Universal Music Group (UMG) and Tapulous Partner to Bring New Music Games to the iPhone/iPod touch

Universal Music Group (UMG) and Tapulous Partner to Bring New Music Games to the iPhone/iPod touch

NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, and Tapulous, Inc, have entered into an agreement to build new music games for the iPhone and iPod touch. The first game, a special edition of Tap Tap Revenge with pop sensation Lady Gaga, goes live today for $4.99 in the Apple App Store.

"With the new Tap Tap Revenge, you can listen to me, Lady Gaga, play the latest in iPhone games, and watch a series of graphics that represent my journey through 'The Fame.' It's perfect for my super, super fans, or for growing 'The Fame' lovers, who can listen to my album while tapping along with Love, Art and Technology," said Lady Gaga.

Tapulous is a Palo Alto-based startup that has emerged as one of the leading application developers within Apple's App Store. Its flagship music game, Tap Tap Revenge, has seen more than 11 million installs. In April, comScore announced that Tap Tap Revenge is the #1 most popular app on the App Store and is installed on nearly 1 out of 3 iPhones/iPod touches.

"We are delighted to partner with Tapulous, whose products strengthen the connection between artists and fans," stated David Ring, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Business Affairs for Universal Music Group's eLabs, the company's new media and technologies division. "This is just another example of how UMG is continuing to cultivate online entertainment by offering our consumers even more ways to enjoy the musical experience."

"The ability to offer great music and partner with superstar artists is critical to our ability to delight our users and maintain our position as the leader in music games and iPhone apps," commented Tapulous CEO Bart Decrem. "As the world's leading music company, UMG has a fantastic roster of artists, and the company has been very aggressive in exploring the new possibilities offered by the iPhone, so this marks an important milestone for our company."

Under this new agreement, UMG and Tapulous will launch a series of initiatives, including:

-- A variety of music-oriented games featuring UMG artists in 2009.
-- The ability for users to purchase top hits from UMG artists to play in
the upcoming Tap Tap Revenge 3.0 game. Tracks will be available for
purchase for $.50 per track, marking one of the first examples of
in-app commerce in an iPhone game.

-- And at least one brand new rhythm game with a top performing artist
from UMG in the Fall of 2009, with the two companies working together
on additional games.

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

About Tapulous

Tapulous is the leader in music games for the iPhone and iPod touch. Founded in 2008 and based in Palo Alto, California, Tapulous is best known for creating the smash hit game Tap Tap Revenge that pairs exciting game play with music from leading and indie artists. Tap Tap Revenge is the most popular game on the App Store and, to date, the game has been installed more than 11 million times. For more information, please visit www.tapulous.com or follow us on Twitter by going to @Tapulous.

Source: Universal Music Group

CONTACT: Peter Lofrumento, Maria Ho-Burge, maria.ho-burge@umusic.com,
both of Universal Music Group, +1-212-331-2569

Web Site: http://www.tapulous.com/

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