Radiohead reveal how successful 'In Rainbows' download really was

Facts for pay-what-you-want release finally made public October 15, 2008 | 13 Comments Radiohead news RSS feed More Radiohead news, reviews, videos and tour dates Post this on Twitter or Follow NME The statistics behind the pay-what-you-like release of Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' album, released on October 10 last year online, have been revealed today (October 15). According to reports most fans chose to pay nothing to download the album. However, it still generated more money before it was physically released (on December 31) than the total money generated by sales of the band's previous album, 2003's 'Hail To The Thief'. According to Music Ally, Jane Dyball, head of business affairs at Warner Chappell (the publishing company that oversaw the release of 'In Rainbows'), refused to reveal the average price people were downloading the album for. However, Dyball, set to speak about the release at the Iceland Airwaves conference later, explained that Warner Chappell and Radiohead's management were monitoring the average price daily, and was prepared to cancel the download facility if the average price became too low. The download facility was taken down after three months, and the album went to Number One in the UK and USA after being physically released. Statistics revealed that most fans downloaded the album through file-sharing service BitTorrent, but that this had been anticipated before the release. The band sold 100,000 copies of the 'In Rainbows' box set, which contained extra songs not available on the standard download or CD release. Warner Chappell concluded that the new release style was a financial success, but did not reveal whether Radiohead plan to release an album in a similar way in the future.

Free All Music to Offer Free Legal Downloads from EMI Music
Jan 19, 10 5:01 PM Author robrien Digital catalog to debut during FreeAllMusic.coms private beta Atlanta, GA (January 19, 2010) EMI Music has reached an agreement with FreeAllMusic.com, the ad-sponsored digital music download service (http://www.freeallmusic.com) to offer music fans in the US free, legal downloads from EMIs full digital repertoire of chart-topping musical artists and legendary catalog. EMI Musics catalog is being added during FAMs current private beta period, when users will be offered up to 20 free downloads per month, five per week, starting every New Music Tuesday, based on the usage patterns of a typical hits-oriented digital music consumer. FreeAllMusic.com is a new music service that provides consumers with downloadable high-quality iPod-compatible MP3s of popular songs that are advertiser-paid, free, legal, and unrestricted (DRM-free). In exchange for watching one brief video commercial per download on the FreeAllMusic.com site, users receive a permanent, high-quality download which they can enjoy anytime, anywhere with no further advertising or restrictions. There is no software required for the service. Users music selections and sponsoring brands are then promoted externally through an optin, consumer-informed digital advertising network. To download a free track, registered users simply select a participating brand they prefer, and watch a brief video from that brand. After each download, FreeAllMusic.com serves additional advertisements for that brand across targeted websites. Visitors to those sites will see ads displaying information about downloads, supporting brands, and FreeAllMusic.com. Users can also email information about their download to friends, who can also download it legally for free after watching the ad, too. Sharing of download activity can also be posted on popular social networking sites. Although free to consumers, FreeAllMusic.com compensates content holders, so artists and music publishers will receive their applicable royalties on these sales. Were making free, legal downloads fast, easy, and fun for consumers, said Richard Nailling, CEO of Free All Media. The addition of EMIs catalog to FAM means we have even more current hits from current artists as well as classic catalog recordings. A big part of EMIs mission is offering different kinds of fans an array of options for enjoying music, said Mark Piibe, EMI Music Global Head of Digital Business Development. FreeAllMusic.com is a great music discovery option, and one that gives value to fans, artists and brands. Free All Media, LLC is based in Atlanta, GA, and with sales offices in New York and Los Angeles. Richard Nailling is the chief executive officer and Brian McCourt is the senior vice president of business development and affiliate relations. About EMI Music EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Its EMI Music Services unit provides EMIs roster of artists as well as independent labels and artists with a global menu of commercial services and seamless access to an expanding range of revenue streams and business models.

EMI Music and Walt Disney Records renew successful partnership

Feb 15, 10 4:20 PM Author robrien New album releases for 2010 include Hannah Montana 4, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam, Tron Legacy, Toy Story 3 and Alice In Wonderland LONDON 15 FEBRUARY 2010 EMI Music and Walt Disney Records have extended their exclusive licensing agreement under which EMI represents the extensive recorded music catalogue of Walt Disney Records in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.The original license agreement was struck in 2005. Since then, album sales through EMI of major Disney franchises have included:

The High School Musical series over seven million Hannah Montana releases over two million, including over one million in 2009 alone Camp Rock over 700,000 And over two million Disney-branded compilations

Upcoming Walt Disney Records albums that will be released through EMI Music include Hannah Montana 4, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and the soundtracks to the upcoming movies Tron Legacy, Toy Story 3 and Alice In Wonderland, plus the inspired-by compilation Almost Alice, which includes the films end title song Alice performed by Avril Lavigne.David Kassler, EMI Musics chief operating officer for Europe and Rest of World said: Were thrilled to be continuing our very successful partnership with Disney whose films and music delight an ever growing universe of fans. We look forward to building on that success with the exciting releases coming up next from Walt Disney Records. Disney Music Group Chairman, Bob Cavallo, added, EMI have been both very successful and supportive in their promotion of our Walt Disney Records assets overseas. We are delighted to continue to grow our European business with the EMI team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. About EMI Music EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. About Disney Music Group Disney Music Group encompasses all of the Walt Disney Companys recorded music and music publishing operations, including Hollywood Records, Walt Disney Records, Lyric Street Records, Buena Vista Concerts and Walt Disney Music Publishing.

EMI and Century Media further expand their relationship

Dec 3, 09 4:21 PM Author robrien EMI takes on physical and digital distribution for Century Medias newly affiliated label PeopleLikeYouRecords COLOGNE, 3 DECEMBER 2009 EMI Musics Label Services division and Century Media Records, one of the worlds most renowned and successful heavy metal labels, have further expanded their relationship around the world. In October 2009, it was announced that EMI will assume physical and digital distribution of Century Medias roster of artists in Australia and New Zealand, in addition to the North American, UK and Continental European, South African and Middle East territories where EMI already distributes Century Media Records. Century Medias artists include Lacuna Coil, Paradise Lost, Suicide Silence, In This Moment and Winds of Plague. In addition to physical distribution, it was also announced that EMI will take on digital distribution for Century Media in the UK, Continental Europe, South Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. EMI will also handle digital distribution for Japan (iTunes) and Korea (EMI Label Services added digital distribution services for Century in North America in January 2009). As of January 2010, in addition to taking on physical and digital distribution for Century Medias two newly-affiliated labels InsideOutMusic and SuperballMusic, EMI Label Services will also provide these services to Century Medias most recent addition, PeopleLikeYouRecords, a PunkRock/Psychobilly label that is home to the Broilers, Toxpac, and the Adicts, among others. EMI will distribute the rosters for all three of these prominent labels for Century Media in the UK, Continental Europe, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, and for Itunes in Japan. More information is available at the following websites: www.insideout.de www.superballmusic.com www.peoplelikeyourecords.com www.centurymedia.com About EMI EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Its EMI Music Services unit provides EMIs roster of artists as well as independent labels and artists with a global menu of commercial services and seamless access to an expanding range of revenue streams and business models.

EMI Music brings music videos and concerts to Hulu

Nov 18, 09 4:11 PM Author robrien Grammy-Winning Artist Norah Jones Kicks-Off EMI Offering with Exclusive Material and Music Videos EMI is first major label group to make concerts, music videos available on Hulu Los Angeles, November 18, 2009 EMI Music has reached an agreement with Hulu, an online video service that offers hit TV shows, movies and clips at Hulu.com and other online destination sites anytime in the U.S., making EMI the first major music company to offer concerts and music videos from its artists to Hulu viewers. The deal, which will include content from artists on EMIs labels including Virgin, Capitol and Blue Note, begins today with exclusive content from Norah Jones, whose highly-anticipated new album, The Fall debuts this week. The Norah Jones page on Hulu is available at www.hulu.com and will feature multiple concerts in their entirety, including her show at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, which featured guests Dolly Parton and Gillian Welch. Also available is the entire repertoire of Norah Jones music videos, including her latest, Chasing Pirates, videos from her 2007 release, Not Too Late, as well as those from quadruple platinum 2004 release Feels Like Home and her landmark debut album, Come Away With Me. An interview with Jones is available on the Hulu blog: http://blog.hulu.com. We think Hulu is an excellent, high-quality environment and a great place to connect with fans. We look forward to making more content available from other artists as well, said Ronn Werre, President, EMI Music Services and COO, EMI Music North America. Were delighted to add Hulu to the growing number of platforms EMI is working with to give fans more of what theyre looking for. Since the release of her debut album Come Away With Me in 2002, Norah has become one of the most influential and biggest-selling artists of the decade, reaching the #1 spot in the US and across the globe for each of her three previous albums, racking up a staggering 37 million in sales worldwide, and receiving 9 Grammy Awards. The Fall, which is being released this week around the world, finds Jones experimenting with a new set of collaborators, including Jacquire King, a noted producer and engineer who has worked with Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, and Modest Mouse among others. Jones enlisted several songwriting collaborators, including Ryan Adams and Okkervil Rivers Will Sheff, as well as her frequent partner Jesse Harris. King also helped Jones put together a new group of musicians to perform on the album, including drummers Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) and James Gadson (Bill Withers), keyboardist James Poyser (Erykah Badu, Al Green), and guitarists Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello) and Smokey Hormel (Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer). About EMI Music EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies. EMI Music represents

artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Its EMI Music Services unit provides EMIs roster of artists as well as independent labels and artists with a global menu of commercial services and seamless access to an expanding range of revenue streams and business models.

American label Wind-up Records signs with EMI Music

Sep 16, 09 3:47 PM Author robrien COLOGNE- 16 September 2009. EMI Music Germany today announced their international partnership with the legendary American label Wind-up Records. The partnership will see EMI Music take over the marketing and distribution of artists such as Creed, Evanescence, Seether and Finger Eleven throughout the world outside North America. One of the first new releases under this arrangement will be the first new studio album from Creed in over 7 years. The album is entitled Full Circle and will be released at the end of October 2009 with the groups original line-up: Scott Stapp (lead vocals), Mark Tremonti (guitars, backing vocals), Scott Phillips (drums, percussion) and Brian Marshall (bass). This much-awaited event reunites one of the most successful rock bands of the last decade, creators of timeless alternative rock hits such as With Arms Wide Open, My Sacrifice and Higher. For rock aficionados Full Circle will be one of the biggest rock events of the year. We are very proud of this international partnership, which was piloted by EMI Music Germany. says Uli Muecke, Head of New Music & Vice President of Marketing at EMI Germany. Artists like Creed, Evanescence and Seether are an exciting addition to our roster and we look forward to giving them our support and expertise as an international repertoire source and strong strategic partner for globally-selling artists. Billy Mann, President of New Music International and President of Global Artist Management at EMI adds, Both EMI and Wind-up have a rich and proven history of building artists careers from the ground-up. We look forward to expanding further on Wind-ups successes around the globe in providing the insight and innovation that leads growth. Apart from new releases another focus will be on the Wind-up back catalogue that encompasses previous album releases from Evanescence, Creed, Seether, Alter Bridge, Finger Eleven and Drowning Pool, as well as soundtrack favourites such as Walk The Line and Punisher and Scream III, noted Dirk Ewald, SVP Catalogue Europe, Japan, Australasia. The Gold- and Platinum award studded Wind-up catalogue was unavailable for a while now so retail reaction to our digital and physical re-introduction campaign starting end September is very good. Its is an excellent addition to our own product portfolio and we are looking forward to working with the Wind-up Records team and their artists.

I believe that this partnership will bring both companies success and offer a worldwide platform for our artists, says Edward Vetri, President of Wind-up Entertainment in New York. EMIs global approach to sales and marketing will provide us with an international point to launch our artists in a strategic, coordinated manner. Wind-up prides itself on a commitment to artist development and EMIs similar values will only increase international opportunities and cross company promotions. Jim Cooperman, COO and EVP Business and Legal Affairs for Wind-up comments, The enthusiasm with which the entire EMI team has embraced Wind-ups artists and catalogue has been overwhelming. We look forward to working with EMI to further establish the Wind-up brand throughout the world and to help make our artists household names in all of the Continents. In addition to Creeds Full Circle we eagerly anticipate EMIs involvement in forthcoming releases from our star-studded roster including Evanescence, Seether and Finger Eleven, as well as more recently signed acts such as Cartel, Hawthorne Heights, Emily Osment, Stars of Track and Field and Thriving Ivory. With EMIs innovation and vision and Wind-ups talented roster of artists the potential of this partnership is undeniable, adds Alan Galbraith, VP International for Wind-up Records. Wind-up and EMI share a commitment to true artist development and EMIs expertise in marketing back-catalogue is second to none. Working together we are confident we will deliver meaningful results across the entire Wind-up repertoire. -endsAbout EMI Music EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the worlds leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. About Wind-up Entertainment Wind-up Entertainment Inc. is a privately owned company that was founded in March 1997. Wind-up Records, a subsidiary of Wind-up Entertainment is currently the largest independently owned and operated label in the United States. Wind-up Entertainment Canada Inc., Wind-up Nashville, and expansion across Europe reflect the growing global presence for the label anddevelopment of the companys repertoire to encompass most genres. The labels roster features Evanescence, Seether, Finger Eleven, Hawthorne Heights, Cartel, the entire Creed repertoire, and more than a dozen developing artists which include Company of Thieves, Stars of Track and Field, Thriving Ivory, Civil Twilight, Pilot Speed and others. Wind-up Entertainment also houses the publishing concerns Sakyamuni Music Publishing, LLC, Bodhi Music Publishing, LLC and Renfield Music Publishing, Inc., as well as Pronto Merch, LLC, a full-scale retail, on-line and tour merchandising company. Wind-up Entertainment also operates Wind-up Artist Development Corporation and Wind-up Touring, LLC.

Shes A Genius the first single from JETs upcoming album tapped for new Victorias Secret ad campaign
Aug 11, 09 3:19 PM Author robrien Its Genius supermodels,super brand, super song, super director Highly anticipated new album Shaka Rock out August 25 New York (August 11, 2009) Aussie rockers JET will lend their new single, Shes a Genius, from their upcoming album, Shaka Rock, to the new Victorias Secret television campaign. The song has been tapped for a sexy new ad for Body by Victoria featuring top super models Marisa Miller, Alessandra Ambrosio, Emanuela de Paula and Lindsay Ellingson. The commercial, which will air in primetime, premieres on August 11, 2009 on all major networks including cable. The tongue in cheek song lends itself perfectly to the fun and sexy themes of one of the worlds hottest brands. Victorias Secret super-director and bass player Michael Bernard is a two time MTV Video Music Award nominee. Victorias Secret Music Supervisor Vasili Gavre says, Victorias Secret is really excited that they are the first to license an exclusive JET track in the U.S. before the release of the new album Shaka Rock at the end of August. Victorias Secret continues to be one of the hottest brands with the hottest girls in the hottest ads and we couldnt ask for JETs first single to be partnered with a better concept for Shes A Genius, supermodels in their underwear, said Allen Kovac, Manager of JET. JET will release their highly anticipated third studio album Shaka Rock on August 25th on their newly created Real Horrorshow Records/Five Seven Music with distribution through EMI Label Services. Shaka Rock captures the charisma and energy of classic rock and roll with just enough punk swagger and contemporary flair to create something uniquely JET. Shes A Genius, is already top 5 in Canada and Japan and rising on the charts at multiple formats in the U.S., Australia, Germany, the UK and other territories worldwide. You can view the spot at: http://www.youtube.com/user/VICTORIASSECRET beginning Tuesday, August 11th. For more information regarding Shaka Rock please visit www.jettheband.com. ### About JET Multi-Platinum Australian rockers, JET, are: Nic Cester (vocals and guitar), Chris Cester (drums and vocals), Cam Muncey (guitar, vocals) and Mark Wilson (bass,

vocals). Their third studio album, Shaka Rock is a return to form with what Q Magazine has called new old rock at its finest. JET first gained notoriety in 2002 with their self-released EP Dirty Sweet. An initial run of 1000 copies in Australia soon led to a worldwide release and the opening slot on the Rolling Stones Australian tour. Months later, the critically acclaimed Get Born produced the runaway hit single Are You Gonna Be My Girl which was featured in an early iTunes ad and contributed to record sales of 4 million. The band followed with Shine On, written and recorded just after the brothers Cester lost their father to a long illness. Shaka Rock is scheduled for a global release the week of August 24 with Shes A Genius leading as the first single. For a special highlights package, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=UF2jYuafe1A About Five Seven Music Five Seven Music is the newly formed complement to Eleven Seven Music, created to super-service alternative rock artists and their projects. With the release of Shaka Rock on Real Horrorshow Records/Five Seven Music (EMI), the label launches with multi-Platinum Australian rockers, JET. Five Seven Music will mirror sister company Eleven Seven Musics successful model of research-based marketing strategies targeted directly to the fans and building out from that base. Five Seven Music is part of The Eleven Seven Music Group which was founded by industry veteran and pioneer Allen Kovac, a revolutionary mind who has been at the center of some of the most creative and successful campaigns in the music business.

EMI Music expands global digital capabilities with key appointments

Jul 22, 09 3:06 PM Author robrien San Francisco, July 22, 2009 EMI Music has announced a number of senior digital executive appointments within its central marketing organization and in its regional marketing teams. These executives whose backgrounds include experience in music, technology and consumer brands like Google, Tesco and BSkyB, as well as with online retail and political campaigns are helping EMI Music connect artists with fans, build value and drive digital consumption. Cory Ondrejka, who was recently appointed as executive vice president of digital marketing within EMIs central marketing organization, said: Digital is everyones job at EMI. Weve built a network of central and regional digital experts who make sure our entire organization has the tools and information needed to help our artists in the digital marketplace and to give consumers what they want. We are driving experiments, and developing new ways to monetize the music our artists create, building new capabilities and getting and sharing insights about what kinds of music products and services todays consumers are looking for.

The following executives have been appointed to Ondrejkas global digital marketing team at EMI Music. They will work closely with EMI Musics regional digital marketing heads for its New Music and Catalog units. Syd Schwartz, who formerly oversaw digital strategy for EMI Music in North America, has expanded his role to a global one with his promotion to senior vice president, digital marketing. He brings two decades of digital strategy, marketing and sales experience to this newly-created role and will focus on driving digital marketing experiments and knowledge sharing within EMI Music, across all of its territories. He reports to Ondrejka. David Boyle has been appointed to vice president, consumer insight and validation. Boyle has worked on behalf of consumer brands like Tesco as well as in politics, including for Catalist, a firm which worked on the successful Presidential campaign of Barack Obama. He reports to Ondrejka. Eric Case, formerly with Google, joins EMI as vice president, marketing platforms. At EMI, he is applying the technology and development background he developed at Google division Blogger.com to maximize EMIs effective use of its digital assets and platforms. He reports to Ondrejka. Charlotte Robertson has been appointed vice president of consumer reach. She is driving the development of new ways for EMI to reach and build relationships with music fans across traditional and digital channels, and building capabilities which will allow EMI to monetize and deliver value in every part of the music experience. She was most recently head of marketing for British Sky Broadcastings Online Business Unit. She reports to Syd Schwartz.

Coldplay Stawberry Swing short film premiere at Odeon Cinemas from July 22 and Babelgum web and mobile from July 20
Jul 14, 09 2:49 PM Author robrien Coldplays Strawberry Swing is released on Parlophone as a digital download on September 14th. The short film will be commercially available on August 3rd and will be exclusively available on Babelgum web and mobile from July 20th. The groundbreaking short film that accompanies Strawberry Swing will be given an exclusive theatrical premiere at ODEON cinemas across the UK from July 22nd, and will be programmed in front of Brno and US box office hit The Proposal. The innovative and charming Shynola directed film stars Chris Martin doing battle with a giant squirrel in a world drawn entirely in chalk. Music video visionaries Shynola are famous for their work with Beck (E-Pro), Blur (Good Song), Junior/Senior (Move Your Feat), and Radiohead (Pyramid Song) to name a few.

EMI Music CEO: the consumer has spoken, but have we been listening?
Jul 13, 09 2:48 PM Author robrien Elio Leoni-Sceti, the CEO of EMI Music, believes that consumer-focus and innovation are the keys for creative industries to unlock successful new business models in the wake of digital. Britains creative businesses are world leaders when it comes to nurturing creative talent and working with innovative artists, said Leoni-Sceti, but we must complement our artists creativity with our own skills in innovation. That means listening to the desires and needs of consumers and delivering new products and services that they want to buy. His comments came as he was confirmed as a speaker at the inaugural Creativity and Business International Network (c&binet) forum, taking place on October 26th-28th. Following Jean-Bernard Lvy, CEO of Vivendi, as a confirmed key note c&binet speaker, Leoni-Sceti will take part in a Q&A session addressing the relationship between creativity and the consumer, and moderated by Patience Wheatcroft, the Wall Street Journals editor-in-chief Europe. Leoni-Sceti continued: Looking at the music industry, which has become something of a bellwether for other media businesses, we have a situation where 70 per cent of music consumption is digital and yet only about 20 per cent of music company revenues are derived from digital. Music is in demand and the demand is growing all the time, but weve clearly lost touch with our consumers. I passionately believe that if we listen to our consumers, this gap will become our opportunity. I very much look forward to hearing the views of creative industry leaders at the c&binet forum and, of course, those of government who have a crucial role in creating an environment where both technology companies and content investors will thrive. The central focus of this years event will be to galvanise concrete action to support the worldwide creative economy, realising agreements between international content industry leaders and international policy makers. The 2009 c&binet forum, Nurturing Creative Content in the Digital Age, will also discuss the most effective strategies for commercialising content and ways in which creative businesses can increase the flow of capital and talent in to the sector. With the creative industries estimated to be worth around $1.3 trillion globally ([1]) and contributing around 60 billion a year ([2]) in Britain alone, c&binet represents a collective effort of UK government departments (DCMS and DBIS), which have provided the initial funding and support, to address some of the core issues that will

impact on the sectors future growth. C&binet is also supported by leading industry figures including Lucian Grainge, Chairman and Chief Executive, Universal Music Group International, Nicholas Coleridge of Cond Nast International, Nancy Tellem of CBS Paramount Television and J Allard of Microsoft.

EMIs Virgin Records agrees worldwide partnership with deadmau5

May 18, 09 2:27 PM Author robrien LONDON, 18 MAY 2009 EMI Musics Virgin label has agreed a worldwide partnership with deadmau5, the award-winning producer and electronic artist. This long-term joint venture agreement between Virgin and deadmau5 will see them working together on all live, recording, sponsorship, television, film and merchandising activities, helping deadmau5 to further develop his phenomenal career and connect with fans in new and creative ways. Dean Wilson, director of Three Six Zero Group and manager of deadmau5 said: Three Six Zero Group are ecstatic that our client, deadmau5, has signed such a ground breaking deal to such a forward thinking group of people that understand what our artist and we are looking to achieve in the future. Nick Gatfield, EMIs president of New Music for North America and the UK/Ireland, said: deadmau5 is an extremely talented and versatile artist and the hottest name in the world of electronic music. I am delighted to have signed this agreement which will see us working together for many years to come across all aspects of the artists career. My thanks go to Elias Christidis, now at Parlophone, for introducing deadmau5 to EMI and to Shabs Jobanputra who will give him a great home at Virgin Records. Shabs Jobanputra, president of Virgin Records UK, said: This agreement exemplifies the way in which we want to work with artists where we can add value to all aspects of their career. A worldwide phenomenon, deadmau5 has enjoyed a meteoric rise during the past 18 months to become one of the most in demand producers, an innovative electronic live performer, and the number one selling artist on Beatport, the worlds leading online dance music store. He recently won the award for Best Breakthrough DJ at the recent Miami Winter Music Conference. Deadmau5 is a new breed of electronic dance music star. He has managed to break rank in an industry where most of the major players have at least a decade of stardom behind them. His latest single I Remember, a collaboration with Kaskade, is currently rising up the airplay and sales charts in the UK. This week is moved up to number 19 in the Official singles chart. It is taken from deadmau5s criticallyacclaimed compilation album, Random Album Title, which features many of his finest moments to date. He is currently on tour in the UK.

Virgin Records UK is one of EMIs frontline labels. Artists on Virgins roster include Robbie Williams, Massive Attack, KT Tunstall, Corinne Bailey Rae, Doves, Starsailor, The Kooks and Jamie T. It is the UK home to international artists such as Katy Perry, 30 Seconds To Mars, Lenny Kravitz, Hockey and Empire Of The Sun.

Vodafones music catalogue from EMI, Universal Music and Sony switches to digital rights management free MP3 format for mobile and PC
Mar 11, 09 1:08 PM Author robrien First global mobile network operator to offer DRM free music across both mobile phones and PCs Customers are free to play their downloaded music on any of their digital devices Over a million tracks to choose from including a huge selection of todays top artists such as Britney Spears, Coldplay, Duffy, Lady Gaga, Lily Allen and The Fray Vodafone announces today that it has signed deals with the worlds largest record companies Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music to offer their tracks and albums DRM free (without digital rights management) across Vodafone markets for both mobile phones and PCs. The new deals are the first of their kind for a mobile network operator enabling dual delivery of DRM free music to a wide range of mobile phones and PCs with no need to sideload or synchronize. With over a million tracks available from every music genre, for the first time customers will be able to play and enjoy music bought from these three labels via the Vodafone Music store* without any limit to the type of device provided they belong to the customer. In addition, those customers who have already bought tracks or albums from Universal Music, Sony Music or EMI in WMA format (with DRM) will be able to upgrade them to MP3 at no extra charge within the existing download allowance. DRM free music will be available through a number of Vodafone countries by the summer and will complement Vodafones current music offerings. Music is central to many of our customers lives, said Pieter Knook, Vodafone Internet Services Director. By Vodafone pioneering DRM free on mobile and offering MP3s on PC, they will now have the freedom to download tracks from their favourite artists without any device restrictions allowing them to experience their music however they want it, wherever they are. EMI has long been a proponent of DRM free music because of the benefits it brings to fans and so we are very supportive of this initiative from Vodafone, said Douglas Merrill, EMI Musics COO of New Music and President, Digital Business. With its international reach and commitment to music, Vodafone is taking a major step forward for our industry by offering consumers more flexibility and choice.

Vodafone has been a business partner of Universal Music for six years, said Rob Wells, SVP, Digital, at Universal Music Group International. This new deal shows how serious Vodafone is about music, and opens up new opportunities for both companies but, more importantly, for consumers and artists. We are thrilled that this agreement will provide Vodafones millions of customers in Europe with access to music by our popular local artists and global superstars, commented Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business, U.S. Sales, Corporate Strategy, Sony Music Entertainment. Vodafones convenient mobile and PC solution gives fans another great way to integrate music into their daily lives and forge an even stronger connection with the artists they love.

Apple Corp Ltd., MTV and Harmonix announce The Beatles: Rock Band, worldwide release set for 9/9/09
Mar 5, 09 12:53 PM Author robrien New York, NY March 5, 2008 Apple Corps, Ltd., Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacoms MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the 9/9/09 worldwide release of The Beatles: Rock Band (http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com). The music-based video game, an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles, will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system and Wii home videogame console from Nintendo. The Beatles: Rock Band will allow fans to pick up the guitar, bass, mic or drums and experience The Beatles extraordinary catalogue of music through gameplay that takes players on a journey through the legacy and evolution of the bands legendary career. In addition, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a limited number of new hardware offerings modeled after instruments used by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr throughout their career. The Beatles: Rock Band will be offered as standalone software and hardware as well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video game peripherals. Available on 9/9/09: - The Beatles: Rock Band Software Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP - The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP - The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP Please note: Pricing outside of the US to be announced at a later date.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the worlds premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band, the game was creatively conceived with input and full blessing from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison. Electronic Arts will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project. Exclusive content created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix will be made available to fans over the next few months who participate in a pre-order campaign through major retailers. More details on The Beatles: Rock Band game and pre-order will be revealed in the coming months. Please visit http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com.

Black Hole Recordings and EMI Label Services team up for UK & Ireland sales and distribution
Mar 6, 09 12:55 PM Author robrien LONDON, 6 MARCH 2009 EMI Music and leading indie label Black Hole Recordings are pleased to announce a new sales and distribution agreement for physical releases in the UK and Ireland. The Dutch company is one of the top names in electronic dance music with its 10 imprints home to a roster of artists including top international DJ Tisto. The first releases to go through EMIs Label Services unit, part of its Music Services division, will be In Trance We Trust by Carl B and 10 catalogue titles including five from Tisto on 9 March. Arny Blink, managing director of Black Hole Recordings said: Were extremely happy to be welcomed into the EMI family and look forward to a long and prosperous working relationship. With their flexible approach and excellent infrastructure, EMI Music Services was the ideal partner for us to further develop our business in the UK. Matthew Crosswaite, EMI Music Services executive vice president for sales and commercial development in Europe said: Were delighted that Arny, Tijs and all the team at Black Hole Recordings have decided to partner with EMI Label Services in the UK and Ireland. Theyre a great label that weve worked with in the past on a number of Tisto projects and so were looking forward to working with them again. EMI Label Services supports both EMI-signed artists and independent artists and labels with a range of label and commercial services including physical and digital distribution, sales, commercial development, brand partnerships, licensing, synchronisation, merchandising, press and promotion. The unit has recently

concluded deals with Bobby V, whose latest album entered the American top 10 at number seven last month, Lady Sovereign, Fat Joe and Twista and UK label New State Entertainment. Other current EMI Music Services initiatives include working with Apple Corps, MTV and Harmonix to develop an interactive video game based around the music of The Beatles. The unit drove the EMI relationship with Apple for the launch of the new iTunes Pass with Depeche Mode last month, it worked with Tapulous on the Tap Tap Dance iPhone and is handling the global synchronisation and licensing for Norman Cooks Brighton Port Authority project. Black Hole Recordings, one of the worlds leading independent record labels, is known for releasing high-quality electronic dance music. Established in 1997 by Tijs Verwest and Arny Bink, the privately-owned label initially began as a platform for Tistos own productions and mixes. The company has scored major hits in the last couple of years from tracks by Tisto, Andain, JES, Mr Sam, Cosmic Gate, Mark Norman, First State and many more which have received huge support from DJs all over the globe. The label recently formed a new company with Streamline Studios Streamline Sound which offers full service audio solutions to game developers.

EMI Music debuts first iTunes Pass with Depeche Mode

Feb 24, 09 12:48 PM Author robrien US fans to have access to new and exclusive singles, remixes, video and other content over coming weeks Includes Depeche Modes upcoming 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe plus additional exclusive content released on iTunes NEW YORK February 24, 2009 EMI Music today announced the debut of the first iTunes Pass with groundbreaking electro legends Depeche Mode. With iTunes Pass, music fans can get new and exclusive singles, remixes, video and other content from their favorite artists over a set period of time, delivered to their libraries as soon as theyre available. The first iTunes Pass debuts today in conjunction with Depeche Modes forthcoming 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe, to be released on April 21 in the US. Fans who sign up starting today get the alternative/dance pioneers new single, Wrong, as well as the Black Light Odyssey Dub Remix of the new track Oh Well. They will also receive the new album on its street date plus great music and video exclusives before and after the albums release over the next fifteen weeks. The Depeche Mode iTunes Pass can be purchased starting today for $18.99. As we work to better understand music consumers and help create stronger connections between fans and artists, we are pleased to work with Apple and Depeche Mode to kick off iTunes Pass, said Ronn Werre, president, Music Services for EMI Music. We think its a great new platform that will change the way artists engage

with their audiences and also a powerful new way for us to build value for our artists music. And with iTunes Pass, Depeche Mode are once again demonstrating that they are true trailblazers and innovators when it comes to creating amazing music and connecting with their fans. iTunes Pass is a great way for artists to give exclusive music and video, on their own schedule, directly to their fans. said Eddy Cue, Apples vice president of Internet Services. iTunes customers are going to love getting additional content directly from their favorite artists right when they make it available. The relationship between Depeche Mode and their fans has always been our top priority, said the bands manager, Jonathan Kessler. We are thrilled to be the first to participate with Apple in giving fans the kind of deep musical experience they expect from Depeche Mode. Today also marks the launch of the worldwide iTunes album pre-order for Sounds of the Universe. As one of the most influential bands of the post-punk era with global sales in excess of 100 million, Depeche Mode belongs to a select premier league of supergroups who have survived from the early 1980s with their ideals, creative vision and core members intact. Formed in 1981, Depeche Mode Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy Fletch Fletcher continue to win critical and commercial acclaim across the world both in the studio and on the road. All of the bands 11 studio albums have reached the Top Ten in not only the UK and USA but 20 plus countries around the world including Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, and Belgium. Since their inception, Depeche Modes live shows continue to be a must-see attraction, with the group playing to 2.8 million people across 31 countries on their last tour alone.

EMI Music signs with MUZU.TV

Jan 14, 09 12:17 PM Author robrien Dublin, Ireland 14 Jan, 2008 MUZU.TV, a new music TV website and distribution platform has signed a video licensing deal with major label EMI Music, covering UK and Ireland territories. Through this new agreement with EMI, MUZU.TV users will get free access to more than 5,000 videos from EMI Musics catalogue. EMI Music joins the ranks of other key video partners including Sony BMG, Ministry of Sound, and hundreds of indies including Skint Loaded, SPV, Armada and Ninja Tune, and broadcasters like ITN. MUZU.TV also announced that it has made www.muzu.tv available to users globally. MUZU.TV allows fans to create, watch and share music video playlists. Users can create video playlists from thousand of videos and embed them on their social networking sites. MUZU.TV provides free access to thousands of hours of diverse music video content including concerts, back-stage footage, documentaries, tutorials, music videos, interviews and classic music TV shows like The Tube. Ciaran Bollard, MUZU.TV co-founder and director of business development said, It is an exciting time for us at MUZU.TV, opening the site globally, and adding some of the worlds biggest artists to the music video catalogue through the agreement with

EMI Music. These key milestones further demonstrate that MUZU.TV is well on its way to becoming the de facto source for fans accessing music video while generating money for labels and bands when their video is accessed on or off the MUZU.TV service. This deal also includes: behind the scenes, tour diaries, live and interview footage bringing fans closer to their favourite artists. Ian Whitfield, vice president digital business development at EMI Music said: EMI Musics mission is to bring artists and fans together and create value wherever music is experienced. MUZU.TV have shown that they are creating a destination that is appealing to fans and will drive a new revenue stream in the UK and Ireland for our artists and their great video content. MUZU.TV for The Music Industry MUZU.TV enables labels and bands to broadcast their music video on the web and get paid wherever it goes. MUZU.TV pays content owners half of all the ad revenue generated from display ads on their MUZU.TV channels and in-video adverts within their MUZU.TV players, both on MUZU.TV and when players are embedded on external sites like MySpace, Facebook, Bebo or other external sites. Any band or label can create their own branded music TV channel on MUZU.TV, featuring multiple video playlists, along with a personalised profile, messaging and fans or friends section. On MUZU.TV content owners always retain the rights over their video content and get paid royalties as normal through MUZU.TVs agreement with the collection societies. They also retain full control over their video as they decide what goes live and can add or remove any of their videos whenever they feel like it. MUZU.TV is constantly adding new features to the site and soon bands will be able to sell digital music, merchandise, tickets directly from their MUZU.TV channels. MUZU TV For Fans For music fans, MUZU.TV is primarily about watching, creating and sharing unlimited music video playlists. Fans can access over 10,000 artist channels including major label acts like The Script, The Ting Tings, MGMT, and Beyonce, and up and coming indie bands like Fight Like Apes, Bo Pepper and This Devil is Yours, not to mention all of EMI Musics content. Fans can also create their own Music TV Channels featuring any video on MUZU.TV, and embed them in their social networking pages further increasing the revenue potential for bands. Fans can also feature on their favourite artist channels by uploading video they have created on that artist. They can also interact with other fans, discover and share music, all legally and at no cost. MUZU.TV is based in Dublin, Ireland. About EMI Music EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin.

BootB launches global online music innovation contest for EMI

Jan 9, 09 12:12 PM Author robrien Your idea can change the future of the music industry London 9 January 2009 BootB, the online platform dedicated to challenging the marketing industry, is working with music giant EMI on a worldwide competition to find innovative new ways to help consumers connect with music. The challenge, which is open to all creative sources (agencies, professionals, consultants, freelancers, innovative minds), is to find solutions for people who love good music but think it is currently hard to find. Crowdsourcing pioneer BootB (Be out of the Box) is an online marketplace launched a year ago that allows anyone anywhere to respond to the creative briefs of major organizations and be paid professional fees for their ideas. Since BootB launched, more than 10,000 people from 118 countries have joined the creative department of BootB to receive briefs and submit their ideas. Successes have included promotional campaigns for Auchan, viral marketing campaigns for Lego, launch campaigns for New Holland and Peugeot. BootBs Founder and CEO, Pier Ludovico Bancale, commented: As part of its new innovation strategy, EMI Music wants to leverage the power of BootB to solicit unconventional ideas from around the globe, and find a truly original, one-of-a kind innovation concept. This new extraordinary pitch confirms the relevance of our business model that is based on crowdsourcing of ideas. Original ideas will arrive from everywhere and the winner could come from anywhere. From Brazil as happened with UNICEF, from Ukraine like the pitch for Alpenliebe, from Italy like for Disney or from Australia like for Disaronno. Experimenting, learning and driving innovation are key to EMIs mission to bring artists and fans together and to create value wherever music is experienced, said Sam van der Feltz, EMI Musics President of Global Marketing. This project with BootB is only part of a broad range of initiatives we are planning to engage with consumers and help them connect with great music. We will be harnessing our best creative resources and systems to get the best ideas to market. EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Artists on EMI labels include Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gorillaz, Hot Chip, Norah Jones, The Kooks, Korn, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, Sir Simon Rattle, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams, as well as international artists such as Amaral (Spain), Camille (France), Utada Hikaru (Japan), LaFee (Germany), Belinda (Mexico) and Tiziano Ferro (Italy).

Lily Allen immortalised in online game to promote forthcoming album Its Not Me, Its You
Dec 18, 08 12:07 PM Author robrien Play @ www.lilyallenmusic.com/escapethefear Parlophone has released an online game to promote the launch of Lily Allens new album, Its Not Me, Its You due for release by Parlophone on 9th February 2009. The concept of the online game, Escape the Fear, created by branded entertainment specialist Matmi, is based on content from the album and the initial single, The Fear. Lily features as the main character in an archetypal musicians career escaping rising fear to achieve their dreams. Starting on a red carpet, players must negotiate Lilys character through ten tricky, classic platform levels avoiding obstacles such as paparazzi cameras, rabid handbag dogs, evil bankers throwing credit cards, alcohol, demonic puzzles and various other obstacles which make play more difficult. Dan Duncombe, Digital Director at Parlophone, says the game is part of an integrated online launch for Lily Allens new album: We wanted to find a way to reach a new audience for Lily on her second album. We have numerous, successful touch points with her existing fanbase and we needed a vehicle to expand on these and reach those unaware of Lily and/or her second album. There is a huge, relevant demographic out there who dont regularly explore music so we are using the game as a tactic to introduce the new single. The instant gratification of this type of game makes it inherently viral and with the new single as its soundtrack we are potentially reaching a new audience who are not listening to the radio or reading the music press. Parlophones digital marketing efforts have always been ground breaking and this kind of campaign takes our approach to a new level. Jeff Coghlan, MD at Matmi, has high hopes for the game: This game is a retro platform game featuring pixelated graphics that we really love; in fact, we think its our most addictive game ever. This is the first time weve combined our seeding database which is probably the best in the world with an artist who is an online phenomenon herself. Were hoping for some stunning results in player numbers, passon speed, geographical reach and play time. Watch this space! Play the game: www.lilyallenmusic.com/escapethefear About the game Classic vertical scrolling screen action sees Lily Allens character jumping manically from platform to platform to outrun the rising fear which, if players are not fast enough, will swallow them up. The ten tricky levels include enemies and obstacles such as rabid handbag dogs, spikes of fear, credit card tossing bankers, jack-in-a-box springs and a really nasty end boss.

The character can also be affected by alcohol which impairs the games controls and other diversions. Levels increase in difficulty and lead to some demonically difficult puzzles to solve for Lilys character to finally reach freedom from the fear! Check out more about the album on Lilys website: www.lilyallenmusic.com Lilys second album is released on February 9th 2009 following the release of the single The Fear on Monday 26th January 2009.

EMI Music enters into agreement with InMotion

Oct 27, 08 11:39 AM Author robrien InMotions airport-based Media Hotspot kiosks in US will feature key EMI Music albums and singles for sampling and purchase New York, NY, October 27, 2008 Under an agreement between EMI Music and InMotion Entertainment, music fans can now buy and download music directly to portable devices at major US airports. InMotion, the USs largest airport-based electronics and entertainment retailer, will now make a selection of EMI Musics key current and catalog albums and singles available for consumers to sample, purchase and download directly from its in-store PlayPoint Media Hotspot kiosks. Fans will be able to use PlayPoints touch screen stations to preview and buy full albums and tracks and transfer them directly to a range of portable music devices, including iPods, to enjoy on their flights. Beginning this month, 45 InMotion retailers located at more than 20 major US airports, including New Yorks JFK, Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and those in Miami, Atlanta Chicago, Dallas and more will feature current titles from artists ranging from Coldplay and Katy Perry to Al Green and Lady Antebellum. A rotation of new and catalogue titles will be featured on an ongoing basis. InMotion will make albums available for $11.99. Downloads will be available as DRM-free MP3s in high quality audio (256 kilobits per second). This is a great new opportunity for us to help connect the artists with fans, said Eden Goldberg, VP of Marketing and Business Development at InMotion Entertainment. By offering a fueling station for their portable devices, consumers now have an easy way to discover and buy new music they can enjoy on their travels. How PlayPoint Works: Using a touch screen and credit card, consumers can browse, purchase and download content directly to their device for immediate use on their trip. ###

About EMI Music EMI Music is one of the worlds leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. About InMotion Entertainment InMotion Entertainment is the largest airport-based electronics and entertainment retailer in the nation. Founded on a unique business model that combines portable electronic entertainment with travel, InMotion brings convenience to todays traveler. Business and leisure travelers can experience and purchase the latest electronics, including DVD players, digital cameras, camcorders, mp3/video players, CD players, video games, GPS navigation systems and noise canceling headphones. InMotion makes travel fun, where the friendly and knowledgeable staff assists travelers in choosing the best products for their enjoyment.

EMI Music partners with Lala on the first free music service without advertising
Oct 21, 08 11:38 AM Author robrien EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and over 170,000 independent labels are onboard with over 6 million songs PALO ALTO, Calif., October 21, 2008 Lala is unveiling the first and only free fully licensed service to instantly provide anywhere Web access to an existing music library such as iTunes. Replacing the outdated approach of uploading MP3 files from a PC, Lala introduces a licensed technology to instantly match songs from consumers personal music libraries with the Web-based catalog on lala.com. Adding new music to a licensed collection is easier and less expensive than ever. Sample any full song or complete album for free. Add songs to a Web collection for only 10 cents, and buy DRM-free MP3 downloads for as low as an additional 79 cents. We live our lives in a browser, whether its emailing, watching television shows or using Facebook said Geoff Ralston, CEO of Lala. When I launched Yahoo! Mail few thought hundreds of millions would depend on Web email. My music belongs online in the same way. Will there be anything without a browser in 5 years? Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari browsers on both Windows and Mac OS are supported. Major and Independent Labels Support All four major labels including EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group have agreements with Lala to stream and sell music.

And unlike ad-supported music sites, Lala has garnered support from publishers and over 170,000 independent labels and distributors. We thank Lala for their support of A2IM and the independent music community and congratulate them on the launch of their new service which includes tens of thousands of independent artists, labels, aggregators and distributors, said Rich Bengloff, President of The American Association For Independent Music (A2IM). As the primary advocacy group for the independent music community, we also applaud Lala for recognizing the value of independent labels and artists to their business and providing inclusion to the independent community in their launch. The Most Affordable Music on the Web Lala offers consumers the easiest, most affordable way to buy music on the Web. Lalas catalog includes over 6 million songs which users can play once for free before buying. For as little as 10 cents, users can buy a web song, a new product that gives users the ability to play the song as often as they choose from their web collection. The web song fee can be applied towards the purchase of the DRM-free MP3 version of the same track. MP3s are priced from 89 cents or 99 cents and are eligible for 10 cent store credits based on prior web song purchase. Unique Features of Lala

Completely advertising-free service First and only fully licensed service for free Web hosting of a personal music library Instant matching of MP3s and iTunes FairPlay songs to the Web without uploading Fully featured web-application in a browser with speedy look-ahead search, drag and drop playlist creation, and instant, continuous music streaming 6 million and growing song catalog from all four major labels and 170,000 independent labels Free sampling of the entire catalog as songs or albums Web songs available for purchase at 10 cents or less DRM-free MP3s for additional price of 79 to 89 cents Support for popular Web browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari Support for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS

About Lala We live and play in a browser. Built by a skilled team of engineers behind services like Yahoo!, eBay, Blogger and AOL. Lalas singular mission is to move entertainment to the Web for hundreds of millions of people. Lala is a venture funded company located in beautiful Palo Alto, California.

Spotify announces licensing deals with labels including EMI Music and upcoming launch
Oct 7, 08 11:34 AM Author robrien Innovative subscription and ad-supported music streaming service unveiled All four music majors and leading independents on board Spotify announces a series of licensing deals with music companies including EMI Music, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, Merlin and The Orchard for their content to be included in the new digital music service. Spotify offers instant access to a world of music via a service that enables on-demand streaming of audio content. Spotify users will have unlimited access to millions of tracks from a vast music catalogue, with the opportunity to create and share playlists with each other and explore music through a wide range of discovery and social features. Spotify will launch on October 7th 2008 in UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Throughout the remainder of this year and into 2009 Spotify will be rolled out to further markets. Spotify will be marketed both as a premium monthly subscription service and a version which is free for consumers to use and supported by advertising. Consumers will also have the option to purchase a day pass that gives access to Spotify without advertising. Advertisers that have signed up to be included from the launch include Ford, T-Mobile and Xbox. Daniel Ek, founder and CEO at Spotify says: We believe that everyone loves music, and were thrilled to partner with all major content owners already at launch. This is an exciting step forward in our mission to provide the best possible music experience by allowing people to listen to whatever they want, whenever they want. Stefan Blom, SVP Commercial Development for EMI Music said: EMI is committed to supporting innovative and user-friendly music services. Spotify is a compelling new way of connecting artists and fans which reflects the shift we are seeing in digital music from a total reliance on a-la-carte services to the addition of new models that provide instant and legal access to our artists music. Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group International said: Subscription streaming services are the future of digital music consumption. Spotify is an excellent consumer experience and Universal Music Group International is delighted to be a part of the launch. We are excited to be working with Spotify as they develop this distinctive online destination that will include both ad-supported content as well as quality premium packages, said Ulrich Jaerkel, Senior Vice President, Digital & New Business Development Europe, Sony BMG Music Entertainment. With such an easy-tonavigate interface and wide variety of music and features for users to enjoy, Spotify promises to be an online fan-favourite.

Leanne Sharman, Vice President, Business Development, Warner Music EMEA said: From launch, Spotify is a wide-ranging, flexible and engaging music experience. By offering a compelling choice of ad-supported and paid-for services, the platform is in a strong position to foster a loyal community of users and attract advertisers. Not only that, Spotify will be a powerful promotional and discovery engine through which our roster of artists can grow their fan-bases. Charles Caldas, CEO of Merlin said: We are genuinely excited at the fantastic quality and attention to detail behind the Spotify service and at the innovative business opportunity for our members. We are equally pleased that Spotify quickly recognized the true value that Merlin has brought to the market and has worked hard with us to ensure that the independent labels that constitute our membership are available to their users from day one. Spotify says, Everyone loves music. We agree, and voted with our feet by bringing tens of thousands of great artists from all over the world into this innovative new service, which is tailor-made for independent music. Ad-supported music discovery is an exciting future increasingly here today, and we are confident that Spotify will turn people onto our clients art, and play a role in helping our artists and labels to get paid as they build audiences, said Greg Scholl, president and chief executive officer for The Orchard. 11:24 AM Author robrien EMI Music signs on to MySpace Music joint venture

EMI Music and Sony ATV sign on to groundbreaking MySpace Music joint venture alongside Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group The Orchard joins MySpace Musics line-up of independent music distributors including ADA, Red, Fontana and Caroline Myspace Music launches first wave of new product offerings with all 4 major record companies, 4 major publishing companies, and leading independent music distributor Amazon MP3 to Power Integrated E-Commerce Solution Enabling Purchases of MP3 Downloads McDonalds, Sony Pictures, State Farm, and Toyota Are Inaugural Brand Advertisers LOS ANGELESSeptember 25, 2008MySpace, the worlds premier social network, alongside its landmark joint venture partners which include EMI Music, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG), Sony ATV/ Music Publishing and The Orchard today unveiled the new MySpace Music product (http://www.myspace.com/music) injecting the worlds richest online music community with a host of new features for both users and artists. The new suite of products, which includes an ever-growing catalog of premium audio and video content, e-commerce offerings, and user and

artist playlists, aims to further enhance the MySpace Music experience as well as provide monetization opportunities for its active music community. Todays announcement marks the first phase in an iterative global product rollout which will ultimately include a vast catalogue of premium and promotional content, a wide selection of new user-to-user sharing tools, and additional e-commerce opportunities for artists including merchandise and ticketing. Starting today, the new MySpace Music functionality currently available for U.S. MySpace users will also be available in Spanish and fully localized for the MySpace en Espaol community. Select products including the newly designed music player will be available globally to MySpaces more than 120 million global users (comScore July 2008). MySpace Chris DeWolfe, CEO and Co-Founder: MySpace Music brings together the worlds largest recording and publishing companies, and one of the most prominent independent digital music providers, to create the most comprehensive music service for our users. The ultimate goal is to create a platform where users can truly experience music in a way that works for their lifestyle and a site where all artists are able to monetize their content and reach their fans across the world. EMI Music Elio Leoni-Sceti, CEO: MySpace Music is an exciting new music discovery platform with an already vibrant community of fans and artists. We are happy to be a part of this joint venture and see it as an opportunity to enhance consumers music experience. We believe it will expand music consumption, create value and strengthen the engagement of our artists with their fans. The first phase of the new MySpace Music unveils: The new, MyMusic, personal music management toolset Free and unlimited ad-supported, full-length audio streaming Free and unlimited playlist functionality Free discography and content catalogues for SONY BMG, UMG and WMG artists DRM-free MP3 music e-commerce downloads powered by Amazon MP3 Ringtone e-commerce powered by Jamster The MyMusic toolset empowers the MySpace Music community in the U.S. to download, stream, and personalize their music content. The new product allows MySpace users to create playlists for both personal and public consumption and profile display, allowing profile visitors to stream all playlisted content on-demand and purchase MP3s of their favorite songs. Users can virally add a friends playlist to their own profile or take songs from a friends profile to their own. In addition to managing and discovering new music, users will now be able to utilize MySpace Musics enhanced search capability to browse and search for music by artist, song title, or album title. Users can freely stream their preferred content through a personal music player for a seamless listening experience while browsing MySpace or the other websites. Beginning today, U.S. users can purchase DRM-free MP3 music downloads through MySpace Musics new e-commerce solution powered by Amazon MP3. Now,

adjacent to licensed songs within artist profile media players, user-created playlists, and certain music editorial pages, MySpace Music will feature buy buttons that will allow users to download and purchase MP3s playable on all digital music devices, including the iPod. Similarly, users can click on a Find Ringtones buttonpowered by Jamsterwithin music players to purchase ringtones of their favorite artists. The first four integrated sponsors to advertise on MySpace Music are McDonalds, Sony Pictures, State Farm, and Toyota. These brands will be powering customers access to a host of new music services. McDonalds will have presence on MySpace Musics personal music player giving away a variety of free music downloads. To promote the opening of Sony Pictures comedy Nick & Norahs Infinite Playlist, the movie studio will be skinning all MySpace Music users profile playlists for an entire week with branding from the film. State Farm will have rotating ads among all pages including the Featured Playlist, the Personal Music Player, and MyMusic where members go to create and edit playlists. With Toyota Tuesdays, the auto company will offer free music downloads and have a strong presence on MySpace Musics Personal Music Player every Tuesday for a year. MySpace Music hosts more than 5 million major, indie, and unsigned artists within the sites music profiles section, which provides for a vast artist-powered collection of songs, music videos, tour dates, blogs, and photos. MySpaces deep, long-standing ties to the music community have allowed for numerous exclusive features from the most groundbreaking musicians in the world and the its new marketing initiatives will greatly enhance the existing MySpace Music offline concert franchises including Secret Shows, MySpaceLIVE!, Transmissions, Front to Back and The List.

EMI Music partners with Sony Ericsson as the company adds unlimited music download service to its PlayNow brand and expands PlayNow arena to new countries
Sep 24, 08 11:20 AM Author robrien PlayNow arena opens its doors in 5 new countries in the fourth quarter of 2008 Lund, SwedenSeptember 24th 2008Sony Ericsson today announced the launch of PlayNow plus, a super-fast, high-quality music download service for Sony Ericsson customers, available for use on both phones and PCs. The service is due to launch commercially with operator Telenor in Sweden in the fourth quarter of this year, with further roll-outs around the world beginning in early 2009. A special edition of the Sony Ericsson W902 Walkman phone will be the first product released with an integrated PlayNow plus service. PlayNow plus is due to set a new standard for the unlimited mobile music experience, with unrivalled download speeds, high-quality audio and access to the largest music catalogue of any unlimited download service. The service draws from Sony Ericssons collaboration with Omnifone and licensing terms have been agreed with all major international music labelsincluding EMI, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music as well as thousands of local music labels.

PlayNow plus will guarantee truly unlimited, all-you-can-eat access to millions of music tracks. While in the service, subscribers will be able to recommend their music tastes to others in the PlayNow plus community, and at the end of their contract they will keep a number of tracksDRM-freefrom their most played favourites. PlayNow plus is designed as the worlds easiest unlimited music service to manage as whatever you do on either your phone or your PC may be reflected on the other device. To add to the discovery and community aspects of PlayNow plus, TrackID charts, generated by Sony Ericsson consumers around the world, are also included. To kick-start the PlayNow plus experience right out of the box, Sony Ericsson plans to include, as part of the service, up to 1000 of recent popular tracks, both locally and globally, with each PlayNow plus phone. PlayNowarena expands PlayNow arena, Sony Ericssons multimedia service which launched successfully in the Nordic countries on August 25th, will now also be opening its doors in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland in the fourth quarter this year. On board for the expansion and adding to the music offer in the existing PlayNow arena markets is Universal Music Group with its massive catalogue that includes many of the worlds best selling artists. This important addition also means that PlayNow arena will be one of the first legal music services in these markets to offer DRM-free music from all of the major and independent labels. The launch of PlayNow arena is a milestone in a la carte music services to mobile phones, said Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, at Universal Music Group International. The combination of TrackID and the variety of digital products on offer through PlayNow arena is a highly compelling proposition on its own, but when the full track downloads are available DRM-free, the offer is even more compelling for consumers. Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President and Head of Creation & Development at Sony Ericsson comments on the market expansion and catalogue addition: Expanding our PlayNow service portfolio by adding PlayNow plus and by launching PlayNow arena in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and the UK during the fourth quarter, are key elements of the Sony Ericsson service strategy. These steps and the addition of Universals catalogue to the music offering in both services gives us every possibility to provide customers and consumers with what we feel is important and requested an unparalleled user experience on Sony Ericsson devices. Two propositions PlayNow plus is the ideal service for the casual listener offering unlimited access to every kind of music and the freedom of discovery. PlayNow arena provides the full range of mobile entertainment: an unparalleled mobile games offering; unique themes and wall papers; traditional and specially developed ring tones and music tones; a wealth of free content and of course; DRMfree music tracks and TrackID charts from around the world. PlayNow arena is the one-stop-shop for the collector and is open for everyone.

Partner quotes Ian Whitfield, VP Digital Business Development for EMI Music: As the digital music market continues to evolve, EMIs role is to bring artists and their fans closer together by giving consumers innovative, effective and legal ways to enjoy our artists music how they want to and PlayNow Plus is a perfect example of this. With the experience and reach of Sony Ericsson behind it, PlayNow Plus is a very exciting new service for music consumers and were very pleased to give it our support. Rob Lewis, CEO, Omnifone, commented; Whilst Sony Ericsson handsets are already famous for their legendary audio playback quality, it is the addition of unlimited music, anytime, anyplace, that turns them into the next generation mobile music experience. We are delighted to have been chosen by Sony Ericsson, and to be working closely with them, to herald a new era in mass-market digital music. The PlayNow Plus service offers music fans an innovative and exciting new way to explore SONY BMGs rich catalogue, commented Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. With such a vast collection of songs accessible through their mobile phones, consumers will have the opportunity to enjoy their favorites and also discover new music and new artists. We think this service is a great solution for consumers because it makes the listening and discovery experience more fun than ever before. Eric Daugan, Vice President, Digital Business, Warner Music EMEA, commented Sony Ericsson and Omnifone have both separately pioneered the evolution of mobile music, so were delighted to now be working with their combined expertise on this highly innovative service. By bringing together a simple, compelling user experience with first -class music-enabled devices, Play Now Plus is a hugely attractive consumer offer and represents an exciting step forward for mobile entertainment. This wide-ranging music service will be a powerful platform through which fans will be empowered to quickly and easily discover, explore and enjoy our artists music wherever they are, whenever they want.

EMI and Warner Music Group announce marketing and distribution partnership in South East Asia
Sep 8, 08 11:15 AM Author robrien Agreement builds upon existing relationship in India, the Middle East and North Africa London and New York, September 8, 2008EMI Music and Warner Music Group Corp. (NYSE: WMG) announced today a new marketing and distribution partnership in South East Asia, building on the companies existing relationship in India, the Middle East and North Africa. Under the multi-year license agreement, Warner Music Group will market and distribute EMIs worldwide repertoire in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and Thailand. WMG will serve as the exclusive local physical and digital

distributor of all EMI Music releases. EMI will continue to develop global digital partnerships which will include these territories. The two companies already enjoy a successful partnership in India, the Middle East and North Africa, where EMI has marketed and distributed Warner Musics physical product since 2005. Lachie Rutherford, President of Warner Music Asia Pacific, said, We are extremely pleased to be expanding our relationship with the talented team at EMI and to have access to their outstanding artist roster and catalog. For WMG artists, this has meant being able to utilize EMIs first-rate infrastructure in parts of the world where our presence has been historically limited. Meanwhile EMIs artists will now be able to fully leverage our South East Asian operations, specifically our marketing teams and vast distribution network of traditional retail, wireless and online partners, through which weve seen great success in recent years. Adrian Cheesley, EMI Musics President Asia Pacific/Latin America, said, This collaboration allows EMI Music and Warner Music to leverage each others resources locally to the mutual benefit of our artists and our business. In South East Asia, EMI will retain a small regional team in Hong Kong to oversee the local marketing and distribution of our artists music, working closely with Lachie and his excellent team. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. About EMI Music EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the worlds leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Artists on EMI labels include Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gorillaz, Hot Chip, Norah Jones, The Kooks, Korn, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams. About Warner Music Group Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the worlds leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

EMI Music enters into new agreement with Qtrax for adsupported digital music service
Jun 3, 08 10:41 AM Author robrien NEW YORK, June 3 EMI Music, one of the worlds leading music companies, has entered into an agreement with ad-supported digital music service Qtrax to make EMIs catalogue of digital music available to music fans in the US and Canada. As part of the agreement, EMIs music will be available free to registered Qtrax members for unlimited streaming or downloading to a PC. Fans can also load downloaded tracks on up to three portable devices and play them while their membership remains active (fans maintain membership by visiting the site at least once every 60 days to keep downloads active on PCs or devices). Those who wish to permanently own tracks can do so via direct Qtrax links to participating digital retailers. This is a revolutionary time for the music industry, said Founder and Chairman of Qtrax Allan Klepfisz. Guy Hands and EMI Music have demonstrated great vision and leadership and we couldnt be more thrilled to have their support, he continued. Music fans will soon be able to legally download tracks from EMIs rich, storied catalogue, giving them access to one of the worlds largest repertoires of music. About EMI Music EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the worlds leading music companies. Its EMI Music division represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Artists on EMI labels include Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gorillaz, Hot Chip, Norah Jones, The Kooks, Korn, Kylie Minogue, Pink Floyd, Joss Stone, 30 Seconds To Mars, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams, as well as international artists such as Amaral (Spain), Camille (France), Utada Hikaru (Japan), LaFee (Germany), RBD (Mexico) and Vasco Rossi (Italy). EMI has been at the cutting edge of the rapidly growing digital music marketplace since it released David Bowies Hours as the worlds first ever album to be offered as a digital download in 1999. EMI has signed agreements with hundreds of digital partners to distribute its music across the globe, including its premium DRM-free, higher-quality offering sold through partners including Apple iTunes, Amazon.com and more. It continues to facilitate the development of a growing range of new digital business models to enable fans to experience and purchase its artists output through a number of different platforms including, music discovery services such as Last.fm, iMeem and Spiralfrog, legal peer-to-peer services such as GNAB and a deal to offer advertising-supported videos on mobile phones through Rhythm NewMedia. About Qtrax (http://www.qtrax.com)

Qtrax (http://www.Qtrax.com) is an innovative, legal digital music service that is free to fans. Qtrax showcases an innovative ad-supported delivery model that easily directs revenue back to artists and rights holders. Qtrax is available for browsing now and soon will provide fans with access to a colorful and diverse catalog with millions of high-quality digital music files representing the broadest artist-based fan-directed array of products available anywhere. Based in New York City, Qtrax is a subsidiary of Brilliant Technologies Corporation (OTC: BLLN.PK), a publicly traded technology holding company.

Download EMI Music on the go with MEDIAnywheres music download kiosks

May 28, 08 10:38 AM Author robrien LONDON, 28 MAY 2008: Millions of airline passengers are now able to download music from EMI artists on the go as MEDIAnywheres music download kiosks have opened for business in Italys Fiumicino airport. The international airport in Rome has become the first to feature the kiosks, with many more of Europes major airports soon to follow suit in offering travellers the chance to download digital content. The kiosk, designed by British company MEDIAnywhere and packed with titles from record giant EMI Music, allows music lovers to download on the go as they wait for their plane. All consumers need to do is plug in their digital device, be it an iPod, MP3 player, mobile phone or USB device, and choose what they want to listen to. Unaffected by synchronisation limitations, consumers are able to download directly to their player without their existing music library being affected, and then later load the content back up to their PC. EMIs move last year to open up its catalogue DRM-free has allowed it to make its music available to the consumer in the quickest, most convenient way possible. All of EMI Musics digital catalogue is available for download in the higher quality (320 bit rate), DRM-Free MP3 format, including music from Coldplay, Kylie, Lily Allen and The Kooks. Fans have access to more than 25,000 music titles as well as other types of digital content including music videos. MEDIAnywhere expects to open another 350 kiosks in 26 European airports within the next two years, allowing consumers easy access to entertainment content and information. Fiumicino, which sees millions of travelers pass through its gates every year, will have 24 kiosks located in its departure lounges. The MEDIAnywhere kiosks are a fantastically convenient and compellingly simple way for music lovers to get the music they want when they are out and about, without the need to be at their PC. said Graeme Rogan, Head of Digital Sales, EMI Music UK. MEDIAnywhere has invested more than $5 million in the design and marketing of the music as you go kiosks which have touch screens and easy to use interfaces.

The kiosks are the next step in the future of downloading, said Maxim Ivanov, the head of MEDIAnywhere, Quick, accessible and easy to use, it is the simplest way to get digital music onto your player. As passengers now stock up on books and newspapers before getting on a plane, now they can fill up their player with the freshest music. In 2007 more than 140 million portable digital music players were sold worldwide.*

Coldplay annouce a free single to download, a free show in London and New Yorkand their album moves forward to a June 12 release in the UK
Apr 28, 08 10:24 AM Author robrien LONDON, 28 APRIL 2008 Violet Hill, Coldplays first single from the new album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends will be available as a free download from their website www.coldplay.com for one week starting tomorrow, April 29 at 12.15pm UK time. At that time the single will be played for the first time on radio and will simultaneously be available free exclusively from the website, a week ahead of its general digital release. The digital release will be a conventional paid-for release on May 6. At the same time, coldplay.com will have preliminary details of two free shows that the band will play, one in London and one in New York. The free shows are: LONDON BRIXTON ACADEMY JUNE 16 NEW YORK MADISON SQUARE GARDEN JUNE 23 Please check coldplay.com for details of how to win tickets and please do not contact the venues as no tickets will be available to buy. Meanwhile, the release of Coldplays new album Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends has been brought forward four days in the UK to June 12. In North America the release date is June 17. The album comprises ten brand new tracks produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs. The track listing is: LIFE IN TECHNICOLOR CEMETERIES OF LONDON LOST! 42 LOVERS IN JAPAN/REIGN OF LOVE YES VIVA LA VIDA

VIOLET HILL STRAWBERRY SWING DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS

EMI Music appoints top Google executive Douglas Merrill to drive digital growth
Apr 2, 08 5:17 PM Author robrien LONDON, 2 APRIL 2008 EMI Music has appointed Googles chief information officer and one of its most senior global executives, Douglas Merrill, to lead its growing digital music business. As President, Digital Business, EMI Music, Merrill will head a new global function which brings together for the first time leadership responsibility for all of the companys digital strategy, innovation, business development, supply chain and global technology activities. Guy Hands, chief executive officer of Terra Firma and chairman of EMI Group, said: Douglas is a proven agent of change who combines broad business intellect with a deep engineering background. He has been a key member of the management team at Google which has created more value than any other consumer internet company by focusing relentlessly on tools that enable consumers to do things more effectively. His experience, talents and his ability to drive innovation will be enormously valuable to EMI and to its artists. Merrill said: I have two passions. One is creating platforms and tools that make it easier for consumers to achieve their goals. The other is music. This exciting new role at EMI is a unique opportunity for me to be able to put those two passions to work together and help deliver EMIs objective of providing the best services in the world to consumers and musicians. Merrill starts work at EMI on 28 April and will be based at EMI Musics Los Angeles headquarters in the Capitol Tower. He will report to Guy Hands. Douglas Merrill joined Google late in 2003. During his five years with the company, he rose to become chief information officer and vice president of engineering, responsible for all billing and revenue technology and processes for Google worldwide, together with internal engineering and support worldwide. He has led multiple strategic efforts including Googles 2004 IPO and its related investor programme and regulatory activities. He was also responsible for the 2006 launch of Google Checkout, which is now a multi-billion dollar business. In 2007 he was tasked with leading the turnaround of Googles radio advertising business which he put back on a growth trajectory. Most recently, he was asked by Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, to drive Googles strategy and business development activity in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, the two fastest growing broadband populations in the world.

Previously, Douglas was a senior vice president at Charles Schwab and Co, one of Americas largest financial services providers. At Schwab, he was responsible for such functions as information security, common infrastructure, and human resources strategy and operations. Prior to his tenure there, Douglas worked at Price Waterhouse in security implementation practices. Before that, he was an information scientist at the RAND Corporation, where he studied topics such as computer simulation in education, team dynamics and organisational effectiveness. Douglas holds a BA from the University of Tulsa in Social and Political Organisation, and an MA and Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University.

EMI Music and Ricall sign global deal for online music licensing platform
Feb 11, 08 3:48 PM Author robrien EMI to boost usage of its artists music with Ricalls unique online music licensing platform LONDON, 11 FEBRUARY 2008 Ricall, the leading online music licensing marketplace, has signed a global deal with EMI Music, one of the worlds top record companies. Under the new agreement, EMI will utilise Ricalls online platform to help increase the opportunities for its artists to generate income from synchronisation licensing the commercial use of its music in adverts, films, TV programmes, video games, corporate videos and events, new media productions and premium licensing for music promotions by major brands. EMI Music represents a highly diverse roster of artists and one of the richest catalogues of recordings ever assembled from stars such as Lily Allen, Blur, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp, Gorillaz, Hot Chip, Norah Jones, Nigel Kennedy, The Kooks, Lenny Kravitz, Kylie, Moby, Pink Floyd, Queen, Simon Rattle, Rolling Stones, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams. Its music spans all tastes and genres from pop, rock, urban and country, to classical, jazz, christian and world music, to childrens, easy listening and spoken word. Ronn Werre, EMI Musics Executive Vice President of Global Sales, said: EMI Musics goal is to create maximum exposure and value for our artists music by embracing digital technologies and providing the best service to customers. Ricalls technology will help us deliver a seamless process to business clients wishing to access EMIs repertoire on a global basis. It is a great system that complements our existing search tools and is a very effective means of reaching new clients, giving our artists more opportunities to generate revenue through all kinds of established and emerging platforms. Richard Corbett, Founder and CEO of Ricall said: We are delighted to announce this deal with EMI which will see Ricall working closely with a second major music group to promote their entire global music catalogue for licensing via Ricall. Synch and premium licensing are a significant and rapidly growing source of revenue for the

music industry. Ricalls unique platform enables copyright owners to take full advantage of this additional market by processing a much greater volume of music licensing more efficiently and cost effectively. Key aspects of Ricalls deal with EMI include:

EMIs entire global catalogue of recordings will be uploaded onto Ricalls existing online library creating a total of more than three million tracks to be found and licensed at www.ricall.com. Ricall will develop a syncsite on its website for EMI to promote artists from its own global catalogue for synch licensing deals. As a global deal, Ricall will develop syncsites for EMIs catalogue in each territory and will work closely with EMI in generating the highest levels of awareness by the potential client base. Ricall will source and license premium licensing deals for EMI tracks such as free to consumer music offerings supported by major consumer brands. Any licences granted by EMI will always be subject to the artists approval.

Previously the labour intensive process of navigating the complicated world of music copyright to obtain a licence meant only large ad agencies, promotion companies and film studios had the resources and budgets to license well known tracks for various forms of commercial usage. Ricalls technology delivers a significantly more efficient process, enabling more types of buyers such as viral producers and video game developers, to find and license a greater variety of music from labels deep back catalogues thereby helping copyright owners and commercial music users take full advantage of the long tail of both music and production. Ricall has the most comprehensive music collection available from any B2B music destination, now encompassing more than three million tracks, including every track to have ever charted in the UK and US since charts began. This online library is being added to continuously with both the latest hits as well as new releases from independent and unsigned artists. Ends About Ricall: Ricall was founded in 1998 and is now the worlds largest online music licensing marketplace. Its website www.ricall.com houses a library of more than three million tracks from 25,000 copyright owners, including the latest independent, production and unsigned music, as well as international acts from all the major music groups. Ricall connects more than 3,500 record companies and 22,000 music publishers to a global network of tens of thousands of professional music license buyers. These licencees use Ricall to look for, listen to and license music for use in their commercial productions from radio ads and TV dramas to viral campaigns and corporate DVDs. Every day, worldwide, across multiple platforms, millions of people are listening to music licensed via ricall.com.

EMI, (Red) and Channel 4 announce collaboration with awardwinning film We Are Together
Feb 11, 08 3:47 PM Author robrien Release of exclusive track to launch twelve-month programme of activity 11th February 2008: EMI, the (RED) campaign and Channel 4 today announce their collaboration on the UK release of multi award-winning film WE ARE TOGETHER. The organisations will launch a twelve-month programme of activity with the release of a song from the films soundtrack, available as an exclusive MP3 download from www.wearetogether.org. WE ARE TOGETHER follows the extraordinary journey of the children at the Agape orphanage in South Africa, who form a choir and use their incredible music to help them overcome personal tragedy. Having lost their parents to AIDS at an early age, the children discover the power of their collective voices to strengthen their spirit and inspire others travelling from the orphanage to New York to raise awareness of the impact of the disease through song. EMI, in association with Shooting People Films, will release WE ARE TOGETHER in UK cinemas on Friday 7th March 2008, and the soundtrack featuring The Children of Agape, Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo on Monday 3rd March. A special edition DVD will be released later in the year. Profits from the film, soundtrack and DVD are being donated by EMI to AIDS related charities and education initiatives through the RISE foundation, founded by WE ARE TOGETHER director, Paul Taylor and producer, Teddy Leifer. The film, which was part funded by the Channel 4 British Documentary Film Foundation and acquired for the US by HBO Documentary Films, will have its terrestrial TV premiere on Channel 4 in 2008. Activity planned over the year includes a special fundraising concert with the children of Agape, a UK release premiere, an exclusive after-party hosted by (RED), and a full-scale marketing and publicity campaign across print, broadcast and online media. With its inspirational storyline and uplifting soundtrack WE ARE TOGETHER has already picked up a raft of awards on the international festival circuit, including the prestigious Audience Award at this years Edinburgh International Film Festival the first documentary to win the audience award since Buena Vista Social Club in 1999. 12 other international awards include the Audience Award at Tribeca Film Festival and the Audience and Special Jury Prize at the Amnesty Film Festival. The film also has celebrity fans including U2 front-man Bono, who showed his support at the US premiere, and Alicia Keys, who appears in the film and has sung with the Agape choir, and who supports AIDS work through her US based charity, Keep A Child Alive. Stefan Demetriou, Director of DVD & Audiovisual, EMI Music UK, comments: This film shows what a powerful healing force music is. EMI is proud to bring these incredible childrens voices to a wider audience.

Chief Executive of Channel 4 Andy Duncan added: Channel 4 is committed to bringing public attention to important issues through engaging and powerful films like We Are Together. Tom Rippin, Managing Director, (RED) Europe continued: (RED) is delighted to be working with WE ARE TOGETHER. Its a compelling documentary with a powerful message, about the AIDS crisis in Africa and demonstrates the need for consumers to choose (RED) Download an exclusive track from the WE ARE TOGETHER soundtrack at www.wearetogether.org For further information about WE ARE TOGETHER, to attend a press screening or request an interview please contact Lyndsey Honour, lyndsey@shootingpeoplefilms.com / 07989 945 066 To request further information on the soundtrack or to request a review copy please contact debra.geddes@emimusic.com

New York Daily News and EMI Music offer free exclusive downloads to readers
Jan 29, 08 3:35 PM Author robrien NEW YORK, JANUARY 29 The New York Daily News, New Yorks most read newspaper, and EMI Music, the worlds leading independent music company, today announced an agreement to offer Daily News readers free music downloads from EMIs music catalogue. The deal will give Daily News readers the opportunity to download three free songs of their choice from a selection of over 120,000 top tracks, including songs from artists nominated for the upcoming 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The Daily News is rewarding New Yorkers for making us New Yorks #1 newspaper by offering this exciting, exclusive opportunity to download free music from EMIs extensive collection of top hits and memorable classics, said Rhonda Novick, Senior Vice President of Circulation and Brand Marketing at the Daily News. This is an innovative partnership between a top daily newspaper and a major music company, and a prime example of what can be accomplished by fusing the capabilities of both print media and the web. We look forward to embracing similar partnerships in the future. Each copy of the Daily News on Super Bowl Sunday, February 3rd and Grammy Sunday, February 10th will include an insert printed with a unique access code that will allow readers to search and download the music of their choice by visiting www.NYDailyNews.com, the News newly revamped and user-friendly website. Readers who log on with the unique access code will also have the exclusive opportunity to select Ringo Starrs unreleased track Its Love from the new studio album Liverpool 8. Anyone with a copy of the Daily News from the selected days can take advantage of this incredible free music opportunity.

The Daily Newss impressive Sunday readership gives EMI a great chance to showcase our talented family of artists to the large and diverse population of New York City and the surrounding areas, said Ronn Werre, Executive Vice President of Global Sales for EMI Music. Our agreement with the Daily News will help us expose new audiences to the ease and quality of digital music while ensuring our artists are compensated for the music they create. About the Daily News The Daily News is the largest and most widely read newspaper in the New York metropolitan market and the fifth largest newspaper in the country. The Daily News continues to lead all other newspapers as the paper of choice for New York City residents. Along with its newly redesigned web site NYDailyNews.com the Daily News reaches 4.6 million readers per week. (according to Scarborough Research, New York Market, 12 months ending 2007 R2).

EMI Music strikes strategic mobile content deal with SendMe

Jan 25, 08 3:32 PM Author robrien SAN FRANCISCO, January 25, 2008 SendMe, Inc., the premier mobile media company, and EMI Music, one of the worlds largest independent music companies, today entered into a strategic agreement that gives SendMeMobile.com members access to EMIs full catalogue of mobile content. With the touch of button, members will be able to choose from over 4,000 ring tones, and download some of the hottest songs and artists available worldwide. Partnering with a premier record label like EMI enables our fans to access whatever music theyre craving whether it is Latin, hip-hop, rap or rock music, said Russell Klein, co-founder and CEO of SendMe. Our content library makes it easy for members to quickly find not only their favorites, but also new artists and songs that didnt even know existed. The addition of EMIs catalogue to SendMeMobile.com builds on our commitment to give our members the best and broadest premium content out there. With SendMes mobile media platform, were establishing avenues for fans to discover and rediscover their favorite music, anytime, anywhere, said Lauren Berkowitz, senior vice president, digital for EMI Music North America. SendMe is another innovative way for us to strengthen the bond between our artists and fans. We look forward to collaborating with SendMe on promoting our artists and delivering some of the best music to fans worldwide. Among current artists and catalogue works from EMI Music that are now available at SendMeMobile.com include 30 Seconds to Mars, A Fine Frenzy, Lily Allen, Corinne Bailey Rae, Belinda, Beastie Boys, Dierks Bentley, Chemical Brothers, The B-52s, Coldplay, Daft Punk, Norah Jones, Lenny Kravitz, J. Holiday, Dean Martin, Bob Seger, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, The Rolling Stones, K.T. Tunstall and Keith Urban. SendMe brings the best of mobile media to the palm of your hands. With its unique mobile platform and first-class content partners with EMI Music, Universal, Glu, Telcogames, Sony Pictures, The Orchard and more, SendMe grants members access

to award-winning games, the hottest hits from the most popular and independent artists, and one-of-a-kind prizes. Plus SendMes built-in community, allows members to create and share their favorites with friends and family on-the-go. About EMI Music EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the worlds largest independent music companies. Its EMI Music division represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Artists on EMI labels include Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Good The Bad & The Queen, Gorillaz, Norah Jones, The Kooks, Korn, Kylie Minogue, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Joss Stone, 30 Seconds To Mars, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams, as well as international artists such as Amaral (Spain), Diams (France), Utada Hikaru (Japan), LaFee (Germany), Radja (Indonesia), RBD (Mexico) and Vasco Rossi (Italy). EMI has been at the cutting edge of the rapidly growing digital music marketplace since it released David Bowies Hours as the worlds first ever album to be offered as a digital download in 1999. EMI has signed agreements with hundreds of digital partners to distribute its music across the globe, including most recently its premium DRM-free, higher-quality offering sold through partners including Apple iTunes, Amazon.com, Passalong Networks, Hip Digital and more. It continues to facilitate the development of a growing range of new digital business models to enable fans to experience and purchase its artists output through a number of different platforms including, legal peer-to-peer agreements with QTrax, Mashboxx and GNAB, as well as via new models such as YouTube and iMeem. About SendMe SendMe, Inc. turns any mobile phone into a portable playground. As the premier mobile media company, SendMes family of destination sites lets you take the fun from the Web to your mobile phone with the broadest and best content, entertainment and community out there. SendMes three properties SendMeMobile.com, SoLow.com and mbuzzy.com deliver content from todays pop culture sensations, niche independent creations, stuff from our own community, and one-of-a-kind mobile games that will keep you coming back for more. So whether youre looking for new ways to show your personal style, eager for some mobile gaming excitement, or trying to stay connected to the people and things you love most, SendMe brings it all to you how you want it, when you want it. Founded in 2006 by three veteran online and mobile entrepreneurs, SendMe is funded by Spark Capital and True Ventures.

EMI Group announces fundamental restructuring of Recorded Music Division to respond to the needs of artists and consumers
Jan 15, 08 3:28 PM Author robrien London, 15 January 2008 EMI Group is today announcing a series of wide-ranging initiatives within its Recorded Music division to enable the group to become the worlds most innovative, artist friendly and consumer-focused music company. In a series of presentations to staff, artists and managers, Guy Hands, EMI Groups chairman, is unveiling a fundamental reshaping of the business to reflect the rapidlychanging nature of the music industry. The changes include:

Repositioning EMIs labels to ensure they will be completely focussed on A&R and maximising the potential of all their artists Developing a new partnership with artists, based on transparency and trust, and helping all artists monetise the value of their work by opening new income streams such as enhanced digital services and corporate sponsorship arrangements Bringing together all the groups key support activities including sales, marketing manufacturing and distribution into a single division with a unified global leadership The elimination of significant duplications within the group to simplify processes and reduce waste

The changes, which will be implemented over the next six months, will enable the group to invest more in its A&R operations both to identify and sign promising new artists and to maximise the potential of its existing roster. The restructuring is being carried out following an intense three-month consultation review of the business by Terra Firma since it acquired the business last year and many of the measures being implemented have come at the suggestion of staff, artists or their managers. The restructuring will also enable the group to capture significant efficiencies and cost reductions which are expect to reduce costs by up to 200 million per year. The restructuring is also expected to lead to a worldwide headcount reduction within the group of between 1,500 and 2,000. Guy Hands commented: We have spent a long time looking intensely at EMI and the problems faced by its Recorded Music division which, like the rest of the music industry, has been struggling to respond to the challenges posed by a digital environment We believe we have devised a new revolutionary structure for the group that will improve every area of the business. In short it will make EMIs music more valuable for the company and its artists alike. The changes we are announcing today will

ensure that this iconic company will be creating wonderful music in a way that is profitable and sustainable.

Abbey Road Studios tops a bumper year for film soundtracks with its fifth box office No.1
Dec 21, 07 11:20 AM Author robrien Recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios, The Golden Compass hits No.1 in the UK and US box offices LONDON, 18 December 2007: The Golden Compass, one of the years most eagerly awaited films, with a sweeping soundtrack recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios and scored by Alexandre Desplat, has launched at No.1 in the UK and US box offices to great critical acclaim. The Golden Compass is the fifth UK box office No.1 for Abbey Road Studios in 2007 and is one of the largest productions of the year for the studios. It completes a bumper 12 months for Abbey Road Studios, which has witnessed several major film soundtracks recorded and mixed within its walls, including Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Shrek The Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, all of which have hit the top spots at both the US and UK box offices. Already touted to be an Oscar winning soundtrack, The Golden Compass Alexandre Desplat comments; Golden Compass is by far the largest film I have ever written the score for. I knew I had to surround myself with the best collaborators to get through the immense task ahead of me. Abbey Road Studios was undoubtedly the only place to record the 120 piece orchestra, and we worked around the clock, relentlessly, from one studio to another, for several weeks. Surrounded by the best crew I could dream of, always available, efficient, caring and with the best spirit under the artistic spell of Abbey Roads chief engineer Peter Cobbin. Singer Kate Bush also contributed an original song titled Lyra to the end title credits of The Golden Compass. The track was mixed at Abbey Road Studios. The Golden Compass is the film of the best-selling fantasy novelist, Philip Pullman. Starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, it is touted as the first part of a trilogy which will equal The Lord of the Rings, also recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studios. Abbey Road Studios was also behind the soundtrack to American Gangster, which was recorded and mixed on location in LA by Abbey Roads Peter Cobbin. The film debuted at No.1 in the US and Canadian box offices as the highest-ever grossing gangster film.

EMI Records to showcase artits audiovisual content on Apple iPhone

Dec 10, 07 11:40 AM Author robrien iPhone-optimised microsite to promote Sigur Ros Heima LONDON, 10th December 2007: EMI Records today announced a series of artist marketing campaigns utilising the Apple iPhone and iPod touch platforms to showcase audiovisual content. Initial activity to make use of the devices compelling wi-fi experience is an artistbranded website to promote the launch of Heima, the critically acclaimed music film of the homecoming tour of Icelandic quartet Sigur Ros. To celebrate the release of this feature-length music DVD, EMI Records has created a specially optimised microsite for the iPhone and iPod touchs display and interaction. Including the fulllength trailer of the film, the site offers finger-sized navigation, a layout that changes according to orientation and a video stream that adapts depending on whether the viewer is connected via WiFi or the EDGE cellular connection. The site makes attractive use of a Yahoo! Maps mash-up tool, allowing the viewer to easily navigate over the map of Iceland and click on the various locations where Sigur Ros performed. The sites design has been kept purposely simple to complement the evocative visual depictions of the Icelandic landscape and to convey the impact of the music. Eric Winbolt, Head of Digital, EMI Records, comments These touchscreen wireless devices offer an exceptional user experience. Being the first truly converged mass market devices to do so, we were very keen to use them to showcase our artists content and offer the consumer this unbeatable user experience. Also included in the site are links to buy, meaning the viewer can go straight to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store to purchase Sigur Rs music.

Ringo Starrs new studio album Liverpool 8, to be released January 15 on CD, USB wristband & digitally
Dec 21, 07 11:17 AM Author robrien Album launch includes digital single release, concert event in Liverpool, US TV appearances and major promotions with AARP, Amazon.com, NPRs World Caf, Pinger, QuickTime, US Airways, VH1Classic.com and others Hollywood, California December 19, 2007 Ringo Starrs new studio album, Liverpool 8, his first new album with Capitol/EMI since 1974s Goodnight Vienna, will be released on CD, USB wristband and digitally on January 15 (January 14 internationally). Liverpool 8s launch is already underway, with a digital single released this month and high-profile events and promotions scheduled through

January, including a concert event in Liverpool, national television and radio network interviews and performances, and major promotions with AARP, Amazon.com, Pinger, Quicktime, U.S. Airways, VH1Classic.com and others. In addition to being released on CD and digitally, Liverpool 8 will be available as a pre-loaded USB wristband including the entire album, a personal video message, interview and track commentary from Ringo Starr, behind-the-scenes making-of footage from the recording sessions, ringtunes, photos and more. Liverpool 8s title track is now available as a digital single from all major digital service providers. TIME magazines December 24 issue features an interview with Ringo, and Pinger has launched an ongoing Ringo Starr Pingercast(sm) campaign, featuring Ringos own personal greetings sent directly to fans cell phones. Visit Ringos official Website (www.ringostarr.com) or his MySpace page (www.myspace.com/ringostarr) to register for his free custom Pingercast messages. In January, Amazon.com will exclusively premiere the Liverpool 8 music video, and QuickTime will feature an exclusive 12-day Countdown To Liverpool series beginning January 4, with Ringo interview clips and a new track from Liverpool 8 each day, leading to the albums release (www.quicktime.com). U.S. Airways will showcase Ringo and Liverpool 8 with in-flight audio, video and magazine features on all of the airlines domestic and international flights, AARP will debut its new online video series, AARP Sessions, with an exclusive Ringo interview (www.aarp.org), and VH1Classic.com will premiere Liverpool 8 with The Leak, an exclusive fulllength stream of the album one week prior to its release. Ringo Starr will return to Liverpool for a hometown performance on January 12 with his Liverpool 8 co-producer, Dave Stewart, to commence the citys 2008 Capital of Culture celebrations. Following that weeks international promotion, Ringo will travel to New York and Los Angeles for several national TV and radio performances and interviews, including ABCs LIVE with Regis & Kelly, A&Es Private Sessions, CBS Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, NBCs Tonight Show with Jay Leno, National Public Radios World Caf, and VH1 Classics new interview series, Inside Track. VH1 Classic will also air Ringos VH1 Storytellers special several times around Liverpool 8s release. Liverpool 8s 12 original tracks were all co-written by Ringo and were recorded in England and in California. The writing of the records is always the same, Ringo explains. Its the same group of guys and we all sit together and write about whats happening. That group of guys who joined Ringo on the albums songwriting and recording are (in alphabetical order): Gary Burr, Steve Dudas, Mark Hudson, Sean Hurley, Zac Rae, and Dave Stewart. Since beginning his career in the 1960s with The Beatles, Ringo Starr has been one of the worlds brightest musical luminaries. He has enjoyed a successful and dynamic solo career as a singer, songwriter and drummer, an active musical collaborator, and as an actor. Drawing inspiration from classic blues, soul, country, honky-tonk and rock n roll, Ringo continues to play an important role in modern music with his solo recording and touring. His last studio album, Choose Love, was released in 2005.

Ringo has said that as time goes on there is more and more of his personality in his music, and the songs on Liverpool 8 feel personal. His candor, wit and soul are evident in the lyrics and the heartbeat of every song; I always followed my heart and I never missed a beat. Peace and love are Ringo Starrs primary life beats, and Liverpool 8 propels this universal message in each of its evocative songs, which are imbued with joy, insight, reflection and wisdom from the music icon the world knows and loves simply as Ringo. For more information, visit Ringo Starrs official Website: www.ringostarr.com Ringo Starr: Liverpool 8 (CD, USB Wristband & Digital Album) 1. Liverpool 8 2. Think About You 3. For Love 4. Now That Shes Gone Away 5. Gone Are The Days 6. Give It A Try 7. Tuff Love 8. Harrys Song 9. Pasodobles 10. If Its Love That You Want 11. Love Is 12. R U Ready?

Gabriela Montero improvises online from her living room

Dec 14, 07 11:21 AM Author robrien The passion, poetic musicality and sense of structure Ms. Montero brings to classical works translate to her classy improvisations. And no matter how complex the variations, the original melody always emerges triumphantly from a musical tapestry that might weave blues, jazz, tango and Debussy into a multihued framework. (The New York Times) Gabriela Montero, the Venezuelan pianist renowned for her improvisational artistry in the concert halls of the world, will perform improvisations on the piano in her living room based on themes submitted by her audience. These will be recorded live and streamed on the internet bi-weekly from December 2007. They will also be available for download for three days after each event. Gabriela is seeking audience participation in this unique musical experience, inviting fans to email suggested themes (described in up-to-50 words) to her website, www.gabrielamontero.com A theme may be in the form of an emotion, a beautiful vision, an inspiration from another composition, a film or television show, a current life situation or something that has affected us emotionally. The chosen themes will be posted on Gabrielas website. Those whose themes have been chosen for each edition of Live from My Living Room will receive a personalised MP3 file of Gabrielas improvisation.

Gabriela Montero has been improvising for about as long as she has been playing the piano but, for many years, she kept this phenomenal ability under wraps. It was only when Martha Argerich heard her improvising and gave her strong encouragement that Gabriela came out. Martha persuaded me that it was possible to combine my career as a serious classical artist with the side of me that is rather unique. From that time on, when called upon to give encores after recitals and concerto appearances, she has invited audience members to suggest themes on which she might improvise. It is the most natural and spontaneous way I can express myself, she says. I connect with my audience in a completely unique way and they connect with me. Gabriela Montero was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She first performed in public at the age of five and made her concerto debut with the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra at eight. She subsequently studied in the U.S. on a Venezuelan government scholarship. When she was twelve, Gabriela won the Baldwin National Competition and the AMSA (American Music Scholarship Association) Young Artist International Piano Competition, performing Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She won the Bronze Medal at the 1995 International Chopin Piano Competition. Gabriela has performed throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia in recital and with orchestras including the New York, Los Angeles and Boston philharmonics, the NDR Hannover, Stuttgart Philharmonic, the (London) Philharmonia and the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra/Gustavo Dudamel, with whom she has performed all five Beethoven concertos on several occasions. She has given recitals at, among others, the Wigmore Hall, London; Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.; the National Arts Center, Ottawa; Orchard Hall, Tokyo; the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires; Herkulessaal, Munich; Musikhalle, Hamburg; the Berlin Konzerthaus and Cologne Philharmonie. She has appeared at numerous festivals in France, Germany and Canada and annually at the Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano and the Martha Argerich Festival, Buenos Aires. Highlights of the coming months include recital appearances, among them New Yorks Metropolitan Museum and the Washington Performing Arts Society, and performances of concertos by Beethoven, MacDowell, Prokofiev and Rachmaninov (and Rachmaninovs Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini) in Europe and North America. Gabriela Monteros first CD for EMI Classics, a recital of works by Rachmaninov, Chopin, de Falla, Scriabin and Liszt won the Echo Klassik award in 2006 for Keyboard Instrumentalist of the Year. This was followed by Bach and Beyond, a full disc of improvisations on themes of Bach that won the Classics Without Borders prize at the Echo Klassik awards in 2007. Her recently recorded third disc, Baroque, features improvisations on popular themes from the Baroque era, including Pachelbels Canon in D, Albinonis Adagio and Vivaldis Four Seasons, already available in North America and to be released in Europe on 18 February 2008, followed by Asia in June 2008. Musically insightful and technically brilliant (Boston Globe) Charismatic and brilliant (The New York Times)

Montero is the kind of artist that the classical music world is clamoring for. By reaching out to those who arent hard-core classical fans, she breaks down the formality that is a disguise for a brick wall between the audience and the artist. (Conductor Thomas Wilkins, who partnered Gabriela Montero in Tchaikovskys Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2007, speaking to the Los Angeles Times)

EMI Records to showcase artits audiovisual content on Apple iPhone

Dec 10, 07 11:40 AM Author robrien iPhone-optimised microsite to promote Sigur Ros Heima LONDON, 10th December 2007: EMI Records today announced a series of artist marketing campaigns utilising the Apple iPhone and iPod touch platforms to showcase audiovisual content. Initial activity to make use of the devices compelling wi-fi experience is an artistbranded website to promote the launch of Heima, the critically acclaimed music film of the homecoming tour of Icelandic quartet Sigur Ros. To celebrate the release of this feature-length music DVD, EMI Records has created a specially optimised microsite for the iPhone and iPod touchs display and interaction. Including the fulllength trailer of the film, the site offers finger-sized navigation, a layout that changes according to orientation and a video stream that adapts depending on whether the viewer is connected via WiFi or the EDGE cellular connection. The site makes attractive use of a Yahoo! Maps mash-up tool, allowing the viewer to easily navigate over the map of Iceland and click on the various locations where Sigur Ros performed. The sites design has been kept purposely simple to complement the evocative visual depictions of the Icelandic landscape and to convey the impact of the music. Eric Winbolt, Head of Digital, EMI Records, comments These touchscreen wireless devices offer an exceptional user experience. Being the first truly converged mass market devices to do so, we were very keen to use them to showcase our artists content and offer the consumer this unbeatable user experience. Also included in the site are links to buy, meaning the viewer can go straight to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store to purchase Sigur Rs music.

BiBC signs digital download deal with EMI to make available DRM-free audiovisual content
Dec 7, 07 11:44 AM Author robrien

LONDON, 7 December 2007. BiBC has today signed a significant audio and video content deal with EMI Music UK. BiBCs digital store the largest downloadable video content store in the UK will benefit from the addition of thousands of hours of high quality content, including the latest music videos, from one of the worlds largest music companies. BiBCs audio and video digital store, which can be branded by individual media owners as their own digital video store, will be enhanced by DRMfree content from superstar artists such as Coldplay, The Spice Girls, Queen, Kylie, Pink Floyd and KT Tunstall. BiBC is driving the home entertainment platform of the future. The deal will allow BiBC to make available for sale audio and video content direct to consumers on a download-to-own basis via www.boxoffice365.com. The content will be completely and genuinely on demand meaning that consumers will be able to view content while it is downloading, due to BiBCs progressive downloading technology. The BiBC digital store is also available to brand owners as a white label offering, meaning companies can use the technology and content to have their own digital download store complete with their own branding. MediaMaster, BiBCs acclaimed distribution platform, provides the back-end technology to allow content to be distributed onto set top boxes, PCs, MP4 players, mobiles etc. Paul Hague, Managing Director of BiBC, commented: World-leading content owners such as EMI are the trend setters in the video download industry and to see that they are choosing BiBCs offering is fantastic. Adding EMI to our already huge content stable means that a digital video store becomes ever more irresistible for bigname retailers and other brand owners. Brand owners can now have their own whitelabelled digital video store with all of the EMI content up-and-running within days there is absolutely nothing stopping them. Graeme Rogan, Head of Digital Sales, EMI Music UK, added: EMI is always looking for innovative and exciting ways of monetising its content. BiBC has a platform which is able to combine audio and video delivery to offer a complete while label solution. Our catalogue and new release titles can only benefit from being available via BiBCs digital offering, be it through the BiBC site or third party sites. -EndsEditors Notes About BiBC The British Internet Broadcasting Company, BIBC, is a privately owned company. Founded in 2000, BiBCs content store and distribution technology is today driving the home entertainment platform of the future. BiBC has aggregated content from numerous content owners to create the UKs largest catalogue of video content. BiBCs digital store is available to brand owners as a white label offering. www.boxoffice365.com is its demonstration site. MediaMaster, BiBCs distribution platform, delivers the content and back end technology to set top

boxes, PCs, MP4 players, mobiles etc., which allows content to be streamed or downloaded. It is underpinned by a managed service offering from BiBC.

EMI Music Japan launches its official mobile download site MOBAEMI on three mobile carriers on 3rd December
Dec 3, 07 11:50 AM Author robrien EMIs catalogue to be available in Chaku-Uta Chaku-Uta Full ChakuMovie and Chaku-Voice formats Tokyo, 3rd December, 2007: EMI Music Japan has today launched its new official mobile download site MOBAEMI on NTT docomos i-mode and Softbank Mobiles Yahoo! Mobile (Y!keitai). MOBAEMI, which will also be available on KDDIs EZweb from 6th December, offers consumers a paid download service for purchasing ringtunes, full track downloads, ringmovies and ringvoice products available either on an a la carte basis or via subscription. According to the RIAJ, in the first half of 2007, mobile music sales in Japan grew by 143% compared to the year before to reach 31,859 million Yen ($290 million), and Japans Telecommunications Carriers Association forecasts that by the end of 2007 over 80% of the nearly 100 million mobile phones in the country will be 3G enabled. Currently EMIs mobile catalogue includes approximately 15,000 titles across all genres of music and which are available through over 100 websites including approximately 30 MSPs. The success of EMIs mobile strategy in Japan was illustrated earlier this year when Flavor of Life by Japanese superstar Utada Hikaru became the best selling mobile track ever in Japan with mobile sales of 6.6 million out of total digital sales of 7.3 million. With the launch of MOBAEMI, EMI Music is aiming both to further increase the number of sales channels for mobile products and improve its understanding of consumer preferences and behaviour to benefit EMI artists and their music across all formats, digital and physical. Special features on MOBAEMI include exclusive content, original comments and input from artists and music video directors and a breaking artists section as well as highlights of both the latest releases and classic hits from EMIs extensive mobile catalogue. Customers can choose either a la carte download service or monthly points-based subscription service for purchase and download. In addition, to mark the launch of MOBAEMI, until 10th April 2008, new MOBAEMI members will qualify for double points, novelty giveaways and prizes and invitations to live performances by EMI artists. Shoji Doyama, president & CEO of EMI Music Japan said: EMIs strategy is to deliver our music to as many people as possible in the formats and ways that suit their lifestyles. In MOBAEMI we have developed an appealing website that offers music

fans even more choice and opportunities for finding music and getting closer to their favourite artists.

Hip Digital Media and EMI Music enter into DRM-free digital music initiative across North America for consumer brand, loyalty and incentive programs
Nov 12, 07 12:10 PM Author robrien EMI Canada becomes first label to use Hip Digitals CMS engine Vancouver, Canada November 12, 2007 Hip Digital Media, a full service digital media agency specializing in the licensing and distribution of digital entertainment, and EMI Music, one of the worlds largest independent music companies, have entered into an agreement that gives Hip Digital access to EMI Musics entire digital catalogue in higher quality DRM-free format. Hip Digital, which has developed digital music programs for consumer brands such as Visa, Pepsi, Seagate, Dentyne, Samsung, LifeSavers, CMT.ca, Nissan, Aeroplan and many others will now be able to offer music from EMI artists ranging from Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae and Interpol to Norah Jones, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall and more for consumer promotions, loyalty and incentive programs in the US and Canada. In addition, EMI Music Canada has become the first major label to license Hip Digitals proprietary content management system. This advanced system, called P.A.C.E. (Promotional Artist & Campaign Engine), has quickly become a key tool for developing online digital promotions for Hip Digitals content partners. The system provides labels with the necessary tools for generating promotional revenue through third-party and artist-driven campaigns. P.A.C.E. features a turnkey, self-serve web interface that allows content partners, as well as Hip Digitals brand clients to easily set up and creatively define digital promotions according to ongoing business needs. One reason EMI decided to make its entire digital catalog available DRM-free was that it gives us the flexibility to offer our music through so many different and new business models. Our artists will also benefit from the new revenue streams and exposure from having new ways to connect fans to our artists, said Lauren Berkowitz, Senior Vice President of Digital for EMI Music North America. Hip Digital has delivered some compelling consumer digital propositions for well-known brands and we look forward to working together to develop creative ways of reaching consumers with our music Hip Digital will have access to EMIs vast catalogue in MP3 format, free of digital rights management (DRM) and in a higher quality bit rate of 320 kbps, which will provide greater flexibility and value in the delivery and distribution of music for their custom music properties. Our partnership with EMI is a terrific new strategic alliance for us. With EMIs expansive digital music catalogue and our technology platform, EMI can offer brands the ability to leverage music to better connect with consumers. said Vered Koren, VP of Content and Business Development for Hip Digital Media. We look forward to

expanding our partnership with EMI and extending our services to other labels and brands. Hip Digitals innovative music services are integral for attracting and retaining many of their clients. With a suite of CRM solutions that include customer loyalty programs, digital premiums and purchase incentives, Hip Digital is now recognized as a leading digital media agency. This new licensing agreement with Hip Digital Media is a first for EMI Music Canada. We are excited to partner with them on this new venture. We recognize that their content management system is world class and it will allow us to have stronger ties to consumers while providing added benefits to our artists, stated Sean Hutchison, Director of Digital Business Development, EMI Music Canada.

i-vu partners with EMIs Charisma Records to promote top 5 artists Plain White Ts and David Guetta in music industry first
Nov 7, 07 12:13 PM Author robrien LONDON, 7th November 2007: Charisma Records, part of EMI Music UK, has signed a partnership deal with i-vu, the leading interactive digital screen media network owner, to showcase new music releases via i-vus in-store network of screens. Artists featured include US breakthrough act Plain White Ts, who have recently topped the charts with their smash hit Hey There Delilah, superstar DJ David Guetta, new UK singer/songwriter Tom Baxter and Rn'B sensation J. Holiday. The campaign, which is targeting a mainly female demographic, will see 1600 individual interactive screens placed in over 200 hair salons across the UK, including Trevor Sorbie and Nicky Clarke. The i-vu screens will feature two music videos supported with i-frame within each 45 minute programme loop, and will use interactive touch screen buttons to enable the viewer to access additional information about each featured artist, including tour dates, album releases and other promotional information. Mike Anstey, CEO of i-vu, says: In an increasingly competitive market, i-vus iframe offers a new way for music artists to launch and is one of the few which provides multi-dimensional ways to experience music. The interactive screens will also allow Charisma Records to break away from traditional music formats as the interactive non-static nature of i-vus screens gives viewers the ability to choose what music and information they would like view. The combination of new release artists and additional interactive advertising will add significant value to the i-vu channel. Mark Poston, director of Charisma Records, says: Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for consumers to access our artists and music. The powerful interactivity of

the i-vu screens really closes the distance between artist and fan and were very happy to be the first music company to partner with i-vu. In one of the largest investments in outdoor digital seen in the UK, i-vu recently secured 40 million (US$80 million) of new funding, which will make it the largest digital network in the world with well over 300 per cent growth in the UK and USA in one year and enabling it to expand into Europe. Over the past five years, i-vu has established partnerships with some of the leading names in the salon world, including: Clipso, Cobella, Headmasters, Nicky Clarke, Richard Ward, Rush and Trevor Sorbie. It has also attracted advertising clients such as 20th Century Fox, BMW, Gillette, GlaxoSmithKline, LOreal, Masterfoods, Nokia, Toyota, Warner Bros and Wella. The funding it has now attracted will enable it to significantly increase its penetration in the UK, USA and Europe and provide advertising brands with the benefits of size and structure.

EMI artists give teenagers a new way to pay

Oct 30, 07 12:26 PM Author robrien Lily Allen, Athlete and Supergrass artwork to appear on chip & PIN cards LONDON, 30th October 2007: Selected EMI artists are coming together and offering young fans an alternative way to get their hands on their album covers through chip and PIN cards. In an exclusive and first of its kind deal with NatWest and EMI Music UK & Ireland, label artists including Lily Allen, Athlete, The Thrills and Supergrass are allowing their album artwork to be used on chip and PIN cards for teenagers. Holders of the NatWest Adapt account can log-on to the account website <http://www.natwest.com/adapt> to customise their chip and PIN card with an image of their choice. The account, open to 11-18 year olds, has an extensive library of images to choose from, including current album artwork as well as some of EMIs iconic label logos, including Parlophone, Positiva and NOW! Further album covers from the music label are to be added shortly with account holders also able to upload their own photographs to use as the card design. Mark Worthington, NatWest Head of Youth Banking Along with personalising phone ringtones, Facebook pages and clothes, now young people can show their individuality by putting a favourite image on their bankcard, making having a current account more fun. Giles Harris, EMI Music Head of Music & Brands Were thrilled to be working with NatWest and particularly with their Adapt account holders. EMI has been behind some of the most eye-catching and memorable album covers, and its great that with this account young people have the opportunity to carry them around with them wherever they go.

The NatWest Adapt accounts chip and PIN card is enabled by Solo which means it can be used in cash machines and shops but does not allow the holder to spend money that is not already in their account. The card can be personalised with images at a charge of 5. The account itself is free of charge and can be managed via branch and cash machines and, if over 16 years old, by telephone and online. Further offers include discounts on Young Persons Railcards, mobile phones and top-up and cinema tickets. In order to help young people make the most of their Adapt account, NatWest has set up a dedicated website, http://www.natwest.com/adapt. It provides advice on how to manage money and even gives a chance to earn extra money by giving their views and opinions on relevant topics for research. The NatWest Adapt account is available from branches nationwide and online at <http://www.natwest.com/adapt> or by calling 0800 015 4212.

imeem strikes strategic music and video partnership with EMI Music
Oct 29, 07 12:29 PM Author robrien Fans now have on-demand access to EMIs entire digital audio and video catalogue; EMI is third major label to offer ad-supported music through imeem October 29, 2007 San Francisco, Calif. imeem, a leading social network, and EMI Music, one of the worlds leading digital music companies, today announced a comprehensive music and video content partnership that will give fans free, ondemand access to stream EMI Musics available global digital catalogue on imeems ad-supported online service. Starting today, imeems 18 million users will be able to enjoy music and video from artists such as Radiohead, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, 30 Seconds to Mars, Norah Jones, Interpol, KT Tunstall, Daft Punk, Joss Stone, the Beastie Boys and more. Having pioneered and launched the first ad-supported and interactive music streaming service earlier this year, imeem is the only social network offering both full music and video streaming in partnership with major and independent record labels. Using unique full-featured social media applications available as part of imeems service, members can upload their favorite music, video and photos for streaming, create custom playlists and slideshows, and share them with friends and fans on imeem and across the Web. imeem.com was recently named Best of the Web 2007 in the AdWeek Third Annual Digital Hot List. We think imeem offers fans a great music discovery experience and personalized media features through its unique social networking environment, said Lauren Berkowitz, Senior Vice President of Digital for EMI Music North America. We look forward to working with imeem to develop innovative promotional opportunities and also to building new advertising and commerce revenue streams that will benefit EMIs artists.

We are thrilled to work with our newest record label partner EMI Music to expand the great content available free to our users on our ad-supported service and bring imeem a significant step closer to creating the worlds largest media community, said Dalton Caldwell, founder and cEMI Music is first major music company to offer its music via DJdownload.com
Oct 24, 07 12:33 PM Author robrien LONDON, 24 October 2007: DJdownload.com, the UKs leading digital dance music store, has signed a deal with EMI Music to bring the major labels extensive recordings to music fans for the first time via its site. Among the highlights of the deal, the full catalogue from renowned dance label Positiva will be made available for download from the site, including new material from world famous artists such as Ferry Corsten, The Shapeshifters, Axwell and Deep Dish, as well as classic tracks like Spillers Groovejet, The Ones Flawless, and Fragmas Tocas Miracle, amongst many others. Also available is the full Chemical Brothers back catalogue on Freestyle Dust, Depeche Mode on Mute and the complete DFA repertoire including LCD Soundsystem and The Juan Maclean. Other EMI artists available to download include Massive Attack, Radiohead, Tracey Thorn, Moloko, Roisin Murphy and Hot Chip. This is in addition to key back catalogues from classic dance imprints like Credence, Feverpitch, Additive and VC Recordings. Dance music lovers can legitimately download their favourite EMI music in DJfriendly high quality MP3 format without any Digital Rights Management (DRM) protection or restrictive encoding formats, meaning the music can be played across all available portable digital devices and online platforms. Graeme Rogan, Head of Digital Sales, EMI Music UK, comments Our move to make our music available in the MP3 DRM-free format has enabled this and many more genre based deals possible. The partnership with DJdownload marks another step forward for EMI towards our goal of increasing the presence of our music in niche markets. DJdownload has a knowledgeable and committed consumer base and we look forward to engaging with this market to increase the sales and reach of all our dance related products All the tunes will be presented with hand selected preview samples, unique editorial evaluations of tracks and a quick and easy to use new download manager there couldnt be a better way to explore this new wealth of current and classic dance music. Justin Pearse, Head of Music at DJdownload.com says We are seeking to become the most comprehensive source of dance and electronic music on the web, but missing major label content has always left some holes. This deal is a watershed for niche players like us. Labels like Positiva have shaped commercial dance music over the last decade or so with hits crossing over from dance floor radio and we are thrilled to have them on board.

DJdownload.com stocks music from over 4500 different record labels, uploading thousands of new tracks every month and also powers Ministry of Sounds download store www.mosdownload.com. hief executive officer of imeem.

Amazon.com launches public beta of Amazon MP3, a digital music store offering customers earths biggest selection of a la carte DRM-free MP3 music downloads
Sep 25, 07 1:02 PM Author robrien Amazon MP3 offers over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists and over 20,000 labels, including EMI Music and Universal Music Group SEATTLESept. 25, 2007Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today launched a public beta of Amazon MP3, a new digital music download store with Earths biggest selection of a la carte DRM-free MP3 music downloads. Amazon MP3 has over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists represented by over 20,000 major and independent labels. Amazon MP3 complements Amazon.coms existing selection of over 1 million CDs to now offer customers more selection of physical and digital music than any other retailer. Amazon MP3 is an all-MP3, DRM-free catalog of a la carte music from major labels and independent labels, playable on any device, in high-quality audio, at low prices, said Bill Carr, Amazon.com Vice President for Digital Music. This new digital music service has already been through an extensive private beta, and today were excited to offer it to our customers as a fully functional public beta. We look forward to receiving feedback from our customers and using their input to refine the service. Every song and album 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 any hardware device, including PCs, Macs(TM), iPods(TM), Zunes(TM), Zens(TM), iPhones(TM), RAZRs(TM), and BlackBerrys(TM); organize their music using any music management application such as iTunes(TM) or Windows Media Player(TM); and burn songs to CDs. Most songs are priced from 89 cents to 99 cents, with more than 1 million of the 2 million songs priced at 89 cents. The top 100 best-selling songs are 89 cents, unless marked otherwise. Most albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99. The top 100 bestselling albums are $8.99 or less, unless marked otherwise. Every song on Amazon MP3 is encoded at 256 kilobits per second, which gives customers high audio quality at a manageable file size. Buying and downloading MP3s from Amazon MP3 is easy. Customers can purchase downloads using Amazon 1-Click(TM) shopping, and with the Amazon MP3

Downloader, seamlessly add their MP3s to their iTunes or Windows Media Player libraries. Amazon MP3 has over 2 million songs from more than 180,000 artists spanning every genre of music, including 50 Cent, Alison Krauss, Amy Winehouse, Ani DiFranco, Arcade Fire, Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ella Fitzgerald, Feist, John Coltrane, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban, Koko Taylor, Lily Allen, Madeleine Peyroux, Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Morrissey, Nelly, Nickel Creek, Nirvana, Norah Jones, Paul McCartney, Philip Glass, Pink Floyd, Pixies, Radiohead, Ray Charles, Rod Stewart, Spoon, Stevie Wonder, The Chemical Brothers, The Decemberists, and The Rolling Stones. Well done Amazon for making so much music available to so many people, said KT Tunstall. Its good to know, in the words of The King, youre taking care of business! Leading independent labels offering their catalog of music for the first time as DRMfree MP3s include Alligator Records, HighTone Records, Madacy Entertainment, Sanctuary Records, Rounder Records, Righteous Babe Records, Sugar Hill Records, and Trojan Records.

Wal-Mart launches MP3 music download tracks with EMI Music repertoire
Aug 21, 07 1:17 PM Author robrien All MP3 digital tracks only 94 cents, with music content from major record labels such as EMI Music and Universal available now at Walmart.com ( www.walmart.com ) BRISBANE, Calif., August 21, 2007 Wal-Mart announces the launch of DRMfree MP3 music downloads, now available online at www.walmart.com. At only 94 cents per track and $9.22 per album, the new MP3 digital format delivers value, convenience and the ability for customers to play music on nearly any device, including iPod, iPhone and Zune portable media players. Wal-Mart is one of the first major retailers to offer MP3 digital tracks with music content from major record labels such as Universal and EMI Music. As we consistently strive to help our customers shop smart at Wal-Mart, our new DRM-free MP3 digital tracks give them the ease and flexibility to play music on virtually any device at a great value, said Kevin Swint, Wal-Marts senior director and divisional manager for digital media. Also, were excited to launch our MP3 catalog with major record labels such as Universal and EMI Music that includes music from popular artists like The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, KT Tunstall, Amy Winehouse, Maroon 5, George Strait and Nelly. Wal-Marts new MP3 music catalog includes hundreds of thousands of songs and albums, and will be continually expanded with additional mainstream and independent music content. Also, Wal-Mart is currently offering special MP3 album

pricing on hundreds of album classics such as Come Away With Me by Norah Jones, Be Here by Keith Urban and Barrio Fino en Directo by Daddy Yankee at $7.88 per album; and Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi and Get Rich or Die Tryin by 50 Cent at $5.88 per album. Wal-Mart will continue to offer its existing WMA-format music downloads. Thus, customers may select the option of MP3-format downloads at 256 kbps for $0.94/track and/or WMA-format downloads at 128 kbps for $0.88/track. About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, Supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and Sams Club locations in the United States. The Company operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom. The Companys securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.

EMI Music, Google and YouTube strike milestone partnership

May 31, 07 2:41 PM Author robrien Fans to have on-demand access to videos from EMI Musics roster of artists on YouTube NEW YORK and SAN BRUNO, Calif. May 31, 2007 EMI Music one of the worlds leading global music companies, Google and YouTube, the leader in online video today announced a landmark agreement which will give YouTube users unprecedented access to authorized videos and recordings from EMI Music artists, including those featured in user generated content. With this deal, all four of the worlds major music companies are now official YouTube partners, said Chad Hurley, CEO and Co-founder of YouTube. EMI is a proven leader in the emerging digital music landscape and one of the worlds largest and most respected music companies. Were excited to add EMI Musics stellar roster of artists content to our site and make it available to our community. Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group, said: Working with YouTube under this agreement meets EMIs objectives to offer consumers the best possible entertainment experiences, to create new ways to connect our artists to fans and to enter into innovative business models that will generate revenues for our business and our creators. Through this agreement EMI Music and its artists will be fairly compensated for their work. YouTube users will now be able to enjoy professionally-produced music videos from their favorite EMI Music artists including David Bowie, Coldplay, The Decemberists, Fat Boy Slim, Gorillaz, Lily Allen, Norah Jones and YouTube Video Award winners, OK Go and Sick Puppies. Moreover, as part of this agreement, EMI will make

authorized video content available to YouTube for the first time, helping artists to reach and interact with a new audience while enhancing the entertainment experience on YouTube. EMI Music has agreed to work with YouTube and Google to develop business models in which the YouTube community will be able to access user generated content featuring EMI-owned and copyrighted audio and video works. EMI Music will use YouTubes industry-leading content management tools which feature a content identification and reporting system that will help EMI track and monetize its content and compensate its artists. YouTubes content management tools also give EMI Music the ability to request the removal of EMIs copyrighted content from YouTube.

Apple launches iTunes plus with EMI Music

May 30, 07 2:42 PM Author robrien Higher quality DRM-free tracks now available on the iTunes Store worldwide CUPERTINO, CaliforniaMay 30, 2007Apple today launched iTunes Plus DRM-free music tracks featuring high quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordingsfor just $1.29 per song. iTunes Plus is launching with EMIs digital catalog of outstanding recordings, including singles and albums from Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane and more than a dozen of Paul McCartneys classic albums available on iTunes for the first time. iTunes will continue to offer its entire catalog, currently over five million songs, in the same versions as today128 kbps AAC encoding with DRMat the same price of 99 cents per song, alongside the higher quality iTunes Plus versions when available. In addition, iTunes customers can now easily upgrade their library of previously purchased EMI content to iTunes Plus tracks for just 30 cents a song and $3.00 for most albums. Our customers are very excited about the freedom and amazing sound quality of iTunes Plus, said Steve Jobs, Apples CEO. We expect more than half of the songs on iTunes will be offered in iTunes Plus versions by the end of this year. This is a tremendous milestone for digital music, said Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group. Consumers are going to love listening to higher quality iTunes Plus tracks from their favorite EMI artists with no usage restrictions. With the release of iTunes Plus, customers can now download tracks from their favorite EMI artists without limitations on the type of music player or number of computers that purchased songs can be played on. iTunes is also offering customers a simple, one-click option to easily upgrade their library of previously purchased EMI content to the iTunes Plus versions. EMI music videos are now also available in iTunes Plus versions with no change in price. iTunes Plus songs purchased from the iTunes Store will play on all iPods, Mac or Windows computers, widescreen TVs with Apple TV and soon iPhones, as well as many other digital music players.

The iTunes Store features the worlds largest catalog with over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 500 movies. The iTunes Store has sold over 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over two million movies, making it the worlds most popular online music, TV and movie store. With Apples legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and the ability to turn previously purchased songs into completed albums at a reduced price, the iTunes Store is the best way for PC and Mac users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online. Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and will enter the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

EMI Group plc preliminary results for the financial year ended 31 March 2007
May 21, 07 2:45 PM Author robrien Underlying Group revenue fell by 15.8% on a reported basis and by 12.1% at constant currency As announced on 18 April 2007 -EMI Music revenue fell by 15.0% at constant currency -EMI Music Publishing outperformed the recorded music market with revenue declining by only 0.9% at constant currency Group digital revenue increased by 46.5% from 112.1m to 164.2m on a reported basis representing 9.4% of total underlying Group revenue Continued success in finding and breaking long-term talent with top performing artists and songwriters in the financial year including: -EMI Music Corinne Bailey Rae, Depeche Mode, Herbert Groenemeyer, Joss Stone, Keith Urban, Lily Allen, Norah Jones,RBD, Robbie Williams, The Beatles, The Kooks, 30 Seconds to Mars and Utada Hikaru -EMI Music Publishing Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Beyonce, Fergie, Gym Class Heroes, James Blunt, Jay-Z, Nelly Furtado, Norah Jones, Scissor Sisters and Vasco Rossi

EMI Music operating margin reduced from 8.7% in the prior year to 3.3%, driven primarily by lower sales reflecting tough industry conditions and an unprecedented level of stock returns EMI Music Publishing operating margin improved from 25.1% to 26.3%, due to a reduction in the cost base and favourable revenue mix Underlying profit before tax decreased by 60.6% to 62.7m from 159.3m Underlying diluted earnings per share decreased to 5.8p from 15.7p As announced on 18 April, further dividend payments have been suspended until the benefits of the restructuring programme have been fully realised. The interim dividend of 2.0p per share has been paid

Financial Summary Year Ended Year Ended

31 March 2007 31 March 2006 m m Underlying Group revenue 1,751.5 2,079.9 EBITDA(i) 174.0 275.8 Group profit from operations (EBITA)(ii) 150.5 250.5 (iii) Underlying PBT 62.7 159.3 Total (loss) profit before taxation (263.6) 118.1 (iv) Underlying diluted earnings per share 5.8p 15.7p Basic (loss) earnings per share (36.3)p 10.9p Dividend per share 8.0p 8.0p Return on sales(v) 8.6% 12.0% (vi) Interest cover 1.9x 3.0x EBITDA is Group profit from operations before depreciation, operating (i) exceptional items, amortisation, interest and tax Group profit from operations (EBITA) is before operating exceptional items, (ii) amortisation, interest and tax. (iii Underlying PBT is before exceptional items, amortisation and tax. Underlying diluted earnings per share is before exceptional items and (iv) amortisation. Return on sales is defined as Group profit from operations before operating (v) exceptional items and amortisation as a percentage of Group revenue. Interest cover is defined as the number of times EBITDA is greater than Group (vi) finance charges, excluding non-periodic interest and non-standard charges. Exceptional items include operating exceptional items and financial exceptional items. Operating exceptional items include impairment of goodwill and intangible

assets, gains/(losses) on disposal of property, plant and equipment and remeasurement of listed investments. Finance exceptional items include remeasurement of financial assets and liabilities to be included within finance charges and exceptional refinancing costs. Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group, said, This has been a challenging year for EMI Group primarily as a result of the worsening market conditions which affected the entire recorded music industry with revenue declines in every major music market across the world. This led us to implement a restructuring plan which, as well as removing cost from the business, will fundamentally change the way we do business. Moving forward, we will realign our investment focus and direct our resources to areas where we will make higher and more sustainable returns. We believe that digital sales will continue to grow strongly and are excited about the possibilities offered by partnerships and new business models across both our divisions. During the past year, we have multiplied our digital distribution channels by entering into agreements with partners who will make our music available across their platforms in many different ways. Our digital activity is extensive and pro-active and we are open to experimenting with all emerging business models. In April 2007, we were the first music major to make available a new digital rights management (DRM)-free premium sound quality download product as part of our strategy to provide consumers with compelling music propositions. We remain confident about our long-term future: while current trading conditions are difficult, consumers appetite for music has never been greater. Although fewer CDs are being purchased, people are consuming more music in more ways than ever before. We are positioning ourselves to capture these new and expanding revenue opportunities as we build a progressive music business which is truly consumer focused and well-equipped for the digital age.

EMI Music launches DRM-free superior sound quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire
Apr 2, 07 3:02 PM Author robrien EMI Group CEO Eric Nicoli today hosted a press conference at EMIs headquarters in London where he announced that EMI Music is launching DRM-free superior quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire and that Apples iTunes Store will be the first online music store to sell EMIs new downloads. Nicoli was joined by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The event also featured a musical performance by The Good, The Bad & The Queen. On this page you can find an audio webcast of the press conference available as an on-demand stream and an MP3 download, photos (by WireImage.com), EMIs and Apples press releases and a copy of the presentation slides.

Click here to listen to the audio webcast from todays announcement. Click here to download the pdf presentation. Click here for Apples press release. Gallery (click on thumbnail for full size image):

Press release: EMI Music launches DRM-free superior sound quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire Apples iTunes store to be the first online music store to sell EMIs new downloads London, 2 April 2007 EMI Music today announced that it is launching new premium downloads for retail on a global basis, making all of its digital repertoire available at a much higher sound quality than existing downloads and free of digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. The new higher quality DRM-free music will complement EMIs existing range of standard DRM-protected downloads already available. From today, EMIs retailers will be offered downloads of tracks and albums in the DRM-free audio format of their choice in a variety of bit rates up to CD quality. EMI is releasing the premium downloads in response to consumer demand for high fidelity digital music for use on home music systems, mobile phones and digital music players. EMIs new DRM-free products will enable full interoperability of digital music across all devices and platforms. Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group, said, Our goal is to give consumers the best possible digital music experience. By providing DRM-free downloads, we aim to address the lack of interoperability which is frustrating for many music fans. We believe that offering consumers the opportunity to buy higher quality tracks and listen to them on the device or platform of their choice will boost sales of digital music. Apple have been a true pioneer in digital music, and we are delighted that they share our vision of an interoperable market that provides consumers with greater choice, quality, convenience and value for money. Selling digital music DRM-free is the right step forward for the music industry, said Steve Jobs, Apples CEO. EMI has been a great partner for iTunes and is once again leading the industry as the first major music company to offer its entire digital catalogue DRM-free.

Apples iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) is the first online music store to receive EMIs new premium downloads. Apple has announced that iTunes will make individual AAC format tracks available from EMI artists at twice the sound quality of existing downloads, with their DRM removed, at a price of $1.29/1.29/0.99. iTunes will continue to offer consumers the ability to pay $0.99/0.99/0.79 for standard sound quality tracks with DRM still applied. Complete albums from EMI Music artists purchased on the iTunes Store will automatically be sold at the higher sound quality and DRM-free, with no change in the price. Consumers who have already purchased standard tracks or albums with DRM will be able to upgrade their digital music for $0.30/0.30/0.20 per track. All EMI music videos will also be available on the iTunes Store DRM-free with no change in price. EMI is introducing a new wholesale price for premium single track downloads, while maintaining the existing wholesale price for complete albums. EMI expects that consumers will be able to purchase higher quality DRM-free downloads from a variety of digital music stores within the coming weeks, with each retailer choosing whether to sell downloads in AAC, WMA, MP3 or other unprotected formats of their choice. Music fans will be able to purchase higher quality DRM-free digital music for personal use, and listen to it on a wide range of digital music players and musicenabled phones. EMIs move follows a series of experiments it conducted recently. Norah Joness Thinking About You, Relient Ks Mustve Done Something Right, and Lily Allens Littlest Things were all made available for sale in the MP3 format in trials held at the end of last year. EMI Music will continue to employ DRM as appropriate to enable innovative digital models such as subscription services (where users pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to music), super-distribution (allowing fans to share music with their friends) and time-limited downloads (such as those offered by ad-supported services). Nicoli added: Protecting the intellectual property of EMI and our artists is as important as ever, and we will continue to work to fight piracy in all its forms and to educate consumers. We believe that fans will be excited by the flexibility that DRMfree formats provide, and will see this as an incentive to purchase more of our artists music.

EMI Music and Last.fm announce comprehensive multiproduct content partnership

Feb 28, 07 3:14 PM Author robrien LONDON, 28 FEBRUARY 2007 EMI Music, one of the worlds leading digital music companies, has completed a wide-ranging European agreement with online social music community Last.fm to make music from EMI artists available to Last.fm users. Last.fm has become a social music phenomenon thanks to its digital music service which tracks the musical tastes of its users, makes personal recommendations and

encourages members to share their musical tastes with friends, fans of similar genres and artists, or the wider community as a whole. The agreement enables members of the Last.fm community to listen to music from EMI artists including Lily Allen, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, Norah Jones, Kylie Minogue, 30 Seconds To Mars, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams; Bebe and Amaral from Spain; Vasco Rossi and Tiziano Ferro from Italy; Germanys LaFee and Herbert Grnemeyer; and Diams and Renaud from France. EMI Music global head of digital Barney Wragg said, By fusing digital music with the social networking phenomenon, Last.fm have created an easy to use service that allows fans to listen to music that they already love, and find new artists through recommendations from fellow users. The ability to discover music through social interaction on the service, coupled with their seamless integration of opportunities to purchase or subscribe, makes this agreement of huge value to EMI and our artists. Felix Miller, CEO of Last.fm said, We are extremely excited to embark on this partnership with EMI, whose repertoire has consistently been one of the most popular and most requested on our social music network. We are looking forward to explore new ways to engage music fans with the gems of EMIs extensive back catalogue as well as finding audiences for new, up and coming acts and releases. Last.fm offers music fans the ability to listen to music through internet radio, with community-based recommendations encouraging users to sample music by new artists. Consumers are also given the opportunity to click a button to purchase music from an artist, or to personalise their playlist with more music from that artist. Last.fms radio users can choose to listen to either a free custom radio service, or pay for a premium subscription to listen to personalised music tailored to their music taste. The companys scrobbling technology enables Last.fm to personalise a users entire experience on the basis of their previous music listening habits on media players such as iTunes.

Baidu and EMI launch advertising-supported streaming service

Jan 16, 07 3:23 PM Author robrien A major breakthrough for online music in China Beijing, China,16 January, 2007 Baidu and EMI Music have today announced a pioneering strategic partnership to launch an advertising-supported online music streaming service in China, the first revenue-sharing arrangement between an internet search engine and international music company in the country. EMI and Baidu have also agreed to explore developing advertising-supported music download services.

Todays agreement will see Chinese repertoire from EMIs Typhoon Music being made available for streaming, at no charge, to all users of Baidu, the leading search engine in China. Baidu will set up a special EMI Music Zone in its music search channel which will legally stream all of EMI Musics Chinese repertoire, including recordings from artists such as Jolin Tsai (Taiwan), Stephanie Sun (Singapore), David Tao (Taiwan), Sandy Lam (Hong Kong) and Richie Ren (Taiwan). While consumers listen to the music for free they will be exposed to internet advertising and EMI and Baidu will share the revenue generated by the advertising, a pioneering approach to monetising and promoting digital music in China. Baidu is the largest internet portal in China and the fourth largest in the world. According to the 2006 report from the official China Internet Network Information Center, Baidu has a market share in overall search of 62.1%, while the latest report from iResearch, a leading market research company for Chinas internet industry, calculates that the company has an 84% share of music searches. With over 150 million internet users in China and the clear popularity of Chinese music, this new service provides a new business model in China for the development of the online music market. Mr Robin Li, chairman and CEO of Baidu said: We believe this co-operation between Baidu and EMI will create a meaningful ecosystem for value generating services for Baidu users, content providers and advertisers. The co-operation with EMI, the worlds best music major and no.1 Chinese repertoire music company, has set the stage for win-win co-operation between the internet and music industries. It also sets the direction and a new model for future ongoing digital music business development in the internet era. With Baidus close relationship with Chinese digital music lovers, EMI and Baidus co-operation is a major breakthrough in the history of online music in China. It provides an efficient digital distribution platform to reach Chinese consumers, allowing fans to listen to EMIs latest quality music immediately on the internet, said Norman Cheng, Chairman of EMI Music Asia and Director of Typhoon Music. The cooperation between Baidu and EMI also moves us towards jointly controlling digital piracy, something that is important to EMI in the Chinese digital music market. Our co-operation with the worlds largest Chinese search engine is also part of EMIs strategic roadmap to expanding digital music development across the region.