|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Big Hassle: Jim Merlis, 310-204-0200 or jim@bighassle.com
Big Hassle: Jim Walsh, 212-202-0272 or walsh@bighassle.com
EMI Music: Jeanne Meyer, 212 786-8850
SanDisk: Carm Lyman, Lyman Public Relations, 707 256-3834 or carm@Lymanpr.com
SONY BMG: Claire Von Schilling, 212 833-8082 or Claire.VonSchilling@sonybmg.com
Universal Music Group: Maria-Ho Burge 212 331-2569 or Maria.Ho-Burge@umusic.com
Warner Music Group: Amanda Collins, 212 275-2213 or Amanda.Collins@wmg.com
SLOTMUSIC
CARDS NOW SHIPPING: MORE THAN 40 TOP ARTISTS AVAILABLE FROM NEARLY
EVERY GENRE OF MUSIC
Artist’
Albums, Including Coldplay, Katy Perry, Leona Lewis, Rihanna and
Robin Thicke will be Available on High Quality, DRM-Free MP3
slotMusic™ Cards at Best Buy®
and Wal-Mart

(Los
Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Milpitas, CA – October 15, 2008) ––The world’s four largest music companies and
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leading seller of MP3 players
and flash memory cards in the United States, today unveiled the full
list of artists joining the inaugural slotMusic line-up. Starting
this week, music fans can purchase slotMusic cards—microSD™ cards
with pre-loaded, high quality, DRM-free MP3 music—featuring new
release albums from favorite artists like Coldplay, Katy Perry, Leona
Lewis, Rihanna and Robin Thicke and catalog titles from Elvis, Abba
and more.
Within days of shipping, slotMusic cards will arrive on
the shelves of Best Buy and Wal-Mart in the United States, with a
manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $14.99.
slotMusic makes
today’s hottest music available on interoperable microSD cards
that let fans instantly plug and play albums into their microSD
slot-enabled mobile phones, portable media players, computers, and an
increasing number of car stereos.
More than just your typical music albums or single downloads, slotMusic cards boast 1GB1
(gigabyte) of capacity to offer artists a compelling new way to express themselves to their fans. In addition to songs, slotMusic
cards may hold liner notes, album art, videos and other creative
content that an artist may choose.
Grammy™-winning
recording artist Robin Thicke, is utilizing the additional space on
his card to add exclusive videos, behind the scenes footage and
photos, personally chosen by Thicke to share with his fans.
Dozens of popular artists from EMI Music, SONY BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group are making their debut on slotMusic cards in time for the holidays, including:
- ABBA
- Chris Brown
- Coldplay
- Connie Talbot
- Daughtry
- Don’t Quit Fitness Bundle
- Elvis Presley
- Five Finger Death Punch
- Jimi Hendrix
- Jimmy Buffet
- Katy Perry
- Keane
- Kelly Clarkson
- Kiss
- Leona Lewis
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Metro Station
- MIA
- Nelly
- New Kids On the Block
- Ne-Yo
- Nickelback
- Pussycat Dolls
- Rihanna
- Rise Against
- Robin Thicke
- Saving Abel
- Shwayze
- Solange
- Sugarland
- Tim McGraw
- Toby Keith
- Usher
- Weezer
- Young Jeezy
Consumers can expect additional releases from other artists before the end of the year. slotMusic has an unparalleled, pre-existing installed base at launch: hundreds of millions of multimedia-phones.
slotMusic cards are packaged with a tiny USB adapter (a $9.99 value) ensuring seamless interoperability with all computers – Windows, Linux and Mac—and enabling music fans to move their music to any music
management software program or MP3 music device. The MP3-based music tracks will be played back at up to 320 kilobits per second (kbps), offering a high quality audio experience.
slotMusic cards are expected to be available in Europe in 2009.
SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), inventor of the ubiquitous microSD format, is leading the technology development behind slotMusic.
For more information regarding slotMusic, please visit www.slotmusic.org.
About EMI Music
EMI
Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the
world’s leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists
spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include
Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI
Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute,
Parlophone and Virgin.
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 (www.sandisk.com/corporate)
is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half
its sales outside the United States.
About
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music company with
a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local
artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that
comprises some of the most important recordings in history. Sony BMG
Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony
Corporation of America.
About
Universal Music Group
Universal
Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned
record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also
include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading
global music publishing operation.
Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa,
Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam
Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville,
Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records,
Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal
Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record
labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around
the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog
of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the
world\'s most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is
marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises
(in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.).
Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and
technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company;
Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and
Helter Skelter, its live music agency. Universal Music Group is a
unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.
About Warner Music Group
Warner
Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly
traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new
stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a
collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry
including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra,
Lava, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner
Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in
national and international repertoire, operates through numerous
international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries.
Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the
world's leading music publishers.
________________________________________________________________________
1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes; 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.
SanDisk’s Sansa web site/home page address: www.sansa.com
slotMusic.org’s online: www.slotmusic.org
SanDisk, the SanDisk logo and Sansa are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Sansa Fuze is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation. slotMusic is a trademark of SLOTmedia Group
LLC. microSD and SDHC are trademarks. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder (s).
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including expectations for new product introductions, applications, markets and customers that are based on our current expectations and involve
numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others:
market demand for our products may grow more slowly than our expectations or there may be a slower adoption rate for these products in new markets that we are targeting, these products may not
perform as expected, these products may not be available when expected or at the prices expected, and the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and
reports, including, but not limited to, our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the information contained in this press
release.
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
SANDISK INTRODUCES THE
SANSA SLOTMUSIC PLAYER—THE EASIEST WAY TO LISTEN TO MUSIC ON
THE GO
New Plug & Play, Portable Music Player is Designed Especially for slotMusic™ Cards; Popular Artists Have Their Own Personalized MP3 Players
MILPITAS, Calif., (October 15, 2008) – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), a leading seller of MP3 players and flash memory cards, today unveiled the Sansa slotMusic™
Player, the easiest MP3 player for loading and listening to music on the go. The plug & play, portable music player was specially designed for use with the new slotMusic cards available today in the United States. In addition to the
Sansa-branded player, SanDisk has created personalized, branded slotMusic players for popular artists such as Robin Thicke and ABBA. Both types of slotMusic Players are shipping to U.S. stores today – including
Best Buy and Wal-Mart.
The Sansa slotMusic Player (MSRP $19.99) was made to play slotMusic card albums or a self-loaded microSD™ card full of music. The effortless player doesn’t require a PC, Internet or any time spent managing
music. Consumers simply choose their slotMusic or music-filled microSD card, pop it into the device and will be enjoying their favorite tunes in seconds.
The unique, artist-branded slotMusic Player is a stylish, all-in-one package, which includes both the slotMusic card and a trendy player bearing their favorite artist’s name and image. The branded player
comes pre-loaded with an album on a 1GB slotMusic card. (Additional content on the card may include liner notes, album art and other one-of-a-kind content personally chosen by the artist.) Artist-branded slotMusic players will retail for a MSRP
of $34.99.
Announced last month, slotMusic is a new format of high-fidelity, DRM-free MP3 music on a microSD card, which gives consumers the ability to easily listen to—and quickly swap—their favorite songs among a mobile
phone, personal computer, and any MP3 player with a microSD slot. slotMusic cards available this month will feature nearly 40 of the biggest names in music from all four major music labels: EMI Music, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT,
Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. Artists on slotMusic cards include Robin Thicke, Katy Perry and Coldplay. (Media note: see associated press release.)
“With no need for computers or cords, the Sansa slotMusic Player gives consumers more time to play, and less time to worry about managing or downloading their music,” said Daniel Schreiber, senior vice president and general manager for SanDisk. “SanDisk
is all about building products that are easy for consumers to enjoy.
Just insert your favorite
artist’s slotMusic card into the Sansa slotMusic player and
press play.”
Perfect for those on the go, the small device can easily be tucked in a pocket or purse, with a weight of a little over two ounces and dimensions of 2.75” W x 1.4375” H x 1.4375” D.
SanDisk has also developed a special line of Sansa slotMusic Player accessories, including a Sansa Card Wallet, an armband, and additional slotMusic player “shells” for customizing a
player to one’s own tastes.
In addition to slotMusic cards, this convenient MP3 player can play songs from any microSD card with music encoded as MP3 and WMA (DRM-free only) files. The industry leader in flash memory cards, SanDisk is currently
selling microSD cards in a range of capacity with up to an astounding 16GB of capacity. 16GB can hold up to 4,000 MP3 songs
The Sansa-branded players ship with a customizable black shell, earphones and battery. The new Sansa slotMusic Player, both Sansa-branded (without cards) and artist-branded (including cards), is expected to be available
from retailers in Europe and other regions of the world in 2009.
The Sansa slotMusic
Player brings yet another dimension to SanDisk’s Sansa
audio/video product family, which includes the popular Sansa®
Fuze™ and video-centric Sansa® View, both of which accept
with slotMusic cards. The Sansa line offers consumers unprecedented
choice for enjoying their favorite media on the go through
affordable, easy to use, fun & fashionable music players.
For more information visit http://www.sansa.com.
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 (www.sandisk.com/corporate
is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half
its sales outside the United States.
________________________________________________________________________
1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million bytes; 1
gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes.
Approximation based on 4
minute songs at 128 kbps MP3.
SanDisk’s product and executive images can be
downloaded from http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/media.asp
SanDisk’s Sansa web site/home page address:
www.sansa.com
slotMusic.org’s onlinewww.slotmusic.org
SanDisk, the SanDisk logo and Sansa are trademarks of
SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other
countries. Sansa Fuze is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation.
slotMusic is a trademark of SLOTmedia Group LLC. microSD and SDHC
are trademarks. Other brand names mentioned herein are for
identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their
respective holder (s).
This press release contains certain forward-looking
statements, including expectations for new product introductions,
applications, markets and customers that are based on our current
expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may
cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks
that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate
include among others: market demand for our products may grow more
slowly than our expectations or there may be a slower adoption rate
for these products in new markets that we are targeting, these
products may not perform as expected, these products may not be
available when expected or at the prices expected, and the other
risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange
Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our
most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our subsequent quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the
information contained in this press release.
Primary Media Contact
Jim Merlis
Big Hassle
jim@bighassle.com
310-204-0200
Jim Walsh
Big Hassle
walsh@bighassle.com
212-202-0272
|