It doesn't look like Universal is participating, and the other stuff they're giving away—Amazon Unbox TV downloads, electronics, apparel, DVDs and CDs—don't appear to be on the same point system, at least the way the press release reads. Which is too bad, I'd totally drink 10 bottles of Pepsi for a free CD.

Pepsi Stuff and Amazon MP3 Bring DRM-Free MP3 Music Downloads to the Masses: More Music for More People on More Devices

Pepsi Stuff Kicks Off on the Super Bowl

PURCHASE, N.Y., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Pepsi and Amazon.com are teaming up on Pepsi Stuff, a massive collect-and-get program where consumers can download the most DRM-free MP3 music available anywhere. Four billion specially marked Pepsi packages will allow people to collect points and redeem them for music from Amazon MP3 that can be played on virtually any digital portable device (including iPod®), organized in any music management application, or burned to a CD.

Beginning February 1, consumers purchasing Pepsi products can "bank" their points on PepsiStuff.com and redeem them for music on Amazon MP3. Amazon MP3 offers Earth's Biggest Selection of a la carte, DRM-free MP3 music downloads, with over 3.25 million songs from more than 270,000 artists. Five points earn consumers one MP3 song download from the libraries of EMI Music, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, Warner Music Group and tens of thousands of other music labels. Pepsi's biggest promotion ever makes its debut on the Super Bowl.

"MP3 music is the future of the industry and Pepsi Stuff is an accelerator," said Danny Socolof, President of Las-Vegas based MEGA, Inc., which facilitated the Pepsi/Amazon alliance. "It will help more people discover legal DRM-free music downloading sooner than they might normally have. It's also likely to draw in music fans who are not as familiar with digital downloading, which can help build a healthy future for the music business."

"We are excited to team up with Pepsi and reward millions of Pepsi Stuff participants with high-quality DRM-free music downloads from major and independent labels, playable on virtually any device, and an easy downloading experience that doesn't require special software," said Bill Carr, Amazon.com Vice President for Digital Music and Movies.

"Pepsi Stuff gives consumers choices — many choices: from the prizes they select, to the music they want to hear, to the device they want to play it on," said Cie Nicholson, SVP and chief marketing officer, Pepsi-Cola North America. "We're also broadening the prize pool to include Amazon Unbox TV downloads, electronics, apparel, DVDs and CDs. We're offering up to $1 billion in prizes, making this the largest promotion we've ever done."

Participants can also enter a daily sweepstakes for the chance to win trips to events like the Super Bowl, the MLB All-Star game and the Daytona 500, as well as for cash and many other big prizes. Consumers may sign up now to be reminded when the promotion begins at www.pepsistuff.com.

Pepsi has a long history of marketing through music, beginning with the first advertising jingle ever broadcast nationwide in 1940 and spanning the '60s and '70s with the Pepsi Generation. In the 1980s Pepsi began developing relationships with some of the world's biggest recording artists and featured chart-topping songs in marketing campaigns, concerts and commercials. It's a strategy that continues today, including recent associations with superstars Kanye West, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani and Green Day.

Pepsi Stuff will be executed across the entire Pepsi trademark: Pepsi-Cola, Diet Pepsi, Diet Pepsi MAX, Pepsi ONE, Wild Cherry Pepsi, Diet Pepsi Wild Cherry, Diet Pepsi Jazz, Diet Pepsi Lime and Diet Pepsi Vanilla. It will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign that will include TV, radio and outdoor advertising created by BBDO NY. TracyLocke (Wilton, CT), Pepsi's promotional agency of record, has been instrumental in the development and ongoing execution of the program.

About Amazon MP3

Amazon MP3 is Amazon's DRM-free MP3 digital music store where every song and album is playable on virtually any digital music-capable device, including the PC, Mac®, iPod®, Zune®, Zen®, iPhone(TM), RAZR(TM), and BlackBerry®. Amazon MP3 offers Earth's Biggest Selection of a la carte DRM- free MP3 music downloads with over 3.25 million songs from more than 270,000 artists represented by over 33,000 music labels. Every song on Amazon MP3 is available exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM) software. This means that Amazon MP3 customers are free to enjoy their music downloads using virtually any music-capable device, organize their music using any music management application such as iTunes® or Windows Media Player(TM), and burn songs to CDs.

It's a promotion people, come on—it helped put iTunes on the map back in 2004 and it might help Amazon's MP3 store gain some much needed visibility. What's interesting is that Billboard says this contest might serve as a tipping point to push Sony BMG into selling songs in the MP3 format—right now, Universal and EMI are the only two major labels doing so. If the contest isn't an adequate carrot, Wal-Mart might be providing the stick, since it's rumored to be threatening to drop Sony and Warner's catalog if they don't supply its online store with the MP3 format.

Given the fear labels have of the iTunes monopoly, you'd think they'd jump at a player-neutral format, and moreover, the chance to promote alternate players in the online music market. I, however, am not jumping at the chance to drink Pepsi. Blech. [Billboard via Paid Content, Flickr]

Where is she now? She's Macenstein's Mac Chick of the Month. Head over there for a couple more shots. Which means now you get to look at her without a shirt on.

p.s. ladies? Go look at Aussibum again.

Mac Chick of the Month [Macenstein]

In truth, it's not a far cry from the automatic espresso machines that reside on baristas' counters in Sbux already, so the decision to go full-blown automaton was probably an easy one, despite Howard Schtulz's handwringing last month—over none other than the "commoditization" of the brand. Gee Howard, what do you think a 'Bucks vending machine in every office will do to the brand? (Not to mention the coffee. Yech.) What do you guys brew with? – Matt Buchanan

Starbucks hot drink vending machines [Slashfood]

While we were wondering if the winner actually gets this stupid prize (would it have Pepsi inside?), we found out the other part of the prize is lifetime tickets to the Super Bowl. Okay, now that's valuable. The winner will be announced during the halftime show of Super Bowl XLI. The rest of us losers will have to settle for regular old aluminum cans from now on. – Charlie White

$100,000 Super Bowl Pepsi Can [BornRich]

Coke is actually one step behind Pepsi which just market-tested Pepsi Cappuccino in Switzerland and Eastern Europe. I tested it myself (repeatedly) and it's actually pretty good, or at least far better than any berry-flavored cola made so far by both companies...

Note 1: My bad for misspelling "Cappuccino." I thought that, like Coke Blak, Pepsi just dropped a C someplace.
Note 2: Yes, I know all about Pepsi Kona. But doesn't this drink imply milk?