SanDisk is following up the release of its new SlotMusic album on a removable storage card with a low-cost MP3 player. Could the $20 US SanDisk Sansa SlotMusic player give the new music format a boost with budding audiophiles?

Just last month, SanDisk announced its new format for distributing digital music which consists of an album sold on a removable SD card. The SlotMusic cards will be sold for $14.99, a similar price as other online MP3  store, which made it hard to see how it would take market share from iTunes or Amazon’s MP3 service.

The Sansa SlotMusic player features an SD card input slot and simple controls. The player runs on AAA batteries so that there’s no need to recharge it. The SlotMusic player also features removable shells so that owners can customize their experience with a cover featuring their favorite band.

At launch, SanDisk will have a few different branded bundles, such as a Robin Thicke bundle, an Abba bundle and a “Don’t Quit” fitness bundle each with a custom play-list. The company plans to follow these releases with other branded bundles featuring different bands.

In addition to the ability to play SlotMusic albums, the new addition to the Sansa line will be able to play music from any SD card in MP3 or WMA format. The player can accept cards with up to 16 GB of capacity, which means users can mix their own play lists and keep the music going all day.

SanDisk is also planning a line of accessories for the new SlotMusic player. It expects to release a wallet for holding SlotMusic cards, a fitness armband and additional shells for customizing the player.

As a bundle, the SlotMusic player creates a very attractive, low-cost way to start a digital music collection. Though music is shifting online to retailers such as iTunes, this could be a great way to attract compact disc buyers to the MP3 format.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 8:42 am under Music, Storage.

Read more entries by Dave Jeyes.
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