Sandisk has announced that it has signed deals with Universal Music, Sony BMG, Warner Music, and EMI to distribute artist albums via slotMusic microSD cards through retails stores including Best Buy and Walmart. The fancy-schmancy graphic video presentation on the slotMusic site presents the idea as a sort of cutting edge revolution in the thinking behind music packaging. But, to be honest, with digital distribution in full effect, I wonder if there is anything revolutionary about a new packaging medium - short of Star Trek-style biometric music assimilation.

Yes, we all get the microSD cards. They are in our digital cameras, cell phones, and  PDA’s. While it would be convenient to pop the card in and permanently store contents in my phone, wouldn’t it be easier to just download the tracks?  Or better yet, download the songs I want and store it on my own microSD card?

When cassette tapes replaced 8-track, and CD’s replaced cassettes, there were many who thought the new medium would not take hold in the market. But the evolution of physical formats does more than spark the interest of music buyers. It also fuels that release of new consumer electronics products as manufacturers hurry to release new home/car stereo units and add on devices that work with the latest formats. The microSD card may spark the release of thousands of new consumer electronics products, but is the market demanding it?

While Death Magnetic has been hailed by some as Metallica’s best body of work in 17 years, fans got a shock to their sound systems after playing their newly purchased CDs for the first time. The overly-compressed low end was an overkill, resulting in sound distortion and clipping for the end listener.

Per an article  at Yahoo!:

In the case of Death Magnetic, the boost is both significant and troublesome. Shepherd’s analysis shows that the CD release is a whopping 10 decibels louder than the Guitar Hero version, which translates to sounding about twice as loud to the human ear.

From Chris Vinnicombe’s post at MusicRadar.com:

Indeed, on purchasing our CD copy the day before the official release date we gave the disc a spin and couldn’t help wondering if our office headphones were faulty as the kick and snare drum seemed to be audibly clipping, along with some of the palm-muted guitar parts.

Ted Jensen, the engineer responsible for the album’s mastering, commented in his defense under the name oneway23 on Metallica’s forums, “The mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived at my place. Suffice it to say I would never be pushed to overdrive things as far as they are here.”

Check out the YouTube video for the comparison:

Rick Wright, a founding member of Pink Floyd, passed away yesterday at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. Wright, one of the most influential keyboardist of our time, was known for providing the distinctive Hammond organ playing for the band, as well as vocals to the band’s classic ‘Echos’. His most notable contributions to the Pink Floyd catalog was ‘The Great Gig In The Sky’ on the bands 1973 album, ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.

From the family’s statement at Brain Damage:

It is with much sadness that we bring you the news that Richard Wright passed away today (September 15th), after a short struggle with cancer.

It goes without saying that this gentle, modest and caring man will be greatly missed.

A founding member of the early Pink Floyd, his distinctive keyboard work was a cornerstone of the band’s music, yet his contribution was of course so much greater than that, as a vocalist and songwriter, responsible for many significant pieces of music throughout the band’s career.

Rest in peace, Richard.

FeONIC, a UK-based electronics manufacturer spun from technological advances made at Hall University, has released the F-Drive, a device capable of converting resonant building materials into high-quality speaker systems.

From an article published by the Yorkshire Post:

The device is based on ’smart’ material technology, a class of metals that is highly reactive to magnetic fields. When the device is connected to a particular surface, it converts it into a powerful non-directional speaker suitable for use for audio reproduction and public address speaking.

Mr Smith said: “When public announcements are made, for example in train stations, the sound gets distorted when you turn up the volume and the intelligibility factor is compromised.

“With the F-Drive the sound is broadcast over a much wider area and it doesn’t distort the quality of the sound.”

FeONIC’s F-Drives are already on the market, along with the company’s Whispering Window and FeONIC Glass line of audio products. Click here for more information.