MICROSOFT, CDNOW, AND ATLANTIC RECORDS JOIN FORCES TO LAUNCH GROUNDBREAKING INTERNET MUSIC DOWNLOAD FEATURE
Microsoft's Windows Media Player Allows Users to Enjoy Downloads Encoded in Windows Media Audio Format in Technology Debut with Online Music Retailer
CDNOW
Download Offer to Feature Exclusive Live Version of Sugar Ray Hit
Every Morning'
NEW YORK, and REDMOND, Wash., July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- In a significant leadership step toward the secure digital distribution of music on the Internet, Atlantic Records and CDNOW announced a groundbreaking music download enabling CDNOW visitors to download songs from four Atlantic Records artists including a new, exclusive version of chart-topping band Sugar Ray's hit single "Every Morning." The download offer, which runs the full month of July, represents the first time CDNOW has offered secure promotional downloads by major artists from a top music label.
As part of this special download, top artists Sugar Ray have made a live, non-album version of their hit single "Every Morning" available to their fans at no charge via CDNOW. The exclusive track was recorded January 11th, 1999 during a live Webcast event from Atlantic Records' Digital Arena Studios in New York City. In addition, through free Internet downloading, CDNOW will also help break three new songs from emerging Atlantic artists Martin Sexton, The Atomic Fireballs and Jump Little Children.
The music downloading is powered by Microsoft Windows Media Audio, which delivers superb audio and video quality at standard Internet connections. All songs are encoded using Windows Media Audio format, the industry's most advanced audio compression system, which provides incredible quality sound in half the storage space of other formats (such as MP3).
CDNOW CEO Jason Olim said: "CDNOW will soon become the number one destination for music lovers to download music over the Internet. This breakthrough alliance with Atlantic Records and Microsoft Corp. is another step that brings us significantly closer to the day when fans will be able to routinely download songs from major artists. We're excited by how digital technology gives our 2 million customers a new way to connect to the artists they love. We know our customers will enjoy this new version of Sugar Ray's 'Every Morning.'"
Atlantic Group Co-Chairman/Co-CEO Val Azzoli commented: "Atlantic has a long-standing commitment to aggressively seek out new avenues for the marketing and selling of our artists' music. As such, we have been an acknowledged pioneer in the exploration and utilization of cutting-edge technologies, while at the same time working to ensure that the rights of our artists and their music are fully protected. Today, we are taking what we believe to be an historic next step in the evolution of digital music distribution. Through this innovative collaboration with CDNOW and Microsoft, we are once again placing our artists at the forefront of this rapidly unfolding arena."
"We're thrilled to be working with WEA/Atlantic and CDNOW to produce this great online offer for Sugar Ray fans," said Will Poole, Senior Director, Streaming Media Division, Microsoft. "We see this event as an exciting step in the distribution of digital music over the Internet."
Consumers can take advantage of the free downloads by visiting the CDNOW Web site at cdnow.com, where the download will be featured on its home page, sales and specials page, rock genre page, and banner ads throughout the site. In order to download the music, visitors will need to install Microsoft's free Windows Media Player software. The CDNOW Web site will provide access, via links, to the Windows-Media.com site (www.WindowsMedia.com), where consumers can download the Windows Media Player. Consumers will be able to listen to the promotional tracks from their computer on an unlimited basis for 15 days after the date of downloading. All of the downloadable tracks will time-out after 15 days, with the exception of Sugar Ray's "Every Morning," which customers may own as a bonus with the purchase of any Sugar Ray CD.
More about CDNOW's Downloads by Atlantic Recording Artists
CDNOW will feature the following Atlantic artists and songs in its first-ever downloading partnership with a major music label:
-- Sugar Ray - "Every Morning" - A live, non-album version of the hit
single from the album 14:59, the follow-up to their highly successfully
album Floored that featured the smash hit "Fly." This version of "Every
Morning" was recorded live during a Webcast by the Internet-friendly band.
-- Martin Sexton - "Candy" - From his major label debut The American, a
tight acoustic rhythm highlighted by Sexton's astonishing voice. After
years of building a name for himself in folk circles, Sexton moves into a
world that combines pub rock, pop, blues and a touch of jazz.
-- The Atomic Fireballs - "Man with the Hex" - An explosive entrance into
the tightly-structured, highly-energetic full-length release Torch This
Place. The Atomic Fireballs forge their style after the soulful sounds of
Wilson Pickett and Marvin Gaye as well as funk-masters Fishbone and
Parliament-Funkadelic.
-- Jump Little Children - "Not Today" - The first tune off their debut
album Magazine, this song kicks in with catchy, riff-happy sounds that
personify the innovative and energetic stylings of Jump Little Children, a
South Carolina band that offers energetic, pop-filled tunes featuring
everything from acoustic guitars to accordions.
About CDNOW
CDNOW, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNW), the combination of N2K Inc. and CDNOW, Inc., is the vertical category leader in e-commerce, the third most popular e-commerce site according to a recent Nielsen/NetRatings report (May 1999), has an audience with the largest concentration of teens among e-commerce sites, and is the largest retailer of custom music compilations on the Internet. CDNOW helps people to enrich their lives by providing a digital connection to music. CDNOW (cdnow.com) offers over 500,000 music-related items-ten times the size of a typical music megastore -- intelligent album recommendations, custom CDs, music samples, a vast library of interviews and news from top music writers and reviews from Rolling Stone, MTV/VH1 and CMJ New Music Monthly. CDNOW, Inc.'s network of strategic partners includes America Online, Yahoo!, Lycos/Tripod, Netscape, Excite, WebCrawler, MTV/VH1, RollingStone.com, and CBS Cable's TNN, CMT and country.com.
About Atlantic
In 1998, Atlantic Records celebrated its 50th anniversary. Growing from literally a one-room operation into a global enterprise, the label has released a string of recordings which have had a profound impact on the course of modern music. Today, the Atlantic Group releases recordings by artists working in a spectrum of musical genres, including: pop, rock, R&B, country, jazz, musical theatre, classical, world music, Christian/gospel, and comedy. In the 90s, Atlantic has been a pioneer in the marriage of music and new technology -- from the launch of its acclaimed website (www.atlantic-records.com) four years ago, to the establishment of its industry-leading MultiMedia Lab, to the 1998 opening of its state-of-the-art in-house direct-to-web digital studio, to its array of multimedia releases. The Atlantic Group is a Warner Music Group company. Warner Music Group, the world's leading music entertainment company, is a division of Time Warner Inc.
SOURCE CDNOW, Inc.
CO: CDNOW, Inc.; Atlantic Records; Microsoft
ST: New York, Washington
IN: MLM ENT REA
SU: PDT
07/09/99 09:11 EDT prnewswire.com |
