Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, and Kyte (www.kyte.com), the universal digital media platform, announced on January 16th at the MidemNet music conference a global partnership in which Kyte will be an online and mobile video platform provider for UMG recording artists and subsidiary labels worldwide. UMG and Kyte will also partner in the development of new interactive mobile entertainment applications to reach and engage fans on the go. The branded Kyte channels of UMG artists such as All American Rejects, Pussycat Dolls, Soulja Boy Tell Em and Lady Gaga, have been successful, with the artists using Kyte’s online and mobile production tools to easily, and cost-effectively, create and broadcast live and on-demand video content that drives fans to the artists’ online and branded mobile web destinations.  Fans are engaging with the artists for longer durations through Kyte’s unique interactive features, including multimedia chat, and the ability to comment and rate Kyte shows.  Fans are also building online and mobile communities by virally sharing branded Kyte channels on social networks, blogs, web sites, and mobile devices.

“We are delighted to be working with Kyte, whose innovative media platform is providing a dynamic new way to create, distribute and monetize branded video content,” stated Rio Caraeff, Executive Vice President of eLabs, UMG’s market-leading division responsible for digital business strategy, business development and new technology opportunities. 

“We are very excited to partner with UMG,” said Daniel Graf, CEO of Kyte.  “Millions of fans around the world are engaging with their favorite UMG artists through the Kyte Platform. The artists are creating authentic, raw video content that the fans love – behind the scenes on a music video shoot, candid clips from the tour bus, collaborations in the studio – and the fans are communicating directly with the artists through our multimedia chat feature. This is what Kyte is all about; providing a platform that enables brands to easily create and distribute video content, engage with fans, and monetize.”

Kyte Platform

Kyte provides an end-to-end, online and mobile platform for the production, distribution and monetization of digital content. The Kyte Platform enables media and entertainment brands to:

•        Produce – create or upload live and on-demand, online and mobile video and pictures

•        Distribute – broadcast content to multiple online and mobile destinations simultaneously

•        Engage – interact with an audience and build community through multimedia chat and branded user generated content

•        Analyze – report and measure distribution and user engagement

•        Monetize – create new revenue streams and monetize branded content

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, Philips, 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 Kyte

Kyte is a universal digital media platform that provides an end-to-end, online and mobile solution for the production, distribution and monetization of digital content. Through strategic partnerships with the world’s leading media companies, mobile carriers, and mobile device manufacturers, Kyte is building a global digital content distribution platform with massive user engagement and monetization potential.

The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with a European office in Zurich, Switzerland. Investors include Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Telefónica, Nokia Growth Partners, Steamboat Ventures, TeliaSonera, DoCoMo Capital, Holtzbrinck Ventures, Swisscom and others.  Visit Kyte online at http://www.kyte.com/

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, has entered into an agreement with ID Interactive Inc. to provide a custom-ringtone solution for its music labels.

The UrTone (TM) player, developed by ID Interactive Inc., allows consumers to select any part from any track offered by their favorite artist, and customize a ringtone to be delivered instantly to their mobile handset. Users can alter start and end points of the ringtone, as well as the actual duration of the tone to within 1/10 of a second. These online stores will be compatible with every major U.S. phone carrier. “Universal is dedicated to offering music fans the very best in phone personalization and our new agreement with ID Interactive is a great way to start the new year,” stated Rio Caraeff, Executive Vice President of eLabs, UMG’s market-leading division responsible for digital business strategy, business development and new technology opportunities. “Their UrTone (TM) player is an elegant and excellent platform to showcase the high quality and depth of UMG’s extensive catalog.”

“We are thrilled to have been given this opportunity to partner with the world’s leading music company. The UrTone (TM) player is ideal to power UMG content, as these stores will provide consumers unlimited options with unprecedented access to creating ringtones from an amazing and unparalleled roster of artists across all the UMG labels,” added Bobby Israeli, Senior VP of Sales & Marketing at ID Interactive.

ID Interactive Inc. is a privately funded company with offices in New York, San Francisco, London & Manchester, specializing in custom mobile content delivery, digital marketing and strategies, and web design. More information available at www.idinteractive.net.

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, Philips, 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.

Apple(R) announced on January 6th several changes to the iTunes(R) Store (http://www.itunes.com). Beginning today, all four major music labels — Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI, along with thousands of independent labels, are now offering their music in iTunes Plus, Apple\’s DRM-free format with higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings. iTunes customers can also choose to download their favorite songs from the world\’s largest music catalog directly onto their iPhone(TM) 3G over their 3G network just as they do with Wi-Fi today, for the same price as downloading to their computer. And beginning in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, with most albums still priced at $9.99.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer our iTunes customers DRM-free iTunes Plus songs in high quality audio and our iPhone 3G customers the ability to download music from iTunes anytime, anywhere over their 3G network at the same price as downloading to your computer or via Wi-Fi,” said Steve Jobs, Apple\’s CEO. “And in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points — 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29 — with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29.”

iTunes offers customers a simple, one-click option to easily upgrade their entire library of previously purchased songs to the higher quality DRM-free iTunes Plus format for just 30 cents per song or 30 percent of the album price. The iTunes Store will begin offering eight million of its 10 million songs in Apple\’s DRM-free format, iTunes Plus, today with the remaining two million songs offered in iTunes Plus by the end of March.

iPhone 3G users can now preview and purchase the entire iTunes Store music catalog on their iPhone 3G over their 3G network, just as they do with Wi-Fi today, for the same price and in the same high quality format. Songs purchased on an iPhone will automatically sync to a user\’s computer the next time they sync their iPhone.

The iTunes Store is the world\’s most popular online music, TV and movie store with a catalog of over 10 million songs, over 30,000 TV episodes and over 2,500 films including over 600 in stunning high definition video. With Apple\’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as iTunes Movie Rentals, integrated podcasting support, the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod(R) and iPhone, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac(R) and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

On October 23, Dell and Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, teamed to provide a simple, economical way to jump-start a digital music library by pre-loading MP3 bundles on select new systems purchased on Dell.com. For the first time, individuals will now be able to select a variety of optional music bundles to be pre-installed on their new PC, creating highly personalized music collections right out of the box.

Pre-installed music bundles are immediately accessible once the PC is turned on, neatly organized under the “Music” icons on the Dell Dock. — no CDs or downloads required. All pre-loaded music titles come in DRM-free MP3 format making it easy for users to play that content on any software or hardware player of their choice. Dell and UMG plan to expand the Music selection and will refresh offerings on a regular basis. More information about the Dell Music program is available at www.dell.com/musicandmovies.

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers innovative technology and services they trust and value.

Leaders  in music, retail and flash memory technology announced on sept 22nd they’re bringing consumers an innovative, new physical music format, dubbed “slotMusic™.” microSD™ cards will soon be made available with pre-loaded, high quality, DRM-free MP3 music of top artists from EMI Music, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group. A selection of slotMusic cards will first be available at brick-and-mortar and online stores throughout the U.S., including Best Buy and Wal-Mart, with Europe to follow. A complete list of slotMusic albums, availability and pricing will be announced in time for the coming holiday season. SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), inventor of the ubiquitous microSD format, is leading the technology development behind slotMusic. slotMusic cards enable consumers to instantly and easily enjoy music from their favorite artists without being dependent on a PC or internet connection. Users simply insert the slotMusic card into their microSD-enabled mobile phone or MP3 player to hear the music – without passwords, downloading or digital-rights-management interfering with their personal use.

“slotMusic offers consumers an immediate, tangible, and high quality alternative to CDs and digital delivery,” said Danielle Levitas, vice president, Consumer, Broadband & New Media, IDC. “This year, more than 1.2 billion mobile phones will ship globally, outstripping portable media players by nearly an order of magnitude - and this trend is accelerating.”

slotMusic cards will be packaged with a tiny USB sleeve ensuring seamless interoperability with all computers – Windows, Linux and Mac. The upshot is that slotMusic will enjoy an unparalleled, pre-existing installed base at launch: hundreds of millions of multimedia-phones, virtually any computer with a USB connector and a growing number of in-car sound systems will be able to play slotMusic cards.
  
The MP3-based music tracks will be played back at up to 320 kilobytes per second (kbps), offering a high quality music experience for the MP3 format.  

Musicians will find slotMusic cards offer a compelling new way to express themselves to their fans. With 1GB1 (gigabyte) of capacity, slotMusic cards can hold songs, as well as liner notes, album art, videos, and other creative content that an artist may choose. Consumers can also add their own content to a slotMusic card, creating a personal plug-and-play media library.

For photos, a quote sheet and other press material regarding today\’s announcement, please visit www.slotmusic.org.

About EMI Music
EMI Music is the recorded music division of EMI Group Limited, one of the world’s leading music companies. EMI Music represents artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Televisa Music, Manhattan, Mute, Parlophone and Virgin. Artists on EMI labels include Lily Allen, The Beatles, Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Gorillaz, Hot Chip, Norah Jones, The Kooks, Korn, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Pink Floyd, Joss Stone, KT Tunstall, Keith Urban and Robbie Williams.

About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and world’s largest supplier of flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory – from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk’s product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk (www.sandisk.com/corporate) is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.

About SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. Sony BMG Music Entertainment is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.

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, Philips, 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 Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group became the only stand-alone music company to be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Lava, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word. Warner Music International, a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates through numerous international affiliates and licensees in more than 50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world\’s leading music publishers.

Universal Music Group, the world\’s leading music company, and Last.fm, the fast-growing free global music Web site, on June 18th announced a new partnership that will make UMG\’s music video catalogue available for free-on-demand streaming to users of Last.fm. The deal, which marks Last.fm\’s first major video partnership, will bring thousands of high-quality music videos to the Last.fm community. As part of this agreement, Universal Music and its artists will receive revenue for every UMG video streamed.

Starting today, Last.fm users will be able to view thousands of full-length music videos from UMG\’s market-leading catalogue of chart-topping artists, which includes Jay-Z, Nirvana, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, Duffy, Snow Patrol and Kanye West, among many others. The latest UMG videos can be found on Last.fm at http://www.last.fm/music/+charts/video .

The addition of UMG content provides a massive boost to Last.fm\’s unrivaled online music video offering which launched last year. Additionally, Last.fm\’s scrobbling technology will help users engage with the UMG content in a more personalised manner by recommending new videos according to users\’ individual music taste.

Martin Stiksel, Last.fm co-founder, said: “This is a hugely empowering partnership that really takes Last.fm to the next level. We want to offer a video library that rivals our unparalleled music catalogue, as we work towards Last.fm becoming the only place you need to go to for all music-related content, and this deal marks the first step towards that goal. Universal Music has the richest and most extensive music video collection in the world, and the addition of that content to Last.fm brings us closer to being able to offer the most rewarding personalised music video experience for music fans anywhere.”

Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group International, commented, “Our relationship with Last.fm is evolving. The use of Universal Music videos on the Last.fm platform is a great opportunity for both consumers and artists, with the latter earning revenues from every video played on the service. Video streaming services are an increasingly important source of income, and it\’s great to have another new partner on board, tapping into this rich revenue stream.”

The Universal video content will be ad-supported, in the same manner as Last.fm\’s pioneering free-on-demand service which launched in January. As part of the FOD offering, artists, labels and copyright holders receive a share of revenue from the ads displayed next to their content. In its first month offering UMG videos, Last.fm will be marking the partnership by highlighting the Universal video catalogue exclusively on the site.

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, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Records 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 Last.fm

Founded in 2002, Last.fm is a CBS corporation (NYSE:CBS.A) (NYSE:CBS) owned free global music platform. Last.fm offers music fans millions of tracks in every genre for free-on-demand and radio streaming thanks to partnerships with Universal, EMI, Sony BMG, CD Baby, independent aggregators The Orchard and IODA, and more than 150,000 independent artists and labels — without the need to sign up or download any software. As well as being able to access tracks for free — a service which has seen Last.fm become the fastest-growing free online music network in the U.S. — music fans can also share their music preferences by linking their media player to the Last.fm database. As a result, Last.fm can intelligently recommend songs, artists, local concerts and even other members based on their musical tastes. Last.fm also supports unsigned artists by offering them an unprecedented Artist Royalty program through which they can earn revenue directly from Last.fm every time their music is streamed.

On 12 June Orange launched Musique Max, the market’s fullest unlimited music download service for PC and mobile
- Over a million titles available for downloading, in partnership with France’s top four music majors (EMI Music France, Sony BMG, Universal Music France and Warner Music) and two independent labels (Believe and Scorpio Music)
- Downloads to PCs or mobile phones, with automatic synchronization of music libraries using Orange Media Player.
- All titles downloaded using Musique Max can be kept for an unlimited period and transferred to five other digital media such as music players and compatible mobiles.
- Musique Max costs €12 per month, with no time commitment.
Musique Max is the latest embodiment of Orange’s “content everywhere” strategy. Along with television,
cinema, series, sport and video games, music ranks high in customers’ wishlists for digital content.

Musique Max, an unparalleled music download service
- EMI Music France (M, Coldplay, Lenny Kravitz, Kylie Minogue, Raphael, etc.)
- Sony BMG (Oasis, Amel Bent, Julien Doré, Christophe Willem, Usher, etc.)
- Universal Music France (Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Renand Luce, Alain Bashung, Enrique Iglesias, etc.)
- Warner Music France (Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Blunt, Christophe Maé, Louisy Joseph, Estelle, etc.)
- Believe (David Vendetta, MC Solaar, Barbara Hendricks, Sébastien Tellier, etc.)
- Scorpio Music (DJ Assad & Maradja, Tristan Garner, etc.)

Working from this very solid baseline Orange will be constantly expanding its catalogue by adding other labels.

Unlimited music range with Musique Max
From 12 June, Orange internet and mobile customers with Musique Max will enjoy legal, unlimited music
downloads, with lifetime listening rights.
Musique Max is available for downloads to PCs and mobile phones at a price of €12 per month, with no
time commitment.
Regardless of their mobile operator, Orange internet customers will have the following capabilities:
- Permanent, unlimited, legal downloads of any title on PC, for reasonable use*
- Access to online catalogue of titles from major and independent labels (over a million downloadable titles in all)
- Transfer of downloaded titles from PC to other digital media (PC, music player, compatible mobile)
- Easy management of music library, using Orange media player
- Access to music universe on orange.fr portal: news, albums, clips, streaming, and hundreds of webradios and podcasts

Regardless of their internet access provider, Orange mobile customers will have the following capabilities:
- Permanent, unlimited legal downloads (with data traffic included in price) of any title on PC or mobile, for reasonable use*
- Automatic synchronization of music titles between mobile and PC, using Orange Media Player
- Unlimited navigation on Orange World mobile portal (over 10,000 video clips, 18 radio stations, information on artists, news, etc.)

*Up to 500 titles per month

To mark the launch of Musique Max, Orange is offering a musical summer to all its new customers:

Special offer from 12 June to 20 August 2008:
- nternet package: Musique Max free for two months for all new subscriptions to internet or TVinclusive scheme (internet, TV & telephone scheme with 12-month commitment)
- Mobile package: Musique Max free for two months for all new subscriptions to Origami Star mobile scheme (with 12-month commitment)

Range of over 130 compatible music mobiles from €9, including the following models exclusive to Orange:
- Nokia 5610 XpressMusic
- Sony Ericsson W910i, in partnership with the artist Ayo
- Sony Ericsson W580i, in partnership with the group Tokio Hotel

Orange broadband internet clients can listen to music on their PCs via the orange.fr portal or on their Orange mobiles. In 2007, 44 million musical products were consumed on orange.fr and over 22 million on Orange mobiles.

As well as listening to music, Orange customers can also view music programmes, through the 24/24 Musique package available on Orange TV and orange.fr (over 1,000 music programmes, including clips, concerts, interviews with artists, etc.).

The Orange Contents Division was set up in 2004 to define the Orange group’s content strategy, design packages and services accordingly, form strategic partnerships, and acquire the necessary broadcasting rights for television, cinema, music, games, news and sports content. The Orange Contents Division delivers content through quality, innovative services (interactive services, TV, video-on-demand), harnessing the capabilities of Orange networks (multi-platform, interactivity, personalization).

Nathalie Collin, VP, EMI Music France
“This partnership with Orange is of strategic importance for us. The economic model in the music world is changing fast, and we considered it would be essential to pursue a proactive approach with partners like Orange, which build their legitimacy on consumer relations. We are eager to open up our catalogue of artists to the widest possible audience, via all available digital channels: web, mobile, VOD. Partnership with organizations capable of expanding and facilitating access to digital music is our initial response to the problems that illegal downloads raise as regards hindrance to artists’ development.”

Pascal Negre, CEO, Universal Music France
“Music subscription packages fit in with our strategy, because they offer secure, legal access to hundreds of thousands of titles across a very broad audience, without infringing upon artists’ or producers’ rights.”

Thierry Chassagne, president, Warner Music France
“We continue to see an explosion in the number of ways for people to enjoy digital music. Beyond charging for individual downloads, Orange’s offer represents a turning point in the development of new modes of consumption. It is an innovative alternative, which meets music fans’ needs for more flexibility, mobility and a richer music offering, while respecting artists’ rights. We totally share Orange’s vision to always offer more music to more people and continue to bring our artists closer to their public by enabling new experiences. That said, the development of innovative model must come hand in hand with a continued focus on establishing new frameworks to fight piracy and properly monetise digital music
consumption.”

Denis Ladegaillerie, president and founder, Believe SAS
“All consumers are unique in the way they enjoy and discover music. With Musique Max, Orange is giving its future subscribers the keys to a music shop for the price of one CD per month, which is very attractive way for them to discover the advantages of digital music. For Believe, and for the artists and producers we represent, it is important to show the way and contribute to the development of packages that are attractive to consumers while continuing to remunerate music creators.”

Henri Belolo, CEO, Scorpio Music
“Initiatives like this must be encouraged: it took imagination and courage to come up with a package capable of winning over the “internet and mobile phone” generation, and of enabling them to freely, easily and legally consume our productions. Reconciliation between new-generation consumers and artists was an ambitious challenge. Orange pulled it off, and we’re grateful for that! The independent label Scorpio Music is glad to count itself among the pioneers who agreed to play the game.”

About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. France Telecom serves more than 172 million customers in five continents as of March 31, 2008, of which two thirds are Orange customers. The Group had consolidated sales of 52.9 billion euros in 2007 (13 billion euros at March 31, 2008). As of March 31, 2008, the Group had 111.9 million mobile customers and 12 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.
Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in Telecommunications) will enable the Group to pursue its transformation as an integrated operator and make France Telecom the benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. In 2006, Orange became the Group’s single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, and Orange Business Services the banner for services offered to businesses worldwide. France Telecom is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband internet services in Europe and one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris and on the New York Stock Exchange.

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, and Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and data solutions, announced on May, 28th that UMG will expand its lineup of direct-to-consumer mobile content and services for music fans by leveraging Qualcomm’s BrandXtend solution. UMG’s mobile offering will be available directly to consumers through its artist Web and WAP sites, CD packaging and its GetMusic.com portal.By leveraging BrandXtend, UMG is opening additional channels of content discovery and delivery to music fans everywhere offering an extensive array of direct-to-consumer mobile products, including ringtones, video ringtones, wallpapers, artist updates and more from thousands of the world’s most popular artists. BrandXtend will allow UMG to effectively manage their direct-to-consumer content offering through its comprehensive capabilities including content delivery mechanisms, campaign management and robust merchandising tools which include recommendations, bundles, text campaigns and more. UMG’s use of BrandXtend for its direct to consumer mobile offerings is intended to help UMG bring even more exciting, new content to consumers, through the comprehensive promotion and management tools that the solution provides.

“Universal is committed to providing music fans with even more compelling interactive opportunities to connect with their favorite artists by personalizing their mobile devices,” stated Adam Flick, Vice President of Marketing/Digital, Universal Music Group Distribution. “Due to the support we are getting from Qualcomm through BrandXtend, we’ll be in an even better position to extend these artist opportunities and products across the widest array of available wireless devices. As the demand for advanced mobile content grows, UMG will continue to lead the way in adopting the latest technology to offer fans the most dynamic interactive musical experiences possible.”

“A direct-to-consumer mobile content offering benefits everyone from the end-user to the brand and the operator by driving revenue streams,” commented Brian Dunphy, senior director and head of brand and affinity relations for Qualcomm Internet Services. “BrandXtend provides UMG with the tools, services and flexibility necessary to take their mobile efforts to the next level with more merchandising and direct marketing tools.”

BrandXtend opens new channels for branded media, entertainment, music and game companies to deliver their content to consumers. A key aspect of BrandXtend is that it provides end users with a reliable and easy-to-use platform for the discovery and delivery of compelling mobile content. BrandXtend is aimed at driving the uptake of mobile content off deck and Qualcomm has collaborated with major brands to bring exciting, new content to operators and end-users while also supporting the growth of Qualcomm’s operator-managed mobile data offerings.

Qualcomm Internet Services enables mobile retailing solutions and Internet services that accelerate consumer adoption and usage of mobile data worldwide for its operator, brand & affinity and content provider customers. BREW® and BrandXtend™ are comprehensive solutions for customers seeking to bring high-value wireless services to market and enhance the mobile experience for consumers. Customers also can benefit from a portfolio of adaptable, modular products that can be used to address specific mobile retail challenges from general merchandizing to personalized recommendations.

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, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Records 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, and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

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

About Qualcomm
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2008 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, and its global publisher, Universal Music Publishing Group, announced on May, 6 that they have entered into digital distribution licensing agreements with QTrax. As part of this agreement, QTrax will now have access to the most extensive digital music catalog of chart-topping artists in the world, while UMG and its artists and songwriters will be compensated for the use of their content.

QTrax showcases an ad-supported delivery model that easily and accurately directs revenue back to artists and rights holders. Users who download and install the QTrax client will soon be able to use it to search for, discover and listen to a colorful and diverse catalog of high-quality digital music files numbering in the millions. QTrax will monetize the experience by selling sponsorships and advertising displayed during the search and download processes. Additionally, users will have the option to purchase music and related items throughout the QTrax interface.

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 largest global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Music Group, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Records Group, 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 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, and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

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

About QTrax (www.QTrax.com)

QTrax showcases an innovative ad-supported delivery model that easily directs revenue back to artists and rights holders. QTrax is available for browsing now and soon will provide fans with access to millions of high-quality digital music files. Based in New York City, QTrax is a subsidiary of Brilliant Technologies Corporation (OTC: BLLN.PK), a publicly traded technology holding company.

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s leading music company, and Gotuit, a leading provider of metadata technologies, announced on May,5 that UMG has signed a broad license agreement to its intellectual property, which includes six issued patents and numerous patent applications. Under this license, UMG will foster the development of new personalized means for consumers to enjoy their artists’ music via satellite radio, HD radio and over the Internet. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.“Universal is committed to driving innovation and providing consumers with the most dynamic musical experiences possible,” stated Larry Kenswil, Executive Vice President of Business Strategy for UMG. “And Gotuit’s broad vision for the use of metadata to personalize one’s music experience will enable us and our distribution partners to craft new, innovative digital music services for the benefit of our artists and their fans.”

Gotuit’s pioneering work in the field of metadata has given it a widely recognized reputation of innovation and invention for technologies related to media and entertainment. “For more than a decade now, our team has been hard at work developing the highest quality technology for enabling truly innovative personalized media experiences, added Gotuit CEO Mark Pascarella. “Central to these efforts has been the growth of our intellectual property portfolio. We are proud of the breadth, depth, and quality of our portfolio and look forward to our working with UMG and other industry leaders to develop new and exciting products and services through our licensing program.”

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world\’s largest music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its business also includes Universal Music Publishing Group, the world’s leading publishing company.

Its record labels include Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Republic Group, 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 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, a new media and technologies division, Bravado, its merchandising company, and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

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

About Gotuit

Gotuit delivers personalized media experiences. Our technologies are used to power some of the leading names in media and entertainment, including: Sports illustrated, Major League Soccer, Lifetime, Fox Reality, XON and more. Founded in 2000, Gotuit is privately held and funded by Highland Capital Partners, Atlas Venture, Motorola and private investors.