es will hit the market by the end of the month. They will feature several songs, videos and multimedia content, and will retail for £5 ($10). With the price being £2 higher than what a regular CD single costs, we’re sure the USB singles will be a hit from day one (/sarcasm). The first singles to be released on USB sticks come from Keane and The Pussycat Dolls, while the first artist to have an album retail in this form is Kanye West.
The new initiative is also backed by Warner and EMI, with the former planning the release of a “part-album” from band Hadouken! on USB, and the latter planning a similar thing for Pink Floyd.
As you may recall, Universal is also backing another more-or-less useless project called Ringle, which offers three songs (one main track and two B-side tracks) and one ringtone from a certain artist.
It must be tough accepting that sales of physical media just won’t do anymore, but try to face it guys. The old model is pretty much dead and will be buried in a couple of years. And yes, Apple has been one of the companies digging the grave, thanks to its iPod and iTunes store. Or is it iShovel?