SAN FRANCISCO - SANDISK on Monday announced it is taking on the compact disk (CD) industry by selling tunes on flash memory "micro-cards" that fit into mobile telephones and MP3 players.

The California-based flash memory titan has teamed with Sony BMG, EMI Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group to make the major studios' titles available in its "ubiquitous microSD format."

The Internet Age albums are dubbed "slotMusic" because the tiny cards pre-loaded with music fit into slots in "smart" mobile phones and MP3 players.

As is the case with CDs, people will be able to freely copy music from SanDisk micro-cards.

Digitised music sold for download from online stores such as Apple's market-leading iTunes shop is typically shackled with digital rights management (DRM) software that blocks copying to prevent piracy.

'SlotMusic offers consumers an immediate, tangible, and high quality alternative to CDs and digital delivery,' IDC broadband and new media analyst Danielle Levitas said in a release.

'This year, more than 1.2 billion mobile phones will ship globally, outstripping portable media players by nearly an order of magnitude - and this trend is accelerating.'

SanDisk plans to have slotMusic cards available in US online and real-world stores, including Wal-Mart and Best Buy, in time for the year-end holiday shopping season.

SlotMusic "albums" will be subsequently rolled out in Europe, according to SanDisk. -- AFP