Platinum Entertainment and Music Connection Corporation Unveil Largest Collection of Downloadable Liquid Audio Tracks On Internet

Business Wire, Oct 19, 1998

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 19, 1998--

Platinum Catalog Also Available Through Columbia House

Platinum Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTET), the largest independent music company in the U.S., today announced the availability of its diverse song catalog at www.PlatinumCD.com, via downloadable Liquid Audio tracks. Digital "Liquid Tracks" are available for purchase from The Music Connection Corporation, in which Platinum Entertainment recently acquired a 10 percent interest, allowing consumers to create custom CDs using a CD-Recordable device. Music Connection operates www.musicmaker.com, the Web's largest custom music compilation site.

"While consumers already understand the benefits of creating their own 'burn and mail' custom CD compilations at musicmaker.com, we're confident that music downloads from the Web will continue to grow as a profitable distribution channel," said Steve Devick, Platinum president and CEO. "Our unique niche music content will help drive the move to digital distribution."

"Thousands of downloadable titles are now available at musicmaker.com, with new titles being added as fast as they can be converted to Liquid Tracks," added Robert Bernardi, chairman of The Music Connection Corporation.

Platinum previously announced an equity investment and revenue sharing arrangement with Reston, Va.-based Music Connection. The deal exclusively combines Platinum's 13,000 pop, gospel, blues, urban, classical and jazz recordings with 160,000 titles already licensed by musicmaker.com, creating the Internet's largest custom CD compilation and music download resource. Music fans can create custom CDs by downloading "Liquid Tracks" created by Redwood City, Calif.-based Liquid Audio to their own personal computer, or by selecting individual tracks that will be recorded to their own unique compact disc and shipped to them within 24 hours through musicmaker.com.

Platinum's song catalog also was recently made available to 15 million North American members of Columbia House, under its new partnership with musicmaker.com. Columbia House, the world's largest direct marketer of home entertainment products via Columbia House Online (www.columbiahouse.com) and Total E (www.totale.com), recently announced plans to offer its customers the ability to create custom CD compilations at musicmaker.com.

Platinum Entertainment, based in Downers Grove, Ill., produces, licenses, acquires, markets and distributes high quality recorded music for a variety of music formats. Platinum's wholly-owned subsidiary labels include River North Records, House of Blues Music Co., CGI Records and Intersound Country, Intersound Urban and Intersound Classical. Platinum's products include new releases as well as compilations and new configurations of previously recorded music that enable Platinum to exploit its catalog of master recordings.