Wherehouse Music and USC Sponsor Entertainment Double Header in June

Business Wire, May 11, 2000

Entertainment Editors & Music Writers

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 11, 2000

Wherehouse Music/CheckOut.com and the University of Southern California (USC) present "Get Connected: Music, Technology & You," the 4th annual Urban Focus Music Conference, and introduce UrbanFest LA, an outdoor music festival, on June 24-25 at USC in celebration of Black Music Month (June) and LA Music Week (June 23-29).

To date, confirmed performers for UrbanFest LA include Common (MCA), Ideal (Virgin), Yolanda Adams (Elektra), Talib Kweli (Rawkus), De La Soul (Tommy Boy), Dwayne Wiggins (Motown), Spooks (Antra/Artemis), Kina (Dreamworks), Avant (Magic Johnson/MCA), Mary Mary (C2/Columbia), Ametria (MCA), Spragga Benz (VP Records), Sean Paul (VP Records) and CAP.One (Motown).

The group Spooks will perform after the festival screening of "Once In The Life," a film in which actor Laurence Fishburne makes his directing debut and the group contributes to the music and soundtrack with its debut single, "Things I've Seen." Fishburne will be on hand to introduce this Shooting Gallery/Artisan film.

More film screenings will be added to the agenda. Other sponsors and partners joining Wherehouse Music/CheckOut.com and USC include 92.3 The Beat (KKBT), Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Recording Academy, Warner Bros. Records, BMI, Electronic Urban Report (EUR), Support Online Hip-Hop (S.O.H.H.), and Music Business Registry.

Executives scheduled for "Get Connected: Music, Technology & You," include reps from sponsoring companies as well as Maverick Records, Virgin Records, EMI Music, Gospo Centric Records, Net4Music, BMI and SpinRecords.com. Conference attendees have a selection of numerous panels, workshops, demo listening sessions as well as festival activities.

More than 800 conference registrants and 10-12,000 festival-attendees are expected daily. Vendors will line the main thoroughfare linking two stages that feature music from unsigned and signed acts, fashion, dance and other forms of entertainment.

Organizers hope that this double header will inform music lovers and the general public about digital technology and the urgent need for the community to be a part of the rapidly growing digital economy, not apart from it. Proceeds from this event will benefit several non-profits including the Urban Focus Music Foundation, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, Music & Kids, Inc., and Temple of Hip-Hop.

UrbanFest LA tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster locations (www.ticketmaster.com), May 13. Register for the conference online. Visit www.urbanfocus.org, e-mail ufmf@msn.com or call 213/740-8748.