EMI Music Publishing First to License Music and Lyrics to SpiralFrog for Advertising-Supported Download Service

EMI Music Publishing First to License Music and Lyrics to SpiralFrog for Advertising-Supported Download Service

NEW YORK, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- SpiralFrog, the new music download destination, has signed an agreement with EMI Music Publishing, the world's leading music publishing company, to authorize SpiralFrog's use of EMI's vast catalog of musical compositions available for legal downloading in the United States via SpiralFrog's advertising-supported service.

The agreement with EMI Music Publishing, whose catalog is the largest in the world, is the first agreement SpiralFrog has signed with a global music publishing company. It follows SpiralFrog's ground-breaking agreement with Universal Music Group, announced last week. The two music industry leaders' combined rights bring the catalogs of hit artists such as Sting, Nelly Furtado, Jay Z and Kanye West to SpiralFrog.

Importantly, SpiralFrog has also obtained a worldwide license to enable users of SpiralFrog's service to search for and display the lyrics of EMI Music Publishing's Anglo-American repertoire.

"We are very pleased to help launch SpiralFrog," said Roger Faxon, Co-CEO of EMI Music Publishing. "It is a very exciting concept which fuses advertising with music downloads and other services to recapture consumer demand which has been hijacked by online piracy. Anytime we can create a new revenue stream for our songwriters and combat online piracy, you will see EMI Music Publishing leading the charge."

"EMI Music Publishing is the largest music publisher in the world," said Robin Kent, SpiralFrog's CEO. "Obtaining these rights helps ensure that SpiralFrog can provide young consumers with access to recordings from a wide range of artists that they want to hear. We are delighted to obtain global rights to song lyrics as this is further value that we can add for our users, while driving even more advertising revenue for the music composers."

Kent said that the agreements SpiralFrog has signed with Universal and EMI Music Publishing represent clear signs that the music industry recognizes the revenue potential of an advertising-supported business model that will help the industry combat piracy by offering a high-quality alternative to illegal file-sharing sites which are often characterized by poor-quality music, missing song details and spyware.

"The industry's overall perception of what constitutes piracy has not changed," Kent stated. "By supporting our service that provides people with a compelling alternative experience and lets them enjoy high-quality music they've legally downloaded, Universal and EMI Music Publishing have enabled SpiralFrog to move the music industry barometer."

Launching later this year, SpiralFrog offers users of its no-cost service the ability to legally download music by many of the world's most popular and award-winning artists. Its target audience is people between the ages of 13 and 34, who the company plans to attract by creating a music-centric experience and destination that is second to none.

About EMI Music Publishing

EMI Music Publishing is the world's most creative music publisher with more than one million copyrights including some of the best known songs ever written: "New York, New York", "Over The Rainbow" and "Singin' In The Rain". Its current hit-making writers and producers include: Arctic Monkeys, Fergie of Black Eyed Peas, Natasha Bedingfield, James Blunt, Kelly Clarkson, Jermaine Dupri, Eminem, Enya, Nelly Furtado, Gorillaz, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Eros Ramazzotti, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. www.emimusicpub.com

About SpiralFrog

SpiralFrog (www.spiralfrog.com) is the new online music destination offering advertising-supported legal downloads of audio and video content licensed from the catalogs of the world's leading record labels and from independents. SpiralFrog offers music-lovers a compelling alternative to illegal file-sharing and pirate sites, with a secure environment for them to satisfy their unyielding passion and thirst for music, entertainment, information and brands at no cost except for their time and attention. Headquartered in New York, SpiralFrog will launch its advertising-supported service in beta in late 2006.

Source: SpiralFrog

CONTACT: Amy Levin of SpiralFrog, +1-212-905-3321, amy@spiralfrog.com;
Rob Goldstone of Oui 2 PR for EMI Music Publishing, +1-212-541-5698,
rob@oui2.com; Neville Hobson for SpiralFrog, +1-202-470-2425, +44-20-7558-
8222, Mobile +31-629-323-282, neville.hobson@gmail.com

Web site: http://www.spiralfrog.com/
http://www.emimusicpub.com/

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