In a collaborative effort, all five major record labels have initiated test marketing of a dual-sided CD/DVD hybrid disc known as DualDisc. The companies have released a total of about 15 discs in Boston and Seattle, representatives confirm.
Warner Music Group, a primary proponent of the DVD-Audio format, has released DualDisc albums by R.E.M., POD, Barenaked Ladies, Donald Fagen and Linkin Park. The CD side of the disc contains standard two-channel, 16-bit/44.1kHz audio, while the DVD side features a high-resolution, 5.1-channel mix of the album.
Other companies, including BMG, have opted to include music videos on the DVD side of their releases. BMG has issued a DualDisc by Usher.
Sony, which developed and supports the Super Audio CD format, has released DualDiscs by AC/DC, Audioslave, David Bowie and Good Charlotte.
Another hybrid CD/DVD, DVD Plus, has already hit the market from DVD Plus International. Rounder Records has released a DVD Plus by Kathleen Edwards; RCA has issued one by the Calling. Both were EP-length discs.
More recently, Rounder announced the acquisition of rights to release films from the “American Masters” catalog of documentaries in the DVD Plus format. Rounder plans four to six releases by the end of 2004, featuring the film on one side of the disc and an audio-only compilation on the other.
