The new format is an obvious attempt to boost the sales of physical media (meaning, steal some sales back from iTunes and other digital music stores). It targets users of the millions of cell phones and MP3 players with MicroSD slots. Additionally, there are millions of other devices with SD and miniSD slots, which I'm assuming (if the creators of the format are smart) can use the slotMusic cards with the aid of adapters, just as they can microSD cards.

The cards will be 1 GB in size and come with a USB sleeve to allow use with a computer. The music files will (happily) be DRM-free MP3 format.

Of course, devices of note that don't come with slots: i-anything (iPod, iPod Touch, iPhones). They all use built-in storage and don't have slots for additional storage. You could, of course, transfer the files to the i-device of your choice, from the slotMusic card.

In SanDisk's press release announcing the new format, Danielle Levitas, vice president, Consumer, Broadband & New Media, IDC said:

"slotMusic offers consumers an immediate, tangible, and high quality alternative to CDs and digital delivery. This year, more than 1.2 billion mobile phones will ship globally, outstripping portable media players by nearly an order of magnitude - and this trend is accelerating."

No artist information for the initial rollout of slotMusic was given in the press release. However, the The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), citing people close to the record companies and retailers, said the initial release will be:

29 albums, from all four of the big recorded music companies: EMI Group Ltd., Warner Music Group Corp. Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a joint venture of Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG. The releases are mostly by current pop artists including Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Robin Thicke, New Kids on the Block, Weezer, Usher, Chris Brown, Akon and Leona Lewis. In a nod to older buyers, Elvis Presley is also represented.

The all-important pricing? Once again, not noted on the site, but according to the NY Times, one record label executive said it will be in the $7 - 10 range, which would be a bargain if you look at the pricing for 1 GB microSD cards at Amazon.com, and add in the music. You can always erase the cards and use them separately, after all.

But the big question, even for such a small physical medium (about the size of a fingernail, they're easy to lose), is in this age of music downloads, can consumers be convinced to try out a new physical format? The DRM-less MP3 format is a major plus, but will that be enough?

With the holiday season coming soon, it won't take long to get at least some sort of an answer.