mtvU and Epic Records Partner to Offer College 'Artist of the Year' Promotion, Video & Record Deal Worth Up to $1.5 Million

mtvU and Epic Records Partner to Offer College 'Artist of the Year' Promotion, Video & Record Deal Worth Up to $1.5 Million

Winner to be Unveiled on 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien' and Chosen from Unsigned College Artists in mtvU's 'Best Music on Campus' Online Farm System

New Music Destination Serves Up Weekly, Monthly and Yearly Opportunities to Launch Careers of Best College Acts in the Country

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, and Epic Records today announced they've partnered to discover the college "Artist of the Year" from those acts registered in mtvU's "Best Music on Campus" (BMOC) -- a new online music destination (www.bestmusiconcampus.com) offering unsigned college bands and musicians unparalleled weekly, monthly and yearly opportunities to launch their careers. On the site, college students can build profiles with songs, videos, pictures, blogs and more, and enter to compete for the unprecedented "Artist of the Year" prize -- a promotion, video, tour and record deal from mtvU and Epic Records worth up to $1.5 million over the life of the contract. Additionally, the winning band will be unveiled and debut with a live performance on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."

The mtvU "Best Music on Campus Artist of the Year" -- selected by mtvU, Epic Records and college students nationwide -- will receive major backing and huge national visibility: on-air, online, on tour, radio, retail and more. The winner will work with Epic label execs in recording a full LP and two music videos. The videos will premiere on mtvU and mtvU.com and roll out to other top on-air and online music destinations. The winning act will get a $50,000 cash advance at signing, plus full retail, radio, tour, marketing and grass roots support when the album is released. The Artist of the Year's journey will also be documented and showcased in an original series premiering on mtvU and mtvU.com this summer.

In addition to the coveted "Artist of the Year" award, BMOC will offer college bands and musicians weekly and monthly opportunities to be showcased on MTV, mtvU and mtvU.com programming; open on mtvU tours and for emerging and established artists; and compete for other record, video and promotion deals. College students nationwide are encouraged to submit their original music at bestmusiconcampus.com today to become eligible for these and other exclusive opportunities.

"We're thrilled to join with Epic Records on this amazing opportunity -- throwing down the gauntlet to discover a break out college act that will stand the test of time," said Stephen Friedman, GM of mtvU. "With this and other weekly opportunities for college artists to launch their careers, we're building BMOC to be the ultimate college music destination."

"College students spot cultural phenomena long before anyone else -- who better to help us find Epic's next enduring star?," asked Doug McVehil, Vice President of Digital Media, Marketing and Promotion, Epic Records. "We've watched the college audience propel once-emerging acts like Modest Mouse, Matisyahu and Franz Ferdinand from mtvU to mainstream success, and we believe they're going to find us somebody people talk about a decade from now."

Each week, mtvU will select a new BMOC "Artist of the Week," paying special attention to those acts which are the most viewed, streamed or highly rated by college students on bestmusiconcampus.com. Every "Artist of the Week" will be featured in promo spots that run on mtvU several times a week, prominently showcased on the BMOC website, and spotlighted on "The Freshmen," mtvU's weekly rundown of new music videos from artists bubbling up on the college scene, hosted by Kim Stolz. Each "Artist of the Week" will also be eligible to compete for the "Artist of the Year" prize, along with other artists selected by mtvU and Epic. A field of the top 50 college acts in the country will vie for this opportunity in late March 2007, with college student voting playing a key role in deciding which bands advance to the final round of five. The inaugural BMOC "Artist of the Year" will be announced on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in May 2007.

The new "Best Music on Campus" online music hub follows on the overwhelming success of last year's BMOC competition, which saw more than 320 college acts submit original music. Over 4.1 million votes were cast by the college audience on mtvU.com, as Say No More of California State University, Northridge was crowned winner and awarded a record deal and video premiere on mtvU and mtvU.com. In 2005, the college audience cast 2.2 million votes in selecting All Envy Aside, of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee as the BMOC winner. The band was the recipient of a development deal with a major record label and exclusively premiered its first video on mtvU.com, where the video ranked as one of the most streamed on the site for Spring 2006.

Eligible entrants in mtvU's "Best Music on Campus" must be 18 years old, a legal resident of the United States, and solo artists or at least one band member must be enrolled at an accredited college or university. At time of entry and during the course of the contest, entrants (and all participating band members) must be amateur artists (i.e., cannot have a record deal and/or distribution deal with a major U.S. record label). For complete details and rules on mtvU's "Best Music on Campus," please visit www.bestmusiconcampus.com.

mtvU's "Best Music on Campus" will feature rotating monthly sponsors, the first of which is Sony Mylo.

About mtvU

Broadcasting to 750 colleges across the country, with a combined enrollment of over seven million, mtvU is the largest, most comprehensive television network just for college students. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, mtvU can be seen in the dining areas, fitness centers, student lounges and dorm rooms of campuses throughout the U.S. mtvU is dedicated to every aspect of college life, reaching students everywhere they are, through a three pronged approach -- on-air, online and on campus. mtvU focuses on content including music videos from emerging artists which can't be seen anywhere else, news, student life features, events and pro-social initiatives. mtvU is always on campus, with more than 300 events per year, including exclusive concerts, giveaways, shooting mtvU series and more. For more information about mtvU, and for a complete programming schedule, visit www.mtvU.com.

mtvU.com makes mtvU the first MTV Networks channel distributed in its entirety via broadband, streaming 24/7 and on demand, featuring all of mtvU plus exclusive new music, original series and student-produced programming for college students and music fans everywhere.

mtvU also owns and operates Y2M, parent company of College Publisher -- the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the US. The network comprises 500 campus publications that serve institutions including Brown University, the University of Illinois, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas at Austin and Duke University, with a combined enrollment of over five million students and a subscriber base of 2.1 million.

MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV Networks, with more than 120 channels worldwide, owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, VH1 CLASSIC, LOGO, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, with all of these networks trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust consumer products businesses and its more than 100 interactive properties worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

About Epic Records

EPIC RECORDS, a division of SONY BMG Entertainment, is a trailblazing multi-media entertainment company and the creative habitat of some of today's most vital and diverse musical artists such as Shakira, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Natasha Bedingfield, Matisyahu, Fiona Apple, Incubus, The Fray and Los Lonely Boys to name a few.

Source: mtvU

CONTACT: Jason Rzepka, mtvU, +1-212-654-9198, jason.rzepka@mtvstaff.com;
David French, MTV/MTV2/mtvU, +1-310-752-8110, david.french@mtvstaff.com; Sarah
Joyce, Epic Records, +1-212-833-4548, Sarah.Joyce@sonybmg.com

Web site: http://www.mtvu.com/
http://www.mtv.com/
http://www.bestmusiconcampus.com/

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