Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. And 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. Sign Exclusive Co-Publishing Deal
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'2.B.A. Master,' First Pokemon Album Featuring New and Existing Music From Number 1 Kids Syndicated Series, Now Available
NEW YORK, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. (Cherry Lane) and 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: KIDE - news) announced today that they have entered into an exclusive agreement to co-publish the music from Pokemon, Nintendo's number-one rated children's series in syndication, and to co-publish the music featured on the first Pokemon album, ''2.B.A. Master.''
''2.B.A. Master'' features songs from and inspired by the phenomenally popular television series, is suitable for Pokemon fans of all ages, and will be available everywhere beginning June 29, 1999. ''2.B.A.Master'' contains the Pokemon Theme, ''PokeRAP'' and 10 new songs. The CD booklet folds out into a collectible Pokemon poster, and the enhanced CD version includes a full-length ''PokeRAP'' music video starring all 150 monsters. ''2.B.A. Master'' is produced by Rave Music and distributed by Koch Records.
The animated television series was originally produced by Shogakukan Productions in Japan, where it is the number-one rated children's show. 4Kids Entertainment subsidiary, 4Kids Productions, successfully adapted the series for the United States, incorporating new music, voices and dialogue to transform the striking ''anime-style'' animation into a smash hit for American audiences. Pokemon has already grossed over $5 billion in revenue in Japan alone, and is the sixth most searched for word on the Internet.
At retail, Pokemon is the number-one and -- two best selling video game titles in the United States, millions of trading cards have been sold and three of the video cassettes remain in the top 25 on the best selling charts in the U.S. A Pokemon feature film and several major consumer promotions are set to launch in the fall.
4Kids Productions has been working closely with Cherry Lane, the exclusive administrator and co-publisher of the music from the series and the album, to expand the arsenal of Pokemon products to include music.
''We are very excited to be working on popular culture's latest explosion,'' said Jennifer O'Sullivan, Director of Creative Services for Cherry Lane. ''Kids and their parents will love this record.''
Said Aida Gurwicz, President of Cherry Lane, ''Participating in the creation and exploitation of music for this runaway phenomenon is a once in a lifetime opportunity: every publisher's dream.''
''Cherry Lane has been a tremendous partner for us and we have relied heavily on their advice and expertise,'' said Norman Grossfeld, President of 4Kids Productions. ''It's been great to have a publisher who has really worked with us from day one on maximizing the reach and appeal of Pokemon through music.''
Pokemon is syndicated by 4Kids Entertainment, Inc.'s subsidiary, The Summit Media Group. Headquartered in New York, 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: KIDE - news) is a vertically integrated entertainment company whose wholly-owned subsidiaries include: Leisure Concepts, Inc., a leader in domestic and international merchandise licensing and development; 4Kids Productions, involved in the production of programming for television; and The Summit Media Group, involved in domestic and international television distribution, media buying and planning.
Nintendo Co., Ltd. of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than one billion video games worldwide, created such industry icons as Mario and Donkey Kong and launched franchises like The Legend of Zelda and Pokemon. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems, including the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy -- the world's best selling home video game system. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in North America.
With their extensive catalog of copyrights and library of masters spanning virtually all genres of music, Cherry Lane is known for their expertise in the administration of copyrights, music supervision and consultancy services. Currently, Cherry Lane has administrative and co-publishing relationships with such respected entertainment companies as DreamWorks/SKG (Academy Award- winning ''Saving Private Ryan'' and ''Prince of Egypt''), Edward R. Pressman Film Corporation (Academy Award-winning ''Reversal of Fortune'' and ''The Crow''), Mr. Mudd Productions, Titan Sports (World Wrestling Federation), 4Kids Productions (Pokemon(TM)), HBO, Showtime, Hearst Entertainment, The Steve Tisch Company, the Kushner-Locke Company, Hill/Fields Entertainment, The Konigsberg Company, Trans World International, Paradise Entertainment Group, Pearson/All American Television, and New World Pictures.
Headquartered in New York City with a staff of 80, Cherry Lane operates offices in Los Angeles and Beijing and has established wholly owned companies in England, France, Holland and Canada.
SOURCE: Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc.; 4Kids Entertainment, Inc. |
