Retailers Nationwide Report Strong Consumer Interest in Double-Sided Music Product
NEW YORK, May 18 Consumer enthusiasm for DualDisc, the new double-sided music
product that combines audio and video content on a single disc, has helped propel
recent releases from Rob Thomas, Bruce Springsteen, Nine Inch Nails and Dave
Matthews to the top of the Billboard charts. For four consecutive weeks, the
Number One album in the country on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart has been
available on DualDisc.
Rob Thomas' " ... Something to Be" (Atlantic Records/Warner Music
Group), Bruce Springsteen's "Devils & Dust" (Columbia Records/SONY
BMG), Nine Inch Nails' "With Teeth" (Interscope Records/ Universal
Music Group) and Dave Matthews Band's "Stand Up" (RCA Records/SONY
BMG) are among the first major artists to release new material on DualDisc.
Other highly anticipated DualDiscs hitting the market include Lauren Ellis'
"Feels Like Family" (Silverline Records/5.1 Entertainment Group),
Ben Folds' "Songs for Silverman" (Epic Records/SONY BMG), and Beck's
"Guero" (Interscope Records/Universal Music Group).
The new products, which can be played in both CD and DVD players, have gained
support from consumers who recognize the value of combining a music product
with a DVD. DualDiscs began appearing in stores late last year and more than
2 million discs have been sold to date. The music industry expects to have more
than 200 individual DualDisc titles on the market by the fourth quarter of 2005.
"DualDisc really seems to be electrifying the marketplace," says
Fred Fox, Executive Vice President of Merchandising and Marketing for Trans
World Entertainment Corporation, one of the largest specialty music and video
retailers in the United States. "It's outperforming anything the labels
have attempted in the last few years."
By combining CD and DVD on a single two-sided disc, DualDisc capitalizes on
the overwhelming popularity of DVD music videos, which have grown exponentially
over the course of the past three years. Moreover, DualDisc meets consumer demand
for greater versatility and value in entertainment products while providing
artists with an innovative avenue for creative expression.
DualDisc is the first entertainment product to combine music, film and video
on a single, two-sided disc. One side of every DualDisc contains a full-length
audio album while the DVD side features a wide range of exclusive content such
as the same album in enhanced sound (such as 5.1 Surround Sound or enhanced
LPCM stereo), as well as music videos, interviews, photo galleries, web links,
concert footage, lyrics and more. DualDiscs play on existing CD and DVD hardware
devices such as DVD players, car stereos, PCs, game consoles and CD players.
All of the major recording companies including SONY BMG, Universal Music Group,
Warner Music Group, and EMI, as well as independent companies such as 5.1 Entertainment/Silverline
Records, are developing DualDiscs for music consumers.
5.1 Entertainment/Silverline Records
Source: SONY BMG; Universal Music Group; Warner Music Group; EMI
