PR Newswire
(Copyright (c) 2000, PR Newswire)

SEATTLE, April 27 /PRNewswire/ -- DiscoverMusic.com(SM), the leading provider of song samples for use by internet music retailers, today announced that it has signed non-exclusive license agreements for its sampling service in the US with BMG Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group, and worldwide with EMI Recorded Music. Under the agreements, the companies will receive license fees or other compensation for the use of their music.

"We are pleased to be the first company to execute agreements with four major record companies for internet music sampling," said David Lambert, President & CEO of DiscoverMusic.com. "We respect and support the rights of music copyright holders and are delighted to have agreements with these leading record companies."

In addition to these license agreements with four of the major record companies, DiscoverMusic.com has licenses with more than 500 independent record labels.

DiscoverMusic.com streamed over 50 million song samples last month, and currently offers 30-second samples (60 seconds for jazz and classical songs) from more than 200,000 albums to over 90 internet music retailers to promote the sale of music.

"BMG's license agreement with DiscoverMusic.com will enable us to further market, promote and drive sales of our artists' music through the internet," said Kevin Conroy, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and New Technology for BMG Entertainment. "DiscoverMusic.com is a valuable addition to the online network BMG is building to bring fans closer to their favorite artists."

"Providing audio clips to retailers makes it easier for consumers to buy music," said Jay Samit, Senior Vice President of New Media for EMI Recorded Music, "DiscoverMusic.com's technical expertise and commitment to quality makes our artists sound their best."

"Universal Music is committed to making the internet an informative and enjoyable way to learn about its artists and their music and so it is natural for us to solidify a relationship with DiscoverMusic.com," said Larry Kenswil, President, eLabs, Universal Music Group. "We will work closely with DiscoverMusic.com to ensure that their streaming audio clip service meets the needs of their clients by providing users with high quality streaming music sampling experiences."

"We're pleased to have signed this non-exclusive agreement with DiscoverMusic.com," said Paul Vidich, Executive Vice President, Strategic Planning and Business Development for Warner Music Group. "Their music sampling expertise has made DiscoverMusic.com a valuable tool in helping our artists and retailers connect with consumers by utilizing the unique multimedia capabilities of the Web."

About DiscoverMusic.com

DiscoverMusic.com has established the standard for music sampling on the internet. The company serves internet music retailers with the world's largest database of song samples, album cover art, and textual data. DiscoverMusic.com's lead investor is Generation Partners, a venture capital firm with over $300 million under management in internet, technology and consumer businesses such as Driveway.com, HotJobs.com, e-STEEL and Promatory Communications. Microsoft is also an investor in DiscoverMusic.com.

About BMG Entertainment

BMG Entertainment is the $4.7 billion worldwide music and entertainment division of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's leading media companies, with annual revenues of $16.4 billion. BMG owns more than 200 record labels in 53 countries, including Arista Records, RCA Records, Ariola and Windham Hill. BMG has been a leader in using the internet to bring fans closer to their favorite artists. In addition to establishing GetMusic, an online content and commerce joint venture, BMG's online presence includes more than 30 wholly owned music & lifestyle Web sites around the world, and strategic marketing agreements with and key investments in leading online companies ARTISTdirect, Riffage.com, Egreetings Network, Listen.com and Eritmo.com, among others. BMG also owns the world's largest music club, one of the world's largest music publishing companies, and one of the world's leading compact disc and cassette manufacturing companies. Bertelsmann's North America interests also include the Random House Inc. book publishing group; and the Gruner + Jahr magazine publishing group, which includes McCall's, Parents, Family Circle and YM magazines, among others.

About EMI Recorded Music

EMI Recorded Music, the third largest music company in the world, is an international music company with presence in nearly 70 countries. EMI Recorded Music includes important local and international artists, including some of the biggest names in the recorded music industry. EMI has artists in every leading music genre, including pop, rock, jazz, classical, Latin, Christian, country, rap/urban and dance. The world famous labels include Capitol, Angel, Blue Note, EMI, Priority and Virgin. Its current roster includes approximately 1,500 artists and it releases over 1,000 albums each year.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly-owned record operations or licensees in 59 countries around the world. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest global music publishing operations. Universal Music Group consists of record labels A&M Records, Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, Geffen Records, Interscope Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Jimmy and Doug's Farmclub.com, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Records, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and UM3 (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group is a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd., a global entertainment and spirits and wine company.

About Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group is home to some of the world's leading record companies, including The Atlantic Group, Elektra Entertainment Group, Rhino Entertainment, London-Sire Records and Warner Bros. Records, Inc. The company's Warner Music International, with a roster of more than 1,000 artists, operates in 65 countries through a network of 47 affiliates, 24 licensees and seven associated labels. Warner Music Group also includes one of the world's leading music publishers, Warner/Chappell and WEA Inc., which is comprised of three companies, WEA Corp., WEA Manufacturing, and Ivy Hill. Warner Music Group is a division of Time Warner Inc.