AG Interactive Strikes Content Partnership with Concord Music Group for Online and Wireless Platforms

AG Interactive Strikes Content Partnership with Concord Music Group for Online and Wireless Platforms

Legendary Jazz, R&B, Blues, Latin, and Traditional Pop Recordings from One of the World's Largest Independent Music Companies to be Available Through AGI's Global Online, Instant Messaging, and Mobile Distribution Channels.

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- AG Interactive, the new media subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation (NYSE:AM), today announced a partnership with Concord Music Group, one of the world's largest independent music companies, to develop and exclusively distribute premium content from a vast portfolio of Concord's recordings through AG Interactive and Concord- branded online, mobile and Instant Messaging channels.

Under the umbrella of the Concord Music Group's labels -- including Fantasy, Milestone, Prestige, Riverside, Stax, Specialty, Concord Records, Concord Picante, and Peak Records -- is an enviable, and much revered, list of recordings from many of the most popular names in the history of jazz, blues, R&B and rock. Original content based on the Company's classic and current catalogs will be available in Q3 2005, and will feature recordings from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney, Peter Cincotti, Tito Puente, Vince Guaraldi, Mel Torme, Sonny Rollins, Eddie Palmieri, Chick Corea, and Art Blakey, among others

AGI and Concord will produce a broad range of personalization, entertainment, information, and communication products for IP-based applications and devices including mobile phones, PDAs, computers, console, and home entertainment networks. Products will include ring tones and ring backs, wallpapers, videos, eGreetings and eVites, as well as instant messaging content including emoticons, winks, and skins.

The new content will be available through AGI's direct-to-consumer and partner mobile, online, instant messaging, and retail channels. Mobile channels will include wireless carriers, Univision Movil, Def Jam Mobile, MIDIringtones, Kiwee, and Concord-branded channels. The following web platforms will also offer the new content: Americangreetings.com, Bluemountain.com, Egreetings.com, Univision.com, Concordrecords.com, Yahoo (TM) Greetings, MSN Greetings, AOL Greetings, EarthLink, and MSN Messenger 7.0.

"Our partnership with Concord Music Group is incredibly exciting. Many of the world's most popular recording artists are included in its catalog and we are proud to be a part of a major initiative to make this music available to a much wider audience through new online and wireless channels for the first time," said Bryan Biniak, senior vice president, AG Interactive and general manager, AGmobile.

The Concord Music Group has a passionate commitment to the arts and to quality music. The Company is also known for sophisticated distribution and marketing strategies for its artists. In 2004, Concord released, in partnership with Starbucks Hear Music (TM), Genius Loves Company, the final recording from Ray Charles. The CD has sold over five million copies worldwide to date and garnered eight GRAMMY Awards in early 2005, including Best Album of the Year and Best Record of the Year (with Norah Jones).

"We chose AG Interactive as our partner to leverage the company's unparalleled distribution channels, content production capabilities and marketing expertise," said Hal Gaba, Chairman, Concord Music Group. "AG Interactive will help us take the music of legendary artists to new audiences through the latest mobile and online technology."

About Concord Records

In 2004, Concord Records and Fantasy, Inc. merged to create the Concord Music Group. Immediately, it became one of the largest independent record companies in the world. Co-owned by legendary producer Norman Lear and his partner Hal Gaba, the Company's catalog includes recordings from such legendary artists as Ray Brown, Charlie Byrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Coltrane, Rosemary Clooney, Miles Davis, Herb Ellis, Stan Getz, Gene Harris, Isaac Hayes, Little Richard, Tito Puente, and Mel Torme, among others. The label's current roster of world-class vocal and instrumental artists includes: Karrin Allyson, Patti Austin, Peter Cincotti, Michael Feinstein, Nnenna Freelon, Robben Ford, LaToya London, Marian McPartland, Barry Manilow, Ozomatli, Eddie Palmieri, Sonny Rollins, The Rippingtons, Poncho Sanchez, and Maurice White.

About AG Interactive

AG Interactive is a worldwide leader in online, instant messaging and mobile expressions and entertainment. The online group, AG.com, offers over 20,000 premium quality greetings and other types of expressive content through its popular websites including AmericanGreetings.com, BlueMountain.com, BlueMountainCards.co.uk, and egreetings.com, as well as co-branded greetings sites with leading portals Yahoo!, AOL and MSN. Collectively, the AG Interactive online sites represent the largest online greeting card destination in the world, attracting over two million paying subscribers and millions of unique visitors every month.

The mobile services group, AGmobile, is a leader in mobile content creation, distribution and marketing. It offers consumers a broad set of wireless and multi-media expressions and entertainment including ringtones, graphics, video and games. Through its mobile properties, including Def Jam Mobile, Univision Movil, MIDIRingtones, Blue Mountain Mobile and Kiwee, AGmobile creates and distributes innovative content to mobile phone users through 25 wireless carriers in over ten countries and in multiple languages. By leveraging the world's largest digital library of award-winning expressive content and premium licensed content along with an unrivaled international distribution capability, AG Interactive offers consumers and business partners the premier online and mobile services available today. AG Interactive is a subsidiary of American Greetings Corporation (NYSE:AM), one of the world's leading manufacturers of social expression products, generating annual net sales of approximately $2 billion.

Source: AG Interactive

CONTACT: Media, Pamela Preston, +1-212-590-2554, or mobile,
+1-917-575-5830, or ppreston@breakawaycom.com, or Alicia Mickelsen,
+1-212-590-2557, or mobile, +1-973-229-9972, or amick@breakawaycom.com, both
of Breakaway Communications for AG Interactive; or Jo Foster of Concord Music
Group, +1-310-385-4218, or jof@concordrecords.com

Web site: http://www.ag.com/
http://www.americangreetings.com/
http://www.bluemountain.com/
http://www.bluemountaincards.co.uk/
http://www.egreetings.com/
http://www.univision.com/
http://www.concordrecords.com/

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