NASHVILLE |Mitch Schneider/Amanda Cagan (MSO)
(818) 380-0400
Musicmaker.com
Rachel Carr – (212) 981-5241
Susan Makarichev – (212) 981-5243
JIMMY PAGE AND THE BLACK CROWES RELEASE 19-TRACK LIVE ALBUM,
JIMMY PAGE AND THE BLACK CROWES LIVE AT THE GREEK
EXCLUSIVELY ON MUSICMAKER.COM ON FEBRUARY 29
New York (February 29, 2000) – Musicmaker.com (NASDAQ NMS: HITS) will release an unprecedented digital music compilation entitled Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes Live at the Greek on February 29th. The 19 customizable tracks – a mix of newly recorded, classic Led Zeppelin songs and additional vintage blues numbers – were recorded by guitar virtuoso Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes during their sold-out shows at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on October 18 and 19, 1999. This historic compilation – featuring over two hours of music – will not be available via traditional retail outlets, but will only be found exclusively online at musicmaker.com.
Jimmy Page, the co-founder of one of the world's most influential and best selling bands, Led Zeppelin, and The Black Crowes, known as "the most rock n' roll rock n' roll band in the world," are a vital music force embracing musicmaker.com's technology. This union is not only indicative of the impact technology has had on music, but an overall recognition of a whole new paradigm shift in the way music is marketed and delivered. This music-technology collaboration will also feature traditional marketing techniques, including print advertising and radio promotions, with the legendary single "What is and What Should Never Be" being released to radio on February 24.
Meanwhile, through the extraordinarily non-traditional aspect of this promotion, musicmaker.com provides fans with the ability to choose what quantity, order and format they want to get their favorite Page-Crowes music. Fans can produce their own personalized Page-Crowes disc by buying only the material they want from a selection of 19 songs, encompassing two hours of music, and customizing their running order in a single CD or double CD depending on how much music the fan selects. A single pre-selected 18-track double CD is also available with a full-color, eight-page booklet and liner notes. Finally, fans can sample music and purchase downloads of individual songs directly to their computer.
"Giving the fans the ability to select songs makes them part of the creative process," explains Page. "Along with other factors, this is why we chose musicmaker.com – the leader in this particular field." Adds lead singer Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes: "It's always difficult to sequence the songs on an album. We thought we'd give that problem to the fans."
In addition, musicmaker.com will offer a unique opportunity to radio stations with this promotion by encouraging radio personalities to refer listeners to their station's website to purchase the CD. The station sites will host a link to musicmaker.com, where the CD can be purchased and each station will profit from their site's link to musicmaker.com and the consequent sale of Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes Live at the Greek. Since the music will not be available at traditional retail outlets, this is a uniquely profitable alliance both for radio and musicmaker.com and an entirely new way for radio and e-tailers to work together to promote a new release.
"We are thrilled that Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes chose musicmaker.com for this album release," said Raju Puthukarai, CEO of musicmaker.com. "Fans all around the world have been clamoring for material from these artists, and the far reaching power of the Internet enables us to deliver this exclusive content to fans via their own personal preference."
The Page-Crowes relationship with musicmaker.com was orchestrated by Danny Socolof, President of Las Vegas based MEGA, Inc., and Bill Curbishley, worldwide manager of Jimmy Page and The Who, and Pete Angelus, worldwide manager of The Black Crowes.
"When I learned from Bill Curbishley and Pete Angelus that Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes had recorded their live performances, I immediately recognized the power of what had been captured," commented Socolof. "We chose musicmaker.com to marry this extraordinary content with new Internet technologies, since musicmaker.com has experienced music executives, direct response marketing expertise, strong custom CD manufacturing, delivery and capability, as well as an understanding of the importance of this historic repertoire."
To kick off the release, Microsoft premiered an exclusive free download of Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes performing the classic Led Zeppelin track "What Is And What Should Never Be." This was available only at WindowsMedia.com (http://windowsmedia.com) for 24 hours on Wednesday, Feb. 23 before being released to radio. All online features of the promotion, including streamed previews and digital downloads, are presented exclusively in Microsoft Windows Media Format, which provides built-in digital rights management and CD-quality sound at half the bit rate and file size of MP3.
The Los Angeles shows – part of the three-city sold-out jaunt – garnered critical praise:
"…the audience dug it like a rock dream come true…A low-key legend, Page sometimes delivered his familiar leads from the fringe of the sextet, but he moved along the players with easy camaraderie. Having him along with guitarists Rich Robinson and Audley Freed let The Crowes achieve the full effect of Zeppelin's layered, complex sound, as well as elegantly nuance their own songs…Rock and roll is here to stay, indeed."
"With three guitarists tackling stuff like 'In My Time Of Dying' and 'Nobody's Fault But Mine,' Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes' spellbinding October performance at the Greek was closer to the multi-layered rapture of studio Zeppelin than Zeppelin itself was ever able to achieve in live performance. A privilege to witness."
"For a guy who has seemingly done it all at this stage of his more than 35-year career, Page seemed invigorated by his collaboration with his younger bandmates, who often couldn't contain their glee at playing with a man whose music has had such an effect on their careers."
"They are the perfect match: Page gives the blues rock band a power slugger, while the Crowes seem to inspire the guitarist with a new, giddy energy."
"…a much needed reminder of the potential power of classic rock music, and felt throughout the two-hour performance like a passing of the old-school rock torch from teacher to willing pupil."
Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes Live at the Greek Track Listing
SONG SELECTION FOR CUSTOM CDs
Heartbreaker 6:01
In My Time Of Dying 9:43
What Is And What Should Never Be 5:29
Custard Pie 5:23
Celebration Day 3:35
Out On the Tiles 4:00
Whole Lotta Love 5:34
Nobody's Fault But Mine 6:49
You Shook Me 8:29
Lemon Song 8:59
Your Time Is Gonna Come 5:59
Ten Years Gone 6:35
Sick Again 4:37
Hey Hey What Can I Do 3:37
Shake Your Money Maker 4:28
Woke Up This Morning 4:17
Shape Of Things To Come 3:15
Sloppy Drunk 6:04
Oh Well 4:24
PRE-SELECTED 18-TRACK DOUBLE CD
Album 1
What Is And What Should Never Be 5:29
Heartbreaker 6:01
In My Time Of Dying 9:43
Custard Pie 5:23
Celebration Day 3:35
Out On The Tiles/Whole Lotta Love (Medley) 9:09
Nobody's Fault But Mine 6:49
You Shook Me 8:29
Album 2
Lemon Song 8:59
Your Time Is Gonna Come 5:59
Ten Years Gone 6:35
Sick Again 4:37
Hey Hey What Can I Do 3:37
Shake Your Money Maker 4:28
Woke Up This Morning 4:17
Shape Of Things To Come 3:15
Sloppy Drunk 6:04
Oh Well 4:24
About musicmaker.com
Musicmaker.com, with offices in New York City and Reston, Virginia, is a leading custom compilation and secure digital download music retailer on the Internet. Musicmaker.com offers music lovers the opportunity to build their own CDs by selecting and organizing songs from a library over 250,000 tracks from over 125 labels in a variety of music genres. Tracks can be sampled before selection. CDs include up to 20 tracks or 70 minutes of music and can be personalized with unique labels as well as imprints on the jewel boxes. The Musicmaker.com site also offers over 100,000 songs for download in MP3 and Microsoft Windows Media formats.
In addition to EMI Recorded Music, musicmaker.com currently has exclusive marketing agreements with Columbia House (jointly owned by Sony Music and Warner Music Group), Zomba Music Group, Audio Book Club, Platinum Entertainment, and Woodstock.com, as well as marketing agreements with AOL (and their Netscape Netcenter, Spinner, Winamp and ICQ brands), Musicland, Transworld Entertainment, Wherehouse Music, and others.
For additional information about musicmaker.com investor relations, please contact David Kesick at (703) 904-4110.
Any forward-looking statements contained in this release involve a number of uncertainties, risks and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to materially differ. Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially include, among others, those set forth in the Company's Registration Statement filed on Form S-1 dated as of July 7, 1999 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("Filings") and risk factors listed from time to time in subsequent Filings.
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