Monday February 8, 9:02 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
RioPort.com, Inc. Solidifies Host of
New Agreements With Indy Labels,
Artists and Audio Partners to Expand Availability of
Authorized MP3 Content on the Internet
Internet Music and Audio Portal RioPort.com Receives Strong Support for
Initial Launch
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 8, 1999-- Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc.
(Nasdaq:DIMD - news), a leader in PC multimedia and Internet connectivity, and its wholly owned
subsidiary, RioPort.com, Inc., a new Internet music and audio portal, today announced that it has
signed agreements with a growing number of independent record labels, artists, and audio content
providers to offer an expanded collection of MP3 music and audio files on the Internet through
RioPort.com, rioport.com.
''Our alpha launch of RioPort.com has received strong support and interest from music and audio
content providers who are looking for a viable means of distributing their content to a worldwide
consumer audience,'' said Wade Meyercord, senior vice president of Diamond Multimedia.
''We are striving to make RioPort.com the premiere gateway to legitimate MP3 content on the
Internet. Rather than searching a multitude of sites for downloadable content, MP3 enthusiasts can
now rely on RioPort.com to provide access to thousands of legal MP3 music and audio tracks from
one easy-to-use URL.''
New RioPort.com site partners include Beta Lounge, Day by the River, Electric Color Wheel,
Empty Street Records, EyeApology Records, Faustina, Free Radical Records, Frigidisk,
GetSigned.com, Hichner & Lesani, Kari Wuhrer.org, Kelani Records, Loveradio Japan, Music
Monster Network, OneHeart, pghbludeswomen.com, Planet Anderson, Praise Dobbs Industries,
Reis' Stylin' Music, Rock Lane Record, Songs.com, Sound Click, Sporatica.com,
Sursumcorda.com, Sweet Dreams Music, Thirteen Stories, and Torley Wong.
''Initial RioPort.com launch partners have already experienced the power of the Internet by using
the Rio branded portal site to generate exposure for their music,'' said Meyercord.
''Our affiliation with RioPort.com was an overwhelming success,'' said The Tabloids singer, Michael
Robinson. ''Within hours of becoming RioPort.com's first featured artist, our site received
thousands of visitors and over 500 downloads. RioPort.com helped us score several hits with the
Internet public and reach a mass consumer audience.''
CD Baby, an Internet record store, also experienced a significant jump in business to their site after
teaming up with RioPort.com. ''We ran a promotion on our site to give away 100 free CDs to
visitors who came to the CD Baby store,'' said Derek Sivers, president of CD Baby. ''We had 100
requests in the first three hours alone, and over 2,000 within the first week. And these people are
not just interested in freebies; they're passionate music lovers who also bought quite a few CDs
from us in this first week alone.''
Broader Selection of Spoken Audio Content Available to
RioPort.com Visitors
Audible, Inc., the leader in secure distribution of premium audio content via the Internet, and a
strategic partner for Diamond Multimedia, announced today that they have made a growing
selection of premium spoken word audio content available through RioPort.com. Visitors to the
portal site can now access promotional selections from top fiction, mystery, spirituality, academic,
and humor programs, most notably Stephen King reading from his latest best-seller, Bag of Bones.
''We are pleased to bring spoken audio to RioPort.com, and as our relationship with Diamond
progresses, to add to the hours of Audible audio currently available to Diamond Rio owners,''
stated Andy Huffman, president and CEO of Audible Inc.
''As we continue to aggregate content and feature new artists on RioPort.com, we expect traffic to
the site to increase exponentially,'' said David Watkins, vice president and general manager of
Diamond's Multimedia Division.
''In addition to the new content available on RioPort.com, site visitors can check out this week's
featured artist, Buckcherry, who is part of the Dreamworks record label and who's new CD will be
available through UBL.com. RioPort.com customers can also enter to win a nine-gigabyte hard
drive. We are driving to make RioPort.com the Internet generation's audio home page!''
About Diamond Multimedia
Diamond Multimedia is a leader in PC multimedia and Internet connectivity, providing advanced
products that enable desktop computer users to create, access and experience compelling new
media content from their PC's and through the Internet.
Products include the Rio series of Internet audio appliances, the Stealth and Viper® series of video
accelerators, the Monster series of 3D gaming accelerators, the Fire series of professional graphics
accelerators, the Supra® series of modems, and the HomeFree line of home networking products.
Diamond's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol DIMD, and its web site
address is diamondmm.com. The company's Internet music portal site is at
rioport.com.
How to Contact Diamond Multimedia
There are many ways to reach Diamond for sales support, technical assistance, driver updates and
general information:
-0-
Internet Web Site: diamondmm.com
Diamond Multimedia's Headquarters and Multimedia Division:
408-325-7000; Fax: 408-325-7070
Communications Division (Supra brand modems) Main Phone Number:
360-604-1400; Fax: 360-604-1401
European Division (Germany): +49-8151-266-0; (UK): +44-1189-444400;
(France) +33-1-55381600
Korean Office (Seoul): +82-2-551-2700; Fax: +82-2-551-2710
Japanese Office (Tokyo): +81-3-5695-8401; Fax: +81-3-5695-8403
ASEAN Office (Singapore): +65-353-9511; Fax: +65-353-9510
Hong Kong Office: +852-2262-9518; Fax: +852-2262-9555
Australian Office (Sydney): +61-2-9460-2355; Fax +61-2-9460-2360
Swedish Office: +46-417-40060; Fax +46-417-40054
Latin America Office (Miami): 305-593-8777; Fax: 305-593-2779
Mexico Office (Guadalajara): 523-110-1144; Fax: 523-110-0744
Product Support (Voice), United States: 541-967-2450; Europe (Germany)
+49-8151-266-330; Europe (UK) +44-1189-444444;
Europe (France) +33-1-55381616; TDD/TTY Support 541-967-2451
Product Support (Fax), United States: 541-967-2401; Europe (Germany)
+49-8151-266-331; Europe (UK): +44-1189-444445;
(France) +33-1-55381601
Pre-sales Information: 1-800-468-5846
24-Hour Fax-On-Demand Service: 1-800-380-0030
Investor Relations: 408-325-7476; 1-888-474-3463 (U.S. and Canada)
FTP site: ftp.diamondmm.com
BBS: Europe (Germany) BBS at +49-8151-266333 (to 28.8 Kbps)
or +49-8151-266334 (ISDN); Europe (UK) at +44-1189-444415
(to 33.6 Kbps)
Note to Editors: HomeFree, Monster 3D, Rio, Shotgun, SpeedStar and SupraSonic are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. Monster® is a
registered trademark of Monster Cable. Viper® is a registered trademark of Directed Electronics,
Inc., Used under License. All other trademarks referenced are the service mark, trademark or
registered trademark of their respective manufacturers. This announcement relates to products
whose introductions are in North America. The product name, contents, prices and availability may
differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.
Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, such as
statements relating to the company's ability to successfully exploit technological and market
developments, the timing and success of new product introductions by the company and its
competitors, and the company's ability to invest in new technologies and to enhance its existing
systems are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the
impact of competitive products and pricing and alternative technological advances, the timely and
successful development and market acceptance of new products and upgrades to existing products,
and other risks as detailed from time to time in Diamond Multimedia's SEC filings, including its most
recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q.
Contact:
Diamond Multimedia
Mary Medeiros, 408/325-7350
maryme@diamondmm.com
or
RioPort.com, Inc.
Lorraine Comstock, 408/325-7346
lorraine@RioPort.com
More Quotes and News:
Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc (Nasdaq:DIMD - news) |
