Dataplay...

[From Billboard]

Santana, Whitney, Lavigne Head To DataPlay

Arista announced today (Aug. 5) that it plans to release albums from Santana, Whitney Houston, and Avril Lavigne on pre-recorded DataPlay digital media. The label struck a deal with DataPlay -- a coin-sized digital format that can hold more than 11 hours of music - earlier this year.

"Shaman," Santana's follow-up to the multi-Grammy-winning "Supernatural," is due in October; it will have a simultaneous release in the CD and DataPlay formats. The Carlos Santana-led group has North American tour dates lined up well into the fall and will hit Mansfield, Mass., tomorrow (Aug. 6). As previously reported, the guitarist guests on Mexican rock outfit Mana's "Revolucion de Amor," due Aug. 20 from Warner Music International.

Whitney Houston's next album will be made available on DataPlay shortly after the CD hits stores in September. Details of the set remain sketchy, but first single "Whatchulookinat" (produced by her husband Bobby Brown and Muhammad 2G) has recently been serviced to U.S. radio outlets. Houston has not released a new studio set since 1998's "My Love Is Your Love."

Arista is also scheduling Lavigne's "Let Go" -- currently No. 7 on The Billboard 200 and featuring the No. 3 Hot 100 hit "Complicated" -- for a September DataPlay release. The artist is on tour in North America through Aug. 23.

NEWSFILE: 5 AUGUST 2002