Digital Super Album (DSA)

 FAQs

 

Consumers:

 

What is a Digital Super Album (DSA)? A DSA is a large compilation of digital assets (songs, vids, pics, interviews, games, etc.) relating to a specific artist, genre or theme in standard file sizes (500-1000-2000MBs) and formats (MP3, AAC, WMV).

 

Where are DSAs sold?  Because of the large file size, DSAs will be distributed through in-store music kiosks. At these kiosks, consumers will be able to download DSAs to blank media such as SD cards and thumb drives or directly to MP3 players. 

 

How can I listen to DSA music?  Can I use my iPod?  You can download a DSA from a SD card or thumb drive directly to any PC or Mac with a USB port. (You may need a SD card reader.)  Once the music is loaded on your hard drive, MP3s and AACs can be added to your iTunes and transferred to your iPod.  Some MP3 players can play SD cards directly.

 

What is a music kiosk? A music kiosk is a freestanding unit with a screen, a hard drive and a CD burner typically located in a record store.  At the kiosk, consumers compile collections of individual songs and burn them to CDs.  Most music kiosks also have USB ports which permit digital content (such as DSAs) to be sent to blank media such as SD cards. Here are links to the websites of several music kiosk vendors.

 

www.mixandburn.com www.mediaport.com  www.modsystems.com  www.signifi.com  www.themaxbox.com

 

How much do DSAs cost?  Suggested MSRPs for DSAs are $29, $39 and $49.  As a 500MB DSA could contain the equivalent of ten Radiohead In Rainbows digital albums, the cost per song could be very low.

 

Why should I buy DSAs at a store when I can get exactly the songs I want on iTunes for only $.99?  To build a complete collection for a single artist one iTune at a time would be an expensive and time-consuming process.  If you want the entire catalog for a prominent artist, there will be no faster, easier and less expensive alternative to the DSA.  Tracks from DSAs can be easily loaded onto your MP3 player without the tedious ripping required for CDs.  DSAs will be more than simple aggregations of albums; by adding videos, interviews and audio liner notes, the DSA can offer a unique view of an artists complete oeuvre.

 

How many DSA titles will be available?  In general, about 300 DSA titles will be available at any one time.  They will cover all genres and eras with particular emphasis on heritage artists with deep catalog.  The selection of specific DSA titles may vary from retailer to retailer. 

 

Can I purchase DSAs from iTunes and other online outlets?  Because of the very large size of the DSA files, it’s generally not realistic to offer DSAs through online outlets at this time.

 

Retailers:

 

Are DSAs better than CDs for retailers?  With reduced consumer demand, high overhead costs and thin margins, CD sales are less and less important to many retailers.  For retailers who want to preserve the customer base that now visits stores for recorded music, DSAs provide excellent value for consumers at lower cost for retailers. Because DSAs are available through music kiosks, they do not require the floor space and inventory problems presented by CDs.  The higher average price for DSAa should yield a higher total market basket for retailers as well.

 

We already have a music kiosk in our store that burns CDs.  Can I now sell DSAs as well?  All ‘mix n’ burn’-style kiosks have the ability to deliver DSAs through USB ports to blank media or MP3players.  As DSAs become available from the labels, screen menu choices will expand seamlessly to guide consumers to the list of DSA titles.  Retailers will wish to stock blank SD cards and readers and thumb drives before promoting DSAs at your store.

 

How will DSAs be promoted?  In contrast to CDs and digital singles, DSAs will only be available through retail outlets.  Consumers interested in the unique content and attractive pricing will seek out the stores offering DSAs.  DSADOS.com will maintain an updated store locator for music kiosks offering DSAs.  To provide a degree of urgency, specific DSAs will be available for a limited time only at music kiosks.  Devotees of heritage artists and music fans building their collection will be targeted with viral word-of-mouth campaigns to build buzz before scheduled release dates.  Social networking and music blog sites will be targeted specifically.  Naturally a particular artist will promote his own titles especially if DSAs become the primary way to market older catalog music.

 

Do music kiosks offer in-store and coop merchandising opportunities?  Modern music kiosks allow the retailer to display promotional videos when not in use by a customer.  These promotional videos will be distributed through several kiosk networks through our digital one stop service.  Cooperative advertising dollars will be available from labels through their kiosk partners to retailers.

 

Artists/Labels:

 

Why should we discount our catalog and package it as DSAs?  Retail sales of recorded music are in freefall.  As outlets disappear, it will be increasingly difficult to rely on CD sales for anything except frontline pop artists.  The DSA format is ideally suited for catalog music as the promotion and distribution costs are trivial.  Many consumers will seek to replace their old CD libraries with digital libraries from DSAs.  The industry could enjoy a sales surge similar to what occurred during the conversion from LPs to CDs in the 1980s.

 

Who can produce and distribute a DSA? Any entity (label, manager or artist) with copyright control can assemble the covered material into a DSA.  Labels and artists may have to negotiate royalty arrangements reflective of the lower DSA price point.

 

Can the pricing be adjusted to reflect differing market demand for an artist’s work?  We believe that consumers will embrace the DSA format more quickly with simplified pricing.  However artists and labels can add or subtract content for a DSA to reflect the perceived marketability of a particular artist.  A popular artist may require several volumes to do justice to his career.

 

 

 

 

For more information on dsados.com click here for slides or here for a business description.  You can email us at acr@dsados.com or call 917-751-1003

 

DSADOS

11 East 44th Street

Suite 504

New York, NY 10017