Those that still like to buy their tunes on 'physical' media such as CDs or even good old vinyl will be intrigued to find out more about an innovative new music delivery format called the 'Playbutton' badge.
Whether or not this intriguing new promotional tool will take off amongst music fans, many of whom now download their tunes (legally and illegally) from the internet, remains to be seen.
The Playbutton is essentially an album in a badge, featuring promo artwork from the band or musicians featured.
Wear your music
The idea being that you simply plug your headphones or earphones into your new 'badge LP' and you can listen in straight away, with no need for an external MP3 player or hi-fi equipment.
"It's a small object, perfect and immediate, that you can hold in your hand," Nick Dangerfield, founder of Playbutton, told BBC News.
Dangerfield was aware that music buyers were becoming "tired with CDs" yet also that many still craved some kind of physical media and didn't like downloading.
"I thought about giving a new use to digital files by putting them in a dedicated player. It's an iconic form that gives you the chance to show your affiliation," says the Playbutton founder.
"It shows that you've purchased the music, so it shows your support for the band."
An official launch is planned for February 2011, with eight initial badge LPs at lift-off, including cuts from German glitch-techno group Oval and "indietronica" band Javelin, who are signed to David Byrne's Luaka Bop label.
The Playbutton contains a cheap 256MB memory card and the company's founder expects them to retail at around the £10 mark (with artists selecting what they want to charge for their own badges).
Intrigued? You can see more on Playbutton over at their website.
Via BBC News
