.) The capacity of each card — which could hold about eight albums at a high bit rate — will likely encourage artists to load them up with liner notes, videos, photos, bonus tracks and other filler — er, extras. The price of the cards has not been announced.

The cards are actually not all that new. The 30th anniversary edition of Bob Marley’s Exodus was released on microSD cards and USB memory sticks last year, for all of you who didn’t already own that one on vinyl, cassette and one of the three CD reissues. [x]

I'm hearing the price will range from $15-$17. Not bad at all, this sounds interesting. My only question is to those of us who own CD players; how the hell are we going to play these USB albums?