Music Exchange enables the creator of the music to securely deliver and license on-line music and CD's to a consumer. With electronic commerce being so promising, yet overwhelming, it's important for us to offer our audience a safe and simple process to first hear my music, then be able to purchase it. The Media Producer is easy to use and creates secure media files in 30 minutes or less. SDMI participants and supporters include Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, BMG Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music, Universal Music Group, RealNetworks, IBM, and Microsoft. The traditional CD product package contains audio, cover art, liner notes, track list and lyrics.
Users can preview individual tracks and purchase the virtual CD from within their player.
A record company could create a fully compressed, encrypted Music Exchange CD containing 10 virtual CD's and deliver them as part of a promotion. When the user plays the sample tracks they are asked to purchase the virtual CD using a simple, secure, on-line mechanism. When they do so, a digital certificate unlocks the album. Using DVD technology, up to 200 virtual CD's could be put securely on a single DVD disk. To provide maximum choice in players, J. River designed the Music Exchange consumer component as a plug-in.