CHEMISTRY BETWEEN US dotmusic.com Fashion outlet Topshop this week launches a mix-your-own CD compilation system, named Chemistry. Full to the brim with nail varnish and pink cowboy hats, London's Topshop is not usually thought of as a new media innovator; high kitsch, maybe, but not high technology. The store has, however, been the first in the UK to enable kids to select their favourite tracks and compile them on to a CD. The Chemistry department, populated by pre-teens wearing face glitter and day-glo miniskirts, strongly resembles an airport terminal into which Westlife are due to arrive. At its heart stands a row of eight kiosks, each fitted out with two sets of headphones and a touchscreen suggestively inviting: "touch me to turn me on". Once inside the system, customers can choose from 200 songs within five categories; the finished product is ready in ten minutes. Somewhat typically, no major labels have signed up; nevertheless the artists covered are as varied as Muse, Conner Reeves, Basement Jaxx and the Divine Comedy. The kiosks' developers Liquid Audio are, unusually for an Internet music company, rather chummy with the record companies, so expect more big name acts soon. At £14 per ten tracks, though, Chemistry is expensive and offers far fewer songs per pound than regular compilation albums. Custom compilation booths have been long-mooted as an integral part of the future's musical landscape, but until now have failed to reach our shores. Tower Records, HMV and Virgin Megastores are all reported to be working on CD burning facilities but they are believed to be aimed more towards reducing the need for physical stock and increasing access to rare back-catalogue albums. Could the record shops end up losing business to high-street fashion stores? comment on this article e-mail this to a friend start a discussion [about i-drive] writing index dotmusic index Problems? Questions? Suggestions? Contact me: mail@tobyslater.com back to top back to home page

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