NEIL YOUNG TO LAUNCH PONO MUSIC PLAYER AT SXSW TUESDAY

$399 PonoPlayer available for pre-order Wednesday.

Mover over iPod.  On Tuesday, Neil Young will take to SXSW to unveil PonoMusic, a high-quality music service and player developed by the rock legend himself.

According to a leaked press release on the fan website Neil Young News, PonoMusic will encompass an online music store, PonoMusic.com and a portable playback device called the “PonoPlayer.”

The device is said to offer a listening experience that “transcends the limitations of a multi-function smart phone.” According to the release, the PonoPlayer will have 128GB of memory, available for storing anywhere from roughly 100 to 500 high-resolution digital albums.  The device will be sold at PonoMusic.com for $399 and will be available for pre-order at a discounted price via Kickstarter.com beginning on Wednesday.  

A Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Young has long been a proponent of preserving the quality of music, saying in his 2012 book Waging Heavy Peace: My goal is to restore an art form and protect the original art while serving the music love.”

Revamping the way we listen to music isn’t the only thing Young has on his plate these days.  The rocker is set to release an album under Jack White’s Third Man Records label later this month.  In the fall, a book about Young’s love affair with cars—as well as his environmental activism—will hit shelves. 

-Sarah Compo