SanDisk Promotes DRM-Free Music from More Than 50 Emerging and Critically Acclaimed Artists on microSD Card With The Purchase of a New 8GB Sansa Fuze MP3 Player
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leading seller of MP3 players in the United States, today announced the company will promote DRM-free music from more than 50 new and emerging artists on a microSD card. This U.S.-based program is the first of its kind to use microSD cards, and helps launch the new 8GB (gigabyte)(1) Sansa Fuze MP3 player. The “Sansa Sessions” microSD card is comprised of a collection of rock, pop, and hip hop songs, music videos, and photos from more than 30 labels. Featured artists include All Time Low, Ladytron, Magnet, Nada Surf, Of Montreal and The Coup.
“The Sansa Sessions microSD card is an innovative medium for music distribution, and great exposure for our artists,” said Matt Lunsford, co-president, Polyvinyl Record Co., which represents Of Montreal and other artists featured on the card. “This promotion benefits all involved, aligning the interests of the musician, label and consumer. We look forward to doing more together.”
“We’re excited to be working with labels and artists to create a new ecosystem for music,” said Daniel Schreiber, general manager and senior vice president for SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video product line. “The Sansa Sessions music card gives customers a simple way to enjoy, manage, and discover new music. This is just the beginning of our efforts to bring consumers a simplified and highly enjoyable music experience.”
NonStop Riot, a LA-based entertainment and music marketing agency, selected and licensed the 50+ tracks for the Sansa Sessions program. SanDisk is currently working with NonStop Riot to create its content strategy and develop relationships with innovative labels and artists to distribute music on devices and flash memory cards.
Added Schreiber: “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. 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.”
Roughly the size of a fingernail, a microSD card is reminiscent of the CD but much smaller. Using this card, music lovers can carry thousands of songs, videos and photos in their pocket – and easily transport content from a Sansa music player to a PC, PDA, mobile phone and even an automobile.
For a limited time, U.S.-based music lovers who purchase the 8GB Sansa Fuze player will have the opportunity to redeem a promotional offer inside their box to receive the exclusive Sansa Sessions music sampler on a pre-loaded microSD card. More information can be found at http://www.sandisk.com/promofuze.(2)
Announced last week, the new flash-based Sansa Fuze rounds out the Sansa product family, joining the tiny Sansa Clip and video-centric Sansa View. The Sansa audio/video line offers consumers highly affordable, yet fun and fashionable music players loaded with appealing extra features.
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and world’s largest supplier of flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory – from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk’s product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
(1) 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes; 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.
(2) U.S. only. Not available in other parts of the world. Open to legal U.S. resident, ages 13 or older. Offer ends 7/5/08, while supplies last.
