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As the cost of data storage has continued to plunge, some industry pundits (well, www.stereophile.com's Jon Iverson) have predicted that the next step in adding value to them would be to give the devices away, but sell the music or data they contain. On March 10, online music label Magnatune and Samsung spin-off Hana Micron fulfilled that prediction with a product called the TunePlug: It's a reusable USB flash memory drive that comes loaded with 10 complete albums from Magnatune artists in MP3 file format.

Magnatune is an innovative, independent online record label that sells its music under a Creative Commons license—a license that permits free, noncommercial copying of its music, but requires payment of a fee for commercial uses, such as accompanying a film, a commercial, or another revenue-generating purpose. In the past, Magnatune has offered its music as downloads from its website (which makes license upgrades as simple as point and click), and it offers an impressive amount of classical, world, and jazz music, in addition to contemporary rock. The TunePlugs will feature Magnatune's Rock Music Collection Volume One, which includes Artemis (groovy electro-pop), Arthur Yoria (progressive alternative rock), Brad Sucks (ironic electro-pop), Burnshee Thornside (ironic funky blues rock), Emmas Mini (electronic rock with a pop edge), Fluid (tuneful retro pop rock), Jade Leary (progressive, psychedelic rock with a dark edge), Myles Cochran (folky, shoe-gazing, relaxed rock), The Kokoon (1980s-style new wave rock), and Tom Paul (rock meets modern folk). (All the music descriptions have been taken verbatim from the press release.)

Magnatune founder and CEO John Buckman said, "We are proud to work with Hana Micron on this technology that will allow our artists to be exposed to new audiences. TunePlug delivers music in the highest-quality form that can be played anywhere, on any computer or portable device. Our venture marks the first time that music has been distributed to consumers in this way—it's the future of the music industry."

The USB drives are packaged in Magnatune-branded blister packs. The drives connect to any computer's USB port and can be used like any hard disk—to store and transfer files. The TunePlug is available in 64MB capacity ($19.99), 128MB ($29.99), 256MB ($49.99), or 512MB ($69.99). Magnatune and Hana Micron are currently in negotiations with several major retail outlets for broader consumer distribution.

In the meantime, TunePlug is available through Magnatune.