Playbutton Puts Music On A Button, Going On Sale In Early 2011

If listening to music is something you like to do, but telling those around you (who ask) what you're listening to isn't, then the Playbutton could be the next MP3 player for you. Especially if you only want to listen to one album at a time, and show off to the world who you're listening to. While most MP3 players are meant to let you have plenty of artists, or individual songs, ready to go at all times, the designer of the Playbutton believes that having one album, on an MP3 player as small as a button, may be the future of music.

At least, one part of the future of music. Designed by Nick Dangerfield and his cohorts at Playbutton, the aptly-named MP3 player is meant to not only let you listen to an album simply and easily, it's also meant to show off who you're listening to. In a world where pirating music is a real threat to the music industry, Playbutton wants to let those who buy their music show it off, so that everyone can see it.

Dangerfield is planning on having the Playbutton released by February of 2011, and it's going to be up to the artists who release the MP3 players to pick the price. As Dangerfield puts it, "If you say to people, 'It's an MP3 player and it's $25,' they say it's cheap. But if you say, 'It's an MP3 player and it's already got a good record inside,' they think it's expensive." Dangerfield confirmed that there will be 8 different "smaller" bands that are featured at the Playbutton's launch. Artists like Germany-based Oval, and New York-based "indietronica" band Javelin.

As for the design, it's as simple as it gets: an MP3 player that's meant to look like a small bade, or button. Controlling the music is just as simple as the design. Three buttons on the back of the button: play/pause, skip back, and skip left. There's no way to take the music off the badge, and there's no way to put music onto it. You also can't shuffle the music on the button, either.

[via BBC UK]