Sony BMG Introduces MusicPass Cards

Posted by amyclark on 08/20/2008
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1/14/2008 Stephen L. Betts SONY BMG Entertainment has announced the launch of Platinum MusicPass, a series of digital album cards that enable consumers to download full-length albums, and in many cases special bonus content, in the form of high-quality MP3 files. The first 37 titles in the series, representing musical genres ranging from rock and country to pop and R&B, will debut tomorrow (Jan. 15). By the end of the month MusicPass cards will be available at 4,500 retail outlets across the U.S. The cards will debut in Canada in late January 2008. The MP3 files delivered through MusicPass will play on computers, as well as on all MP3 players, including iPods, with the cards themselves being described by Sony BMG as “high-quality collectibles featuring artist images and album information.” In the United States, MusicPass cards will be available at Best Buy, Target, and Fred’s on Jan. 15, with Trans World stores (Coconuts, FYE, Wherehouse, & Spec's) and Winn-Dixie rolling out the cards by the end of January. The cards will have a suggested list retail price of $12.99; which will include the complete digital album plus bonus material or, in the case of compilations, extensive track listings. In order to get the content from their MusicPass cards, consumers scratch the back of their card to unveil their PIN number, then visit MusicPass.com to download their music files and bonus material. One album included in the initial offering - Kenny Chesney's Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates - will be made available both as a regularly priced Platinum MusicPass card, and in a special $19.99 version through which consumers will receive the complete album and bonus material, plus the choice of one additional album from that artist's catalog of recordings. Pop singer Celine Dion’s Taking Chances is the other title available with those options. Country albums which will be available in the initial MusicPass offering include: Brad Paisley, 5th Gear; Brooks & Dunn, Cowboy Town; Carrie Underwood, Carnival Ride; Kenny Chesney, Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates; Martina McBride, Waking Up Laughing. BY THE NUMBERS According to the 2007 American Express Gift Card Survey, Americans will spend 25% of their total gift spending on gift cards, up from 13% in 2005. 61% of shoppers said they were planning to purchase at least 1 gift card, and on average intended to purchase a total of 6 cards.