GoVideo Releases "MP3 Player Bill of Rights"

Market Wire, November, 2004

With its Rave-MP(TM) MP3 players in stores and flying off the shelves, GoVideo has issued a challenge to the MP3 player industry on behalf of consumers everywhere. Over the last year, the MP3 player market has seen a huge increase in the number of players available to consumers who are buying players at record pace.

GoVideo's "MP3 Player Bill of Rights" declares that MP3 player owners should have the freedom to choose where to buy music online, which software they use to manage their music, and whether to use a Mac or PC. The bill of rights also states that MP3 player owners should be able to buy a full-featured player at a reasonable price.

"MP3 Player Bill of Rights":

1) CHOICE OF MUSIC STORES

MP3 player owners have the right to buy songs and albums from any online music store. People should not be limited to purchasing music from a pre-determined set of online stores or music labels.

2) CHOICE OF SOFTWARE

MP3 player owners have the right to manage the music on their PCs and MP3 players using any jukebox software or none at all. While custom software may allow access to specialized features on an MP3 player, customers must be able to choose which software to use for basic functions. They must also be able to drag music files directly onto an MP3 player.

3) FULL FEATURES AT ALL PRICE LEVELS

Customers have the right to full-featured players at reasonable prices. Player prices should be more related to capacity then features. Entry-level players should have all of the features of more expensive players. For example, FM tuners and voice recorders should be on 128MB flash players as well as 5 GB hard drive players.

4) IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION

New MP3 player owners should be able to use their players immediately upon purchase. MP3 Player companies should include a battery and music pre-loaded on the players so that consumers can try their players without first loading software and hooking up to a computer.

5) STANDARD CONNECTORS

MP3 players should hook to computers through the most common appropriate port. Today that port is USB 2.0

6) COMPUTER CHOICE

MP3 Player owners have the right to choose to use their players with PCs or Macs.

7) TOLL FREE TELEPHONE TECHNICAL SUPPORT

MP3 player owners have the right to toll-free telephone technical support. While printed and online support are key to quickly solving most problems, MP3 player manufactures must offer toll-free technical support to help less technical customers or customers with more specialized questions.

"During the first few weeks in stores, the tremendous success of the Rave-MP players has shown us that there was pent-up mainstream demand for an MP3 player that was at the high end of the feature chart but at the low end of the price chart. As mainstream consumers have entered the market for MP3 players, they have demanded affordable players that do not compromise on features but are still easy to use," said Kevin Brangan, vice president of product marketing, digital audio at GoVideo.

"This experience made it is clear to us that MP3 players have entered the mainstream consumer electronics market and that for consumers to have a satisfactory experience, the entire industry needs to get together to ensure that all customers, no matter whose MP3 player they purchase, have a great experience," Brangan continued. "To assist consumers and the industry, we are publicly releasing our 'MP3 Player Bill of Rights' with the hopes that other manufacturers will commit to giving consumers the rights they deserve."

The Rave-MP players from GoVideo Rave-MP players come in two designs -- the stylish ARC offers extreme convenience with its large music capacity and long battery life. The AMP has the light weight and high durability for people on the go or in the gym. Each design is offered in two capacities.

Rave-MP players use the newly announced Windows Media Player 10 as the default music manager but also allow consumers to choose virtually any other jukebox software. Because most PCs already have Windows Media Player installed, consumers can simply plug their players directly into PCs and are ready to go without installing any software.

Rave-MP ARC 2.5 and ARC 5.0

The hard disk-based ARC series, available in 2.5 gigabyte and 5.0 gigabyte versions, is the ultimate in sleek sophistication. The ARC 2.5 stores up to 83 hours of music, while the ARC 5.0 stores up to 166 hours of music.* Both ARC players are powered by a rechargeable 10 hour lithium ion battery.

Rave-MP AMP 128 and AMP 256

The flash-based AMP series, available in 128 megabyte and 256 megabyte versions, is rugged enough to go wherever sports enthusiasts and active people take it. The AMP 128 stores up to 4 hours of music, while the AMP 256 stores up to 8 hours of music.* Both AMP players are powered by one AAA alkaline battery and are expandable to one gigabyte of storage with SD or MMC memory cards.

All Rave-MP MP3 players include a 5-band equalizer, an FM tuner, the ability to make both FM and voice recordings, high-quality earphones, an armband, and a carrying case. The Rave-MP players also come pre-loaded with music tracks by up-and-coming independent artists.