J.Lo's "Brave" Album Pre-loaded in Luxury USB Drives

Artists are stirring things up in the music industry by distributing their new albums online, and one even allowing fans to set their own pricing. As Ben Patterson notes, Radiohead, Trent Reznor, Oasis, Jamiroquai, and Will.i.am are just some of the few artists turning the music business model on its head.

Last month Radiohead released its latest DRM-free album "In Rainbows" online without the help of a major music label, but the shocker came when the band told fans to "name their own price." Others followed suit including Saul Williams, who collaborated with Nine Inch Nails frontman/producer Trent Reznor, on an album that's currently being sold online for $5 in a 320kbps MP3 and free Lossless audio codec (FLAC), while a lower-quality album in 192kbps MP3 format can be downloaded for free.

James Blunt is also trying something new by allowing fans to listen to his new album on his MySpace page as many times as they want, and if they decide to pay the $10 to download the album, they also get a free CD in the mail. It's a great way to have a backup of your music.

Another trend I'm seeing is artists releasing their music on USB memory drives. Earlier this year, I told you the Barenaked Ladies and Bob Marley were among a handful of artists going the memory stick route, and now I hear J.Lo is joining them by releasing her new album "Brave" on a luxurious USB drive made of African blackwood or African mahogany.

It appears Greeso is working with Sony BMG Entertainment to make this possible, and it sounds like it plans to do the same with other artists. This particular 1GB flash drive comes in a gift box and retails for about $70. The idea is to make music available in places where it wouldn't be available before, such as mobile phone outlets, gift shops, and computer stores. Sure, the idea sounds great, but I think $70 is too much to pay for a 1GB USB drive.

Music lovers, what do you think? Which music format and sales model works best for you?

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