Patent ID: 8370216

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for automatically preloading digital music player devices that are ordered by customers with personalized groups of digital music files before providing the digital music player devices to the customers, the method comprising: for each of multiple customers of an online retailer, receiving an order from the customer for a subscription to an online digital music service, the subscription allowing the customer to download and play back digital music files from the online digital music service while the subscription remains valid; receiving an order from the customer for a digital music player device; before shipping a copy of the digital music player device to the customer, automatically loading the digital music player device copy with a group of digital music files from the online digital music service that is personalized to the customer, the automatic loading of the digital music player device copy being performed by one or more configured computing systems of the online retailer, the automatic loading of the digital music player device copy including, retrieving information about indicated songs in which the customer has previously expressed an interest and automatically determining additional songs that are potentially of interest to the customer, the determining being performed by at least one of the one or more configured computing systems and including selecting songs that are automatically recommended for the customer; and after the digital music player device copy is connected to a preload station, loading digital music files from the online digital music service on the digital music player device copy for each of the indicated songs and each of the additional songs; and fulfilling the order for the digital music player device by shipping the digital music player device copy that is loaded with the digital music files to the customer.