Prince, Music Legend and Internet Visionary, to Receive Webby Lifetime Achievement Award at The 10th Annual Webby Awards

Prince, Music Legend and Internet Visionary, to Receive Webby Lifetime Achievement Award at The 10th Annual Webby Awards

http://www.webbyawards.com

NEW YORK, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of his visionary use of the Internet to distribute music and connect with audiences, music legend Prince will be honored at The 10th Annual Webby Awards on June 12th in New York City, the International Academy of the Digital Arts and Sciences announced today.

The first major artist to release an entire album -- 1997's Crystal Ball -- exclusively on the Web, Prince's leadership online has transformed the entertainment industry and reshaped the relationship between artist and fan. Long before MySpace and iTunes, Prince used the Web as a new way to distribute music, premiere videos, and build his relationship with his fans. His groundbreaking web site, NPG Music Club (http://www.npgmusicclub.com/) boasts more than seven full-length CDs of music that are unavailable anywhere else.

"Besides being a musical genius, Prince is a visionary who recognized early on that the web would completely change how we experience music," said Tiffany Shlain, founder of The Webby Awards. "For more than a decade, he has tapped the power of the Web to forge a deeper connection with his fans and push the boundaries of technology and art."

Prince will be saluted alongside Webby Awards winners in 69 categories, as well as five other Special Achievement honorees -- the founders of Myspace.com, Thomas Friedman, Mark Cuban, The Gorillaz, and Internet co-inventor Dr. Robert Kahn -- which were announced earlier this month.

Proclaimed "the online equivalent of an Oscar" by the New York Times (June 21, 2005), The Webby Awards is the leading international honor for Web sites and the innovators behind them.

The Webby Awards is presented by the Academy, a global organization with over 500 members including musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, Naked Chef Jamie Oliver, and fashion designer Max Azria.

Over 600 winners, industry leaders, and celebrities will attend the June 12th ceremony at New York City's landmark Cipriani Wall Street. For the second year in a row, Rob Corddry of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart will emcee the evening's festivities.

In keeping with Webby tradition, all winners and Webby Special Achievement honorees will be limited to five-word acceptance speeches. Last year's Webby Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Al Gore made worldwide headlines with his speech -- "Please don't recount this vote."

Title Sponsors for The 10th Annual Webby Awards are:

* AOL LLC, a leading network of Web brands including the new AOL.com(R),
AOL's next generation broadband Web portal, which offers an extensive
array of content and features available for free. Web users can access
industry leading communication products; the best programming from
news, sports and personal finance to music, movies, television and
games; as well as an innovative video media experience, all from one
place.

* The Creative Group, a division of Robert Half International, the
premier staffing company for creative professionals.

For a list of all winners of The 10th Annual Webby Awards and The People's Voice Awards presented by Verizon, visit http://www.webbyawards.com/.

About The Webby Awards:

Founded in 1996, The Webby Awards is the leading international honors for Web sites. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 535-member judging organization consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: AOL.com, The Creative Group; Verizon; Adweek Magazines; Fortune and FSB; OnRequest Images, IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers; iStockphoto, American Marketing Association; 2Advanced Studios, 2 Advanced.net; MX Interactive; For more information visit http://www.webbyawards.com/.

About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the internet and interactive media. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 500 members consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields, such as musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, business guru and author Tom Peters, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, fashion designer Max Azria, Simpsons creator Matt Groening and Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser. For more information, visit http://www.iadas.net/.

Source: The Webby Awards

CONTACT: Jill Feldman, jill@mkpr.com, or Patrick Kowalczyk,
patrick@mkpr.com, both of Michael Kaminer Public Relations, +1-212-627-8098,
for The Webby Awards

Web site: http://www.webbyawards.com/
http://www.iadas.net/
http://www.npgmusicclub.com/

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