The proper way to launch into any discussion about USBs is first to bow our heads in gratitude to Radiohead for that cute little hockey-puck with ears in which they assembled their classic catalog. It was a fresh idea, it made an aesthetically cold format sexy and was accomplished without major label over-thinking and second-guessing it into oblivion. With this baby drive's arrival, record companies actually were energized momentarily, their collective tongues a-waggin' over the potential defibrillation these newfangled gadgets would give their catalogs' sunset years. And regardless of the device's less than shocking sales (with expectations being hundreds of thousands), the music biz seriously considered rolling out lines of their own specially-packaged hockey pucks and other extravagantly-housed contraptions.
Sadly, a few months later, there seems to be little-to-no corporate luv left for these gizmos. It appears to be a victim of fear of the marketplace, fear of dwindling shelf space, fear of the unknown or fear of whatever. After its "it won't sell" eulogy, yet another youthful, forward thinking innovation took a hit with an unintended casualty--a brave, long range approach to the creation of future physical product lines. What did evolve in the marketplace are coded, credit card-sized iTunes danglers that proudly hang in some retail outlets, somewhere relative to the downsized CD sections. The upside is they're small, convenient and try to represent at least a little of the front cover artwork. The downside is, with the product being incredibly disposable, it's like buying a McDonald's gift card with about as much emotional attachment. And that's the major problem the major labels are missing.
The charm of vinyl albums and CDs was in their creating a strong bond between the consumer and the product, offering more aspects of the artist's vision beyond merely music. The artwork, credits, lyrics, tactile relationship and size were all ingredients of the album's successful formula. Yes, our fast-paced and choosier culture already has moved towards downloading single tracks, but the album format has not been abandoned. And as long as artists continue to deliver multiple tracks assembled as a complete "work," labels will continue to distribute those projects physically in the CD and sometimes vinyl formats for as long as they remain profitable.
But had the USB been explored a bit more with some high profile artists and projects, the format might have taken root. What Pink Floyd fan wouldn't check out a cool, pyramid-packaged flash drive, especially when marketed near zeppelins (Led Zeppelin), faux-flaming skulls (The Offspring), or other iconic tchotchkes. Classic acts such as Kiss, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Sublme, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Yes, The Who, Rob Zombie, AC/DC, and any artist with creative project packaging or culturally historic logos become immediate candidates (with some potential licensing). Stores that traditionally do not sell music might be coerced by these products' uniqueness to experiment. To cut costs, maybe a less expensive, slightly toned-down, industry-standard housing can be created. And since flash drives are a popular music delivery medium at live venues, there already is a consumer acceptance and a perception that the USB is practical.
In the meantime, it's back to vinyl. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have that format resuscitated for another ten minutes since it prematurely fell victim to the cassette and CD in the '80s. But hopefully, no one really believes that this is some long term salvation whose current sales prove how infinitely wise that decision was. Regardless of "audiophile" marketing claims, if it weren't so cost-effective to roll out the pre-existing cutting masters (or use archived CDs as a fallback), scan some cover artwork (sometimes from cutouts purchased on eBay) and market in a limited, one-way sale, the much-heralded rebirth of vinyl would have been stillborn. On the other hand, it's refreshing to have these behemoths back in the marketplace, and the major labels seem to be having some fun schlepping them out again.
Hey, while we're having all this fun, let's invite some potentially hot USBs to the party?