(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Another player has entered the after-concert instant live CD market. iMusic Group, a startup music and technology company in Nashville, has developed Replay, a proprietary system that records, masters and duplicates a live concert or event minutes after its conclusion.
iMusic's Russ Regan said he predicted 20 years ago that "someday, you'll go to a concert and by the time you leave, you'll be able to buy a recording of that night's show."
To date, iMusic has recorded shows last year by Christian/pop band MercyMe, with more planned for 2004.
According to Regan, iMusic Group's Replay is superior to its competitors in four important ways: 1) each Replay system will be assembled specifically for an artist's tour and will travel with the artist, instead of traveling on its own or being tethered to a venue; 2) Replay is fully automated, for plug-and-play ease of use and low cost of production; 3) Replay is scalable, making possible profitable concert burns for audiences as large as 50,000 or more or as small as a few hundred; and 4) Replay will help both artists and labels. Instead of trying to cut labels out of the process, iMusic Group recognizes that labels are looking for new revenue streams in lean times. –Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
