Sony's Muteki systems offer high-wattage output, karaoke programs, and optional disco light controls. So why does this target Hispanics?
The Sony Muteki systems
At their Open House in Las Vegas, Sony released a line of audio shelf systems, the new Muteki (pronounced moo-techy) systems. Ranging from a smaller, 520-watt system to the beefier 880 watt LBT-Z80D, the Muteki line will work with D-Light Sync technology, a disco light control system that Sony has created with partner American DJ. The top-of-the-line Muteki system, the Z80D, also has a built-in Karaoke game that scores singers based on timing and rhythm.
Questionable aim
What troubles us is Sony's aim, put forth in their press release, to target Latin culture. Sure, the product literature is printed in Spanish and English, as most product literature should be (along with French, Chinese, Japanese, etc.). Besides that, we're wondering what is so Latino about a massive, gaudy speaker system with disco lights and karaoke. It seems as if Sony is promoting a stereotype, instead of targeting a specific audience.
In their release, Sony suggests that the Muteki could be "a companion for Hispanic fiestas like quinceañeras and Cinco de Mayo." First of all, quinceañeras are very classy affairs, more akin to weddings or debutante balls than a house party with a boom box. Women spend exorbitant amounts of money on fancy dresses, and as Wikipedia points out, in some cases the birthday girls has a choice of a quinceañera or a car. We're sure that many families would enjoy the music provided by a small shelf system, with built-in karaoke, for their daughters' quinceañera, but more likely you'll find a band or professional DJ.
Also, while Cinco de Mayo is a raucous, partying holiday in many bars across the U.S., the holiday is more staid in Mexico, with the notable exception of Puebla, where the Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862. The idea that this holiday represents Hispanic culture in the U.S. is a fallacy, and in fact the holiday seems to have been propelled to its current status as a drinking and partying occasion by beer companies and watering holes, and not by the Hispanic community. To claim that the powerful stereo with disco light controls is being aimed at Hispanics to celebrate Cinco de Mayo may be a serious misunderstanding on Sony's part.
Muteki's features
The Muteki system features a range of features, including a 3-disc DVD player and Dolby Digital support on the high-end LBT-Z80D system. The DVD player also plays DivX movies and MP3 files. Sony's X-Trance technology on the Z80D helps DJs control sound effects and beat mixing, as well. The system should be available by May, in time for whatever late Spring holiday you celebrate, with a price near $700.
Price & availability
The Sony Muteki LBT-Z80D should be available in May at a price near $700.
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