Bob Marley goes digital with the new 'Exodus' audio and video stored on USB stick

Bob Marley was known as a musical and cultural visionary, and even now, more than 25 years after his untimely death at the age of 36, he's still one step ahead of the curve.

The celebrated 30th anniversary re-release of Bob's classic album Exodus, which takes place June 4, has made a splash in the music industry for various reasons, none bigger than the potentially revolutionary technology that is part of the package.

The re-released Exodus, the 10-song album that Bob wrote and recorded in 1977 while in exile after an assassination attempt, will be the first artist album ever released in the new USB memory stick format, and you can get it right here on Bob Marley's official website, BobMarley.com.

Four thousand limited-edition, re-usable USB red, green and gold-colored memory sticks feature not only the 10 original songs on Exodus -- featuring hits "Jamming," "Waiting In Vain," "Three Little Birds" and the signature song "One Love" -- but also include audio and video content such as three video tracks recorded at London's Rainbow Theatre in June 1977, the same month as the original release date of Exodus.

The only way to get the USB memory sticks in the United States is by joining the Bob Marley Passport Fan Club at BobMarley.com.

This membership, which costs $44.99 for a year, also nets you a host of other benefits: an exclusive carrying case and lanyard for the USB drive, the regular Passport members-only access to rare audio, video, photos and future digital media exclusives, a discount code that can be used to receive 10 percent off of all purchases made in the official BobMarley.com shop, and a regular e-newsletter with exclusive features and news updates related to Bob and the entire Marley family.

Keep in mind that the USB drive is only part of a package of commemorative Exodus releases. There's also a combination CD/DVD, a new, 144-page hardback book that includes the CD and a special vinyl edition of the album and they're all available here at BobMarley.com.

But the USB drive might be the item that's going to get the most music-industry buzz. In fact, Rolling Stone has already written an article about this historic event with the headline that includes the words, "Bob Marley USB Album Release to Save Music Industry."

"So how will this affect a music industry already starved for sales?" the magazine writes. "Labels, eager to repackage their classic rockers for a younger audience (we're talking to you, Doors) could follow suit, re-re-releasing the music in the very portable new format."