The Orchard Signs Landmark Licensing Deal With Yanga - First Legal Russian Digital Music Retailer

The Orchard Signs Landmark Licensing Deal With Yanga - First Legal Russian Digital Music Retailer

Pioneering Download Site to Launch with Region's First Major Western Catalogue

NEW YORK and ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Orchard, the world's leading distributor and marketer of independent music, today announced that it has licensed its entire catalogue to Yanga, the first legitimate music download service in the Russian Federation and the first company in that region to secure digital rights to a major Western catalogue. Under the agreement, The Orchard will make available to Yanga its archive of nearly 1 million tracks, which encompasses independent music from a diverse variety of artists, labels, and genres -- including indie rock, pop, hip-hop, classical, jazz, world music, and more.

"Our partnership with Yanga expands our business in a region where we've made strong inroads over the past year, first by opening an office in Moscow, and then by making important licensing deals with many of the leading Russian labels," said Greg Scholl, chief executive of The Orchard and managing director of Dimensional Associates, the parent company of The Orchard, eMusic, and Dimensional Music Publishing. "On another level, this alliance is a major step toward establishing a framework for legitimate digital commerce in Russia. We are committed to the Russian music market, and we look forward to helping Yanga launch its digital music store and play a pioneering role in the Russian industry."

Max E. Orlov, who oversees The Orchard's operations in Russia, added, "Effective protection of intellectual property rights is considered vital to Russia's economic future, as President Putin pointed out in his state-of-the- union address in May. By promoting legal digital commerce in Russia, we are helping to set the stage for other opportunities -- not just for The Orchard, but also for other legitimate companies in our industry."

Yanga general manager Alexander Kouznetsov said, "As we prepare to launch Yanga, we are thrilled to have access to one of the world's richest catalogues of independent music. Our customers will appreciate the depth and diversity that The Orchard offers, and this will help establish Yanga as a destination for the widest possible variety of users. It is a first step in our collective efforts to shape the future of the digital music industry in Russia."

Yanga's launch will take place at the Eastern European Music Convention (EEMC) in St. Petersburg, held June 2-3, 2006.

For more information about EEMC, please visit: http://www.eemc.tv/; for more information about Yanga, please visit: www.yanga.ru.

About Yanga

Yanga is the first legal online music service in Russia. Its catalog of more than 1 million tracks includes music from leading independent labels worldwide. Yanga uses the MP3 format, which is supported by the widest variety of playback devices and imposes no restrictions on personal use of purchased music. Yanga was founded by a team of entrepreneurs with a history of success in Internet and new technology businesses. The company features a diverse music selection, convenient and secure payment systems, and a user-friendly interface. Yanga is headquartered in Moscow.

About The Orchard

The Orchard is the leading distributor and marketer of independent music in the world, representing thousands of labels spanning 73 countries and every music genre. The Orchard supplies its catalogue of more than 800,000 tracks to all of the leading legal digital music retailers throughout the world. The Orchard is an international company headquartered in New York and London, with operations in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, Vancouver, Kolkata, Johannesburg, Moscow and Melbourne, and local representatives in Paris, Milan, Berlin, Barcelona, Lausanne, Ramallah, Nairobi, and Sao Paulo.

Media Contacts:
For The Orchard
Andy Morris / Justin Kazmark
The Morris + King Company
(212) 561-7465 / (212) 561-7466
andy.morris@morris-king.comjustin.kazmark@morris-king.com

Source: The Orchard

CONTACT: Andy Morris, +1-212-561-7465, andy.morris@morris-king.com, or
Justin Kazmark, +1-212-561-7466, justin.kazmark@morris-king.com, both of The
Morris + King Company, for The Orchard

Web site: http://www.yanga.ru/
http://www.eemc.tv/

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