Pump Audio Pays Record Amount to Independent Musicians

Pump Audio Pays Record Amount to Independent Musicians

$125,000 Earned by Top 20 Artists in Past Six Months Alone as Demand for Original Music Soars in TV, Advertising and Online Productions

HUDSON VALLEY, N.Y., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Pump Audio, the leading provider of quality independent music to content creators globally, today announced that it paid its highest amount in licensing revenue ever to independent musicians in the first half of 2006. The 20 most popular independent artists alone earned more than $125,000 among them, three times as much as in the previous period. Chris Ballew, the lead singer of Presidents of the United States of America, led the list of top earners.

"Pump Audio is an excellent way to feel like the music you make for your own enjoyment can find an audience and make you some extra cash at the same time," Ballew said. "There is no risk, Pump Audio is easy to work with, and when that first check arrives it's a real rush to see your music in action."

The record payments come as increasing attention is being paid to business models in which advertising-supported websites share ad revenues with independent content creators. Rather than share ad dollars, though, Pump Audio has built a strong business by making money for creators directly from the distribution of the content itself. Pump Audio helps thousands of independent musicians worldwide license their music for TV, advertising and Web productions. It splits licensing revenues with musicians, while the artists retain complete ownership over their music.

"We've always operated from the premise that, if you start with a fair business model that compensates people for their creative work, you can make money through the content itself-not just advertising," said Steve Ellis, founder and CEO of Pump Audio. "It's a real pleasure to pay these independent artists for the music they make, and to know that it's truly a win-win deal for them and our company."

Over its 5-year history, Pump Audio has paid millions of dollars to independent musicians. Independent musicians earn money based on the actual use of their music in productions. In any given pay period, musician earn anywhere between a few hundred of dollars to thousands of dollars.

Demand for original music is increasing not only from traditional TV and advertising but also from the move toward broadband entertainment and user- generated video. Pump Audio's production customers include MTV Networks, NBC Studios, HBO, New Line Cinema and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. It also is supplying music from its catalog of more than 65,000 tracks on the Web through the recently launched MyPump Soundtrack service and deals with online video services.

About Pump Audio

Pump Audio licenses the world's best independent music to content creators worldwide. Founded in 2001, Pump Audio has established itself as a leading provider of digital music for TV and advertising producers. Now Pump Audio is becoming the soundtrack of the Internet, opening Web access to its catalog of tens of thousands of songs so creators of all types can build music into their video and interactive productions. With Pump Audio, artists can license their music into productions without giving up any ownership, while content creators can discover new music ready for use. Based in the Hudson Valley, Pump Audio can be found at www.pumpaudio.com .

Source: Pump Audio

CONTACT: Matt Hicks of SutherlandGold Group, +1-415-722-3603, or
matt@sutherlandgold.com, for Pump Audio

Web site: http://www.pumpaudio.com/

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