Independent music (Merlin) to be sold through MySpace (Snocap)

GLOBAL AGENCY MERLIN’S FIRST DEAL: INDEPENDENT MUSIC TO BE SOLD THROUGH THE MYSPACE MUSIC SERVICE POWERED BY SNOCAP

Pact with SNOCAP, Inc. Paves the Way for Thousands of Independent Labels Worldwide to Benefit

San Francisco, CA and Cannes, France (MIDEM) - January 22, 2007 - Merlin, the world independent record sector’s new licensing agency, agreed to its first ever global deal, with the digital music company SNOCAP, as announced this weekend at MIDEM.

The agreement will enable repertoire from potentially thousands of independent labels across the world to be put into SNOCAP MyStores, SNOCAP’s retail initiative, which enables U.S. users to download music from the MySpace Music Service powered by SNOCAP as well as other websites that allow html to be edited.

SNOCAP’s partnership with MySpace, already live for unsigned artists and set to launch in the near future for labels, will enable artists signed to independent labels from across the world to sell digital downloads of their music directly from their MySpace pages. The MySpace Music Service, powered by SNOCAP’s MyStore, is live for consumers in the United States.

Downloads through the SNOCAP MyStore are sold as unprotected MP3 files, enabling them to be played on all digital music players including Apple’s iPod.

The agreement, the first of its kind for Merlin, is a global template deal which will be offered to all members of Merlin across the world over coming days.

Merlin has set the terms by which independents across the world can deliver their repertoire into SNOCAP. Once there, labels can use the SNOCAP MyStore to sell their music through the MySpace Music Service, as well as through any website where users can edit html. SNOCAP’s MyStore is a totally portable retail initiative that can spread virally around the Internet.

Said Rusty Rueff SNOCAP CEO “This deal epitomizes what SNOCAP’s MyStores were designed to achieve - bringing more music to more people. We are thrilled to bring the independent labels and artists that Merlin represents to the digital marketplace and direct to music consumers.”

Commented Charles Caldas, Merlin CEO “SNOCAP has revolutionized how independent labels can distribute music online. Our deal with SNOCAP is a perfect example of the value that Merlin brings to its members and to new music services, by creating an easy one-stop mechanism for both to do business.”

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About Merlin:
Merlin is the global independent record sector’s licensing agency for new media. A one-stop shop, Merlin will license collectively the individually unlicensable making it possible for Web 2.0 and emerging media to license content from the world’s independent record sector. This sector is responsible for 80% of the new releases worldwide and commands a 30% market share.

About SNOCAP:
SNOCAP’s pioneering service for registering digital content and managing online distribution makes it easy for artists and labels to sell music directly to their fans over the Internet, creating a more vibrant digital music marketplace. Using SNOCAP’s MyStores, independent artists can sell their music on any website and via online retailers anywhere, anytime, while remaining fully in control of the licensing and rights. SNOCAP’s exclusive partnership with MySpace powers the digital storefronts for thousands of artists on the popular social networking site.