I had the same problem in my first feeble attempt at writing GPS-software for the empeg, resulting in me having to re-install the entire image, loose all my work, and discouraging me from trying again...

I guess you could try to
1) Run a "strace" program to see what the player is actually opening
2) run a "strings" dump of the player to see if there is any reference to either /dev/console or /dev/ttyXX
3) Rename /dev/console and/or /dev/ttyXX and see what happens.

If the player is "smart enough" (dumb enough?) to go directly to the hardware without going through the /dev/ devices, I think we are looking for a Kernel Hack.

Marius (Escort Cab + Mark II)