South African independent label Just Music has become the first record company in that territory to release an album on a USB Flash Drive.
“Closure,” from Namibian-born, South African-based singer-songwriter J, is being offered at retail for R149 ($20); the CD version, released in October, is priced at R129 ($18).
The memory stick format comprises the full album along with four ringtones, PC wallpapers, a gallery of J photographs and an exclusive acoustic version of first radio single, “Down Again.” All tracks are in high bit-rate MP3 format.
Just Music partnered with Cape Town-based new media company Prezence and technology firm Kingmax on the initiative.
The “J-stick” can be re-used for storing data and plugs into a USB port on the user’s PC or stereo. It is racked in a transparent tube containing the memory stick, an album sleeve and a lanyard. Future releases will see the sticks accompanying traditional CD cases, according to Prezence.
Tim Bishop, managing director of Prezence, comments, “We see the release of the J album as just the start of delivering music and content to South African consumers in this innovative and very exciting format.”
The release follows a similar move by U.K. alternative rock act Keane, which issued the single “Nothing In My Way” (Island) on a memory stick in Britain last month.
