AOL Inc.'s Spinner.com Announces World Premiere of Maverick Records' Meshell Ndegeocello's Latest Single, 'Grace'
August 11, 1999 06:01 AM
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 11, 1999--
Debut Marks a First for a Major Label and Artist to Launch Album and Single on Internet Radio
Spinner.com, the first and largest Internet music service, today announced that it will debut the latest single, "Grace," from critically-acclaimed Maverick Recording artist, Meshell Ndegeocello's new album, Bitter, in advance of traditional radio.
The premiere sets a new precedent for Internet radio to serve as a viable alternative for promoting and launching artists. Music fans can listen to Ndegeocello's new single at www.spinner.com or by visiting Keywords: Entertainment or Music on America Online.
"This is an exciting milestone for us," said Josh Felser, president of Spinner.com. "Since our own debut more than three years ago, we have been dedicated to building mutually beneficial relationships with the record labels, working to offer a wide range of quality music while offering the labels an effective vehicle for promoting their artists. We have reached a point where the labels are going to Internet radio first and choosing to launch their artists on Spinner.com."
Spinner.com will promote "Grace" and other tracks from Bitter, Ndegeocello's third album, by creating its first-ever custom artist-focused channel. The Ndegeocello Channel will feature continuous music from Ndegeocello's career. The songs will also play on several of Spinner.com's 125+ channels, including GoodTunes, Urban Divas and Female Focus.
Bitter follows Ndegeocello's Grammy nominated 1993 album debut, Plantation Lullabies, and her 1996 album Peace Beyond Passion. The new album has already been named "Album of the Year" by Vibe magazine, and received a four out of five-star rating from Rolling Stone, who claim that the album "could conceivably become a cult-item, even a major hit."
Ndegeocello, who is Maverick Recording's first female artist, has just completed a stint on Lilith Fair, and begins a five-city headline club tour in New York on August 12.
"Bitter is a brilliant record, and we wanted to launch it in an exciting and creative way," explained Jeremy Welt, head of new media for Maverick. "Spinner.com is becoming a powerful promotional tool, and we think what they offer is a new way for us to introduce and gain exposure for a unique artist such as Meshell."
About Spinner.com
Spinner.com is the first and largest Internet music service with a database of 175,000 digitized songs delivered on 125+ highly specialized music channels. Covering an unprecedented depth and breadth of music programming -- with channels such as 90's Rock, Bluegrass, British Invasion, Chicago Blues, Top Pop, Great Guitar, Jungle and Latin -- Spinner.com reaches 1.3 million unique listeners per month, broadcasting two million songs per day.
The Spinner.com music players -- the stand-alone Internet application Spinner Plus and the Web-based Spinner -- display song information as music is played, while providing dynamic links that enable online purchasing and real-time listener feedback. The company has partnerships with industry leaders including Real Networks, Amazon.com, @Home Network, as well as 350 record labels.
Spinner.com was acquired by America Online, Inc. AOL , in May 1999, and merged with Nullsoft, Inc. Spinner.com and Nullsoft now reside in Spinner.com's headquarters in San Francisco's Audio Alley. They are an integral part of AOL's Interactive Properties Group. New listeners can visit Spinner.com and download a free player at www.spinner.com.
About Maverick Recording Co.
Since its inception in 1992, Maverick (www.maverickrc.com) has been in a highly-successful partnership with Warner Bros. Records, Inc. Maverick is known for its creative and innovative campaigns that stress artist development. Company principals include Madonna, Guy Oseary, and Ronnie Dashev; Maverick's roster includes, among other artists, Alanis Morissette, Prodigy, the Deftones, Candlebox, Cleopatra, Jude, and Meshell Ndegeocello.
|
