Pete Townshend's Latest Recording Unveiled On Internet; Fans To Determine Lead Single Release To Radio

Business Wire, Sept 15, 1999

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 15, 1999--

Platinum Entertainment Inc.'s (NASDAQ: PTET), upcoming release, Pete Townshend Live: A Benefit For Maryville Academy marks a historic Internet opportunity where fans will be the deciding factor in choosing which song from the recording project will be the lead single promoted to radio. This release will be in stores on September 21,1999.

Recorded August 16, 1998, at the House of Blues in Chicago, this album features Pete Townshend and a talented band providing fresh, outstanding versions of The Who and Townshend classics as well as surprise cover songs. This project also includes a bonus CD containing performances with special guest, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam recorded at Townshend's first Maryville benefit concert in 1997.

Starting Sept 20, 1999, Pete Townshend Live: A Benefit For Maryville Academy will be posted exclusively at Musicmaker.com's website for promotion (and later for sale) with it's entire musical content - with a limit of one track at a time - available for free download for one week. At the end of this period, the song that has attracted the most downloads will then be recommended to radio stations across the nation.

"This is a landmark opportunity where the music audience's desires will be the critical factor in determining what music will be promoted to radio," states Platinum Entertainment's CEO, Steve Devick. " It is a strong, tangible example of how the Internet can beneficially increase the interaction between an artist and his following on an unprecedented scale. We are also pleased to be participating in this exciting venture with our friends at Musicmaker.com."

As an early investor in the Internet's largest custom compilation CD and secure digital download music site, Platinum Entertainment Inc. currently holds 800,000 shares of Musicmaker.com stock.

Townshend's recent recordings on Platinum Entertainment are already among the most popular tracks on musicmaker.com's custom CD website," states Bill Crowley, VP/Marketing & Sales for musicmaker.com (NASDAQ NMS:HITS). "As musicmaker.com moves into a leadership position in the field of digital downloads, we are excited about the prospect of bringing Pete's new music to millions of Internet music fans."

Highlights of this sold-out concert to benefit Chicago's Maryville Academy (a charity for disadvantaged youths) include songs from The Who's early years such as "Magic Bus," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" as well as two of the bands biggest radio hits, "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "You Better You Bet." Townshend also provides music from his solo career with new takes on "Let My Love Open The Door" and "A Little Is Enough." The set opens with a bluesy, acoustic cover of Canned Heat's "On The Road Again" and a haunting version of Bob Dylan's classic "Girl From The North Country," both of which were performed by Townshend and his band at the Woodstock celebration that same weekend.

A bonus CD is included featuring two performances with Pearl Jam's lead singer Eddie Vedder, recorded during Townshend's 1997 benefit for Maryville Academy. Townshend and Vedder unleash all the intensity of two men obsessed with adolescent turbulence on "Magic Bus" and "Heart To Hang On To." "It is a fitting close to an evening," according to the Chicago Tribune, "fueled by Townshend's distinctive guitar- strumming style - a clean, crisp, unmistakable stroke that gives every melodic hook an extra little spike of pleasure." Amazon.com observes "he's consistently engaged and in fine voice. Here's one hero who isn't treading the same worn path because he has no interest in arriving at the same old destination."

Platinum Entertainment, Inc. produces, licenses, acquires, markets and distributes high quality recorded music in the pop, adult contemporary, country, blues, gospel, urban and classical formats, primarily under its Platinum, Platinum Nashville, CGI, House Of Blues, and Intersound Classical labels. Platinum's products include new releases, as well as compilations that enable Platinum to exploit its catalog of master recordings.

About musicmaker.com

A bonus CD is included featuring two performances with Musicmaker.com, headquartered in Reston, Virginia, is the largest custom compilation CD and secure digital download music site on the Internet. Founded by executives, including Robert Bernardi, Co-Founder of PictureTel and TranSwitch, Raju Puthukarai, former President of RCA/BMG Music and Video Club and President of Warner Music Media and Irwin H. Steinberg, former Chairman and CEO of PolyGram Records, USA, musicmaker.com offers music lovers the opportunity to build their own CDs by selecting and organizing songs from a library approaching 200,000 tracks from over 100 labels in a variety of music genres. Powerful search engines help find selections by genre, artist, title and label and Real Audio allows tracks to be sampled before selection. CDs include up to 20 tracks or 70 minutes of music and can be personalized with unique labels as well as imprints on the jewel boxes. CDs range from $9.95 - $24.95 depending on the number of tracks and orders are taken through secure credit card link and are shipped within two business days. Musicmaker.com also offers about 100,000 licensed songs in three secure digital downloading formats: Liquid Audio, Microsoft Windows Media 4.0 and "Secure MP3." Each digitally downloaded track is available at $1.00 per song. Musicmaker.com has exclusive licensing agreements for the music catalogs of EMI Recorded Music, the Zomba Group, TVT, Platinum Entertainment, among others. Musicmaker.com also has exclusive marketing agreements with Columbia House, the world's largest music club, Spinner.com (acquired by AOL), Tunes.com, Audio Book Club, Platinum Entertainment, Inc. and Woodstock.com. Musicmaker.com recently announced marketing agreements with leading music retailers Transworld Entertainment and the Musicland Group, bringing musicmaker.com's products to the companies' website customers.