Cingular, MySpace and InfoSpace to Give Unsigned Artists a Cool New Way to Connect With Fans

Cingular, MySpace and InfoSpace to Give Unsigned Artists a Cool New Way to Connect With Fans

Cingular's Mobile Music Studio on MySpace is a free, truly original platform that lets emerging artists create and market their personalized wireless content

Australian Indie Garage Rock Darlings, Shifter, to be First Band to Benefit from Partnership

LAS VEGAS, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- If music truly is the universal language, then millions of music hopefuls are sure to be talking about the new Cingular Mobile Music Studio available exclusively on MySpace. Announced today at CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2006, Cingular's Mobile Music Studio is a first-of-its-kind platform that offers hundreds of thousands of unsigned artists and bands on MySpace the tools needed to turn their self-produced music into ringtones.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/CLTH064)

As the leading lifestyle portal and social networking community, MySpace has more than one million bands and artists using the site to connect and engage with fans. Together with InfoSpace Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP), a long-time Cingular partner and a leading provider of mobile content, Cingular's Mobile Music Studio will help these artists generate even more exposure and excitement for their music. The Mobile Music Studio is just one more example of Cingular's leadership in the convergence of wireless and music.

"Music resonates so powerfully with our young customers, which is why we are thrilled to offer them exclusive wireless access to the original tones generated from MySpace artists," said David Garver, executive director, marketing, Cingular Wireless. "The Mobile Music Studio offers incredible exposure for these emerging artists, who already have a MySpace following, by making it possible to have their original music turned into a ringtone and potentially have it played on the wireless handsets of millions of Cingular customers nationwide."

"The discovery of emerging artists by our users and the ability for bands to reach committed fans has always been integral to the MySpace experience. Now, with more than 68 million members and more than one million bands, we are exploring new ways for them to connect. The Mobile Music Studio allows this to happen in a way that seamlessly blends the online and offline experience -- we're thrilled to be part of the program," said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace.

How the Mobile Music Studio Works

Currently, the Mobile Music Studio is being trialed by approximately 75 unsigned MySpace bands and artists. Through Cingular's Mobile Music Studio, located on a dedicated page on MySpace, these unsigned artists will first be guided through the licensing and production process led by InfoSpace.

"All bands and artists have access to web distribution, especially with communities like MySpace," said Stephen Davis, InfoSpace President of Mobile and Online Media. "What is most significant about this announcement is that Cingular's Mobile Music studio on MySpace provides the natural extension to mobile for some of the best musicians to further showcase their talents."

Once all licensing has been completed, the artists will then be able to upload a short track of their original song, via an audio file, at which time the music content is screened to ensure content is indeed original and appropriate. Upon successful review, the audio file is converted by InfoSpace into a 30-second ringtone. The artists will then be provided a link so their tones can be posted for audio preview and sold on their existing MySpace profile pages. Additionally, Cingular will give these unsigned artists the opportunity to market their ringtone on MySpace. These exclusive ringtones will only be available for download by Cingular customers on Cingular phones.

Mobile Music Studio in Action

The first unsigned band to participate in the Mobile Music Studio trial is Shifter, an up-and-coming rock band from Australia currently breaking in to the U.S. marketplace. Currently using their MySpace profile page to promote their five-song CD, titled "Shifter," the band hopes to extend its fan reach by leveraging Cingular's Mobile Music Studio.

"This is a huge opportunity for us, and we're really excited to be the first MySpace artist actually using Cingular's Mobile Music Studio to create a ringtone of our song, 'Butter,'" said Michael Nason, lead singer of Shifter. "It's just really cool to think about millions of people potentially purchasing and downloading your music as a ringtone. We're always looking for new, creative ways to get more exposure for our music, particularly in the U.S. Releasing a ringtone through Cingular and MySpace is a great way to make this happen."

Digital content from Shifter's self titled debut CD is available now on Boar Records/spinArt Records.

Cingular, MySpace and InfoSpace expect to roll out the Mobile Music Studio nationally later this spring. For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/cingularstudio

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 54.1 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., (NYSE:T), and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/. Get Cingular Wireless press releases e- mailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com/.

About MySpace.com

MySpace is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and discovering popular culture. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and user forums, MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain in terms of page views*, MySpace.com is the most widely-used and highly regarded site of its kind. With more than 68 million members, MySpace is committed to providing the highest quality user experience and will continue to innovate with new features that allow its users to express their creativity and share their lives, both online and off.

* Among the top 2000 domains. comScore Media Metrix, February 2006. For
more information on comScore Networks, please go to
http://www.comscore.com/.

About InfoSpace

InfoSpace, Inc. (NASDAQ:INSP) drives mobile media innovation. With one of the world's largest mobile content libraries, InfoSpace makes it easy for consumers to discover, personalize and enjoy their on-the-go experiences. The company uses its superior discovery, merchandising and technology capabilities to help facilitate the delivery of original and licensed content across hundreds of mobile devices and through multiple channels. InfoSpace also mobilizes brands and creates programming and revenue opportunities for mobile operators. The company's products and services have extensive reach in North America and Europe through carriers such as Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and Virgin Mobile; in partnership with world-class brands such as Cablevision and Fox News; and through online Web sites such as Dogpile (Dogpile.com), which showcase the company's leading metasearch technology and key advertising partnerships with companies like Google, Yahoo!, Verizon SuperPages and Yellowpages.com. More information can be found at http://www.infospaceinc.com/.

This release contains forward-looking statements regarding Cingular's Mobile Music Studio on MySpace. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that could affect InfoSpace's actual results include the scope and timing of market acceptance of the features of Cingular's Mobile Music Studio on MySpace. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled "Factors Affecting Our Operating Results, Business Prospects and Market Price of Stock." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward- looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/CLTH064
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Cingular Wireless

CONTACT: Jennifer Bowcock of Cingular Wireless, +1-404-236-6319, or
Wireless, +1-404-213-1204, or jennifer.bowcock@cingular.com; or Dani Dudeck of
MySpace, +1-323-202-1890, or dani.dudeck@edelman.com; or Jeff Hasen of
InfoSpace, +1-425-201-8618, or jeff.hasen@infospace.com

Web site: http://www.myspace.com/cingularstudio
http://www.cingular.com/
http://cingular.mediaroom.com/
http://www.myspace.com/
http://www.infospaceinc.com/
http://www.comscore.com/

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