EMERYVILLE, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Gracenote) - Gracenote, a global leader in technology and services that are an integral part of the digital media economy, today announced that its MusicID database and Playlist product will ship with the 2008
Cadillac CTS, providing a solution that not only enhances the in-car digital entertainment experience, but makes listening to music while driving safer and easier. The announcement marks the first time both products are integrated together in an in-car entertainment system in North America.
MusicID and Playlist are powered by Gracenote's Global Music Database of more than six million albums, which provides all the basic CD information including the album, artist, and track names, as well as proprietary Gracenote extended data such as genre, artist type, era and region of origin. With this comprehensive data, MusicID allows drivers to copy all of their CDs into the car and build a digital music library that can be accessed easily by the name of the artist, album or even specific track.
Furthermore, the 2008 Cadillac CTS will be the first car in North America to deploy Gracenote Playlist, the easiest and safest way to create a playlist of desired music for the driver. Hear a song you like? Simply use the "More Like This" feature and Gracenote will retrieve all of the similar music in your library and start playing it. Utilizing the custom Gracenote classifications like 1600 micro-genres and artist type, era and origin, drivers can create instant and intelligent playlists with a single button.
MusicID and Playlist enable drivers to create and manage a digital music library safely and easily, without having to handle external devices or engage in distracting programming and button-pushing. Gracenote products contribute to the all-new 2008 Cadillac CTS, a car featuring a new approach to in-car entertainment. Slated for introduction in August in the U.S., the Cadillac CTS is a dramatically-designed luxury sport sedan with advanced technology.
"The new paradigm for in-car entertainment is drivers want to access, organize and play music from large, on-board digital media libraries," said David McNamara, president of MTS LLC and former infotainment systems manager at Ford Motor Company's Research Activity. "My research shows interest in digital music across all vehicle market segments, but vehicle manufactures are challenged with providing an easy-to-use and safe solution that is not a source of distraction. Gracenote's technology allows the driver to identify, select and play a wide range of music selections, not only safely and easily, but elegantly, without limiting the driver's ability to interface with their favorite music or pre-selected playlists."
"We're pleased to provide GM with both MusicID and Playlist for the Cadillac CTS, as the products fit well with the advanced design and focus on consumer-ease and safety for in-car entertainment," said Jim Hollingsworth, Gracenote senior vice president of sales and marketing. "This deal marks the first time an automaker has included both solutions, and we are happy to help in offering a rich audio experience for consumers."
Gracenote was the first company to provide an embedded CD recognition solution for the automotive industry and has since shipped millions of units into the marketplace. The company provides its technology to some of the leading automotive companies around the world, including DaimlerChrysler, Ferrari, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota. To date, Gracenote's technology has been included in millions of advanced automotive entertainment units in Japan, with distribution now expanding to North America and Europe.
