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Just when you thought the MP3 player wars were cooling off, with the ubiquitois iPod still the
standard-bearer, a new competitor is looking to give Apples little white box a run for its
money.
Hip-hop mogul Damon Dash, best known for his Roc-A-Fella music label, is getting in on the act.
A new addition to his growing stable of consumer brands is Roc Digital, which will market the
Rocbox, a line of MP3 players.
For his blinged out take on portable digital music boxes, Dash is playing with the traditional
iPod form. While still rectangular, the Roc Box sports a chrome front, glowing buttons and
rubberized back.
Its just another arm in the Dash empire, which already includes his new magazine, America,
Armadale Vodka, Tiret wristwatches and the acquisition of the classic Pro-Keds sneaker line.
We saw Apple making a killing, and we thought it would be good market to go after," dash tells
the New York Times. It has been rough going in the music business. We have been using music to
promote my other brands and validate them in a cool way.
Among the ideas he has for cross-promotion are Rocbox are product placemnt shots in videos from
Roc-a-Fella artists and add-on tags in clothing from his Rocawearline.
To be sold at outlets like Macys and CompUSA, the Rocbox will come in an iPod-like hard drive
version, selling for around $299, and a smaller flash-memory version for $159. The players will
feature exclusive music from Roc-A-Fella artists, either pre-loaded or available for download.
Look for the Rocbox to debut sometime in November.
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