The Orchard Launches Innovative New Label-Owned Store Offering

The Orchard Launches Innovative New Label-Owned Store Offering

NEW YORK and LONDON, August 17/PRNewswire/ --

- World's Largest and Leading Marketer and Distributor of Digital Music
Now Enables Artists & Labels to "Sell Direct" To Their Fans

- First of The Orchard's Label Stores Launched This Week

The Orchard, the world's leading distributor and marketer of independent
music, today announced an innovative new digital retail option for The
Orchard's label and artist clients.

Now, in addition to supplying music to the leading digital music services
around the globe, The Orchard will create independent digital stores for its
record label clients. The new service offering -- powered by industry leader
7 Digital -- offers a robust, turnkey digital retail store solution with no
upfront build-out costs to labels. Artists and labels can choose to sell
their music in MP3, WMA or AAC formats; in US Dollars, British Pounds
Sterling, or Euros; and consumers in the UK can also pay by SMS. Artists and
labels set the retail price and have the option of merchandising the store
themselves, or having it managed by The Orchard's merchandising team at no
extra cost. Payments are fully integrated into The Orchard's industry-leading
web-based online accounting system.

The first of The Orchard / 7 Digital label stores include a combination
of leading labels and hot independent artists:

SLAMjamz http://www.theorchard.com/store/artist_store.php?store=slamjamz
Crash Records
http://www.theorchard.com/store/artist_store.php?store=crash
Amulet Records
http://www.theorchard.com/store/artist_store.php?store=amulet
Blazin' Squad
http://www.theorchard.com/store/artist_store.php?store=blazinsquad
Pedro http://www.theorchard.com/store/artist_store.php?store=pedro

The Orchard will launch more stores in the coming weeks from labels
including Lookout! Records, Aquarian Nation, Alliant Music Group, French Kiss
and others.

"In this rapidly changing digital landscape, investing in innovation is
key. Through our new label-owned store offering, we are offering our artists
and labels yet another creative way to get their music to the people who want
it," said Greg Scholl, chief executive of The Orchard and managing director
of Dimensional Associates, the company that owns The Orchard, eMusic and
Dimensional Music Publishing. "Until now, there has been no streamlined,
cost-efficient way for an independent labels and artists to open their own
digital music stores. Our new sales solution empowers labels and artists to
take even more control over pricing, merchandising and how their music is
sold. We expect our label partners to embrace this option, which further
reinforces The Orchard's mission of creating new markets and marketing
methods for independent music and the people who create it."

"We're excited to be partnering with The Orchard to extend our successful
Digital Stores to the independent sector," said Ben Drury, Managing Director
of 7 Digital. "We have already launched over 100 Digital Stores for all the
major labels and we are pleased now to make this service available more
widely through The Orchard's extensive independent music network"

Amulet Records' Billy Martin (also of Medeski Martin and Wood) enthused,
"We have an active and devoted fan base for our label's music so we're
excited to be able to sell them directly. It solidifies our bond with fans,
and also delivers higher profits for us. And The Orchard has made it simple
to do; they already distribute our music to the major digital music stores,
so we just said 'go' and a few short weeks later our download store has
launched."

"The Orchard is always ten steps ahead in this digital music game" said
Chuck D, of hip-hop stalwarts Public Enemy, and who now runs SLAMjamz. "Other
distributors just get you into traditional digital retail outlets. The
Orchard certainly does all that, but they also are always thinking about
creative marketing ideas that will help their labels sell more music and also
connect directly with consumers."

About The Orchard

The Orchard (www.theorchard.com) is the leading distributor and marketer
of independent music in the world, representing thousands of labels spanning
72 countries and every music genre. The Orchard supplies its catalogue of
more than 600,000 tracks to all of the leading legal digital music stores and
services throughout the world. Headquartered in New York, The Orchard
maintains operations in London, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Buenos
Aires, Tel Aviv and Melbourne.

About Dimensional Associates, Inc.

Dimensional Associates, Inc. is the New York-based private equity arm of
JDS Capital Management, Inc. Its portfolio companies include eMusic, The
Orchard and Dimensional Music Publishing (formerly DreamWorks Music
Publishing).

About 7 Digital

7 Digital specialises in secure distribution of digital media including
music downloads and video. 7 Digital's clients include ITV, Universal, EMI,
Warner Music, Sony BMG, V2, Independiente and O2. It also developed the
official Band Aid 20 download site, and the world-record UK Radio Aid
downloads. Since January 2004 has distributed more than 350,000 digital
products via over 200 partners including AOL, MSN, Freeserve, MTV, The
Guardian, Lycos, The Sun, Virgin Radio, BT, NTL and Tiscali. For more
information visit www.7digital.com.

About SLAMjamz

SLAMjamz, the 21st Century record Label, is run by rap pioneer and
digital music guru Chuck D. SLAMjamz is an "urbanish futuresoul" label that
has embraced technology from day one, and intends to follow in the footsteps
of Stax, Motown, Atlantic, Rhino, and Blue Note ... replete with cross-roster
collaborations, non-stop studio sessions, and teams of songwriters and
producers. The label is aiming for a roster of 25 artists by 2007, and
expects that all of their artists give back to their communities, as opposed
to simply "get rich or die trying."

About Amulet Records

Amulet was founded in 1995 by Billy Martin, drummer of the avant-funk
trio Medeski Martin and Wood. Primarily formed as an alternative to Martin's
steady gig with the renowned trio, Amulet Records features creative musicians
and performers from any cultural background who are more or less self-taught
and have a strong artistic vision. Martin has recently developed a break-beat
series that features his drumbeats, inviting remix submissions from all
corners of the world as a collaborative effort aptly titled illy B Eats.

About Crash Records

Mark Nawara founded Arizona-based underground extreme metal label Crash
Music in 1993. Crash's 150+ titles include music from Single Bullet Theory,
Transport League, Malevolent Creation, Throcult, Mortician, Hate Plow and
Brick Bath. Before Crash, Nawara introduced bands like Crowbar and Kreator to
the U.S. market and ran the BMG-distributed Pavement Music.

About Blazin' Squad

This ten-MC North London rap/pop group has dominated U.K. pop charts
since its 2002 debut single, the #1 hit "Crossroads." Since then, Blazin'
Squad has unleashed four more Top 10 singles and two hugely successful
full-length albums, resulting in magazine cover stories and a sold-out
headlining tour. Blazin' Squad member Kenzie even competed on the U.K.'s
hugely popular Celebrity Big Brother reality TV show earlier this year.

About Pedro

Twenty-two-year-old Brazilian singing sensation and Orchard artist Pedro
blends R&B beats with Brazilian roots. In addition to providing guest vocals
to two new Blazin' Squad EPs, Pedro has spent the past year writing and
recording his new album "All that Drama Turned to Love Songs" with Richard
Taylor (Blue, Westlife), Mark Owen (Take That), Big Pockets (Liberty X), Obi
(Blazin Squad, Blue) and Walter Junior, a close friend and flamenco guitarist
from Brazil. For more info: www.pedrolive.com.

Media Contact:
Andy Morris
Andy Morris & Company
+1-212-561-7465
andy@amc-pr.com

Web site: http://www.theorchard.com
http://www.7digital.com
http://www.pedrolive.com

Source: The Orchard

Andy Morris of Andy Morris & Company, +1-212-561-7465, or andy@amc-pr.com

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