Sonic Foundry and Ernie Ball Music Man Announce "Best Guitar and Bass Player On the Web" Contest; Acid XPress Selected as Creation Software Tool

Business Wire, May 8, 2000

Business/Technology Editors

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2000

Sonic Foundry(R), Inc., (NASDAQ:SOFO) the leading developer and marketer of digital media and Internet software tools, services, and systems, today announced the "Best Guitar and Bass Player on the Web" contest sponsored by Sonic Foundry and Ernie Ball Music Man.

"Best Guitarist and Bass Player on the Web" offers guitar and bass players worldwide an opportunity to mix and showcase their talents. The event will consist of two separate contests: one for guitarists and one for bassists. Entering is easy - contestants log on to acidguitar.com (the official contest website), download a special version of Sonic Foundry's ACID XPress software, record their best performance, save it as a WMA audio file, then e-mail the entry back to the acidguitar.com website. Contest entry kicks off May 1 and ends November 1, 2000, with on-line voting running through December 1, 2000.

A panel of celebrity guitarists, including such notables as Steve Morse, Tony Levin, John Petrucci, Steve "Luke" Lukather, Dave Larue, and Vinnie Moore will ultimately choose a Grand Prize winner from the top 100 guitarist and bassist selected by online voters worldwide. Voters will have the ability to cast their favorite picks for each music genre including rock, alternative, pop, etc. online via the contest website.

Grand Prizewinners will be treated to an all-expense paid trip to the Winter 2001 NAMM International Music Show in Anaheim, California where he or she will perform onstage with an all-star band made up of accomplished musicians such as Steve Morse, Vinnie Moore, Albert Lee, Steve Lukather, John Petrucci, Dave LaRue, and Tony Levin. Other contest winners will be awarded Sonic Foundry's award-winning software, Ernie Ball Music Man guitars and basses, Ernie Ball strings and accessories, and other items.

"It's an incredible opportunity for guitar and bass players worldwide to showcase their instrumental prowess and the chance of a lifetime to perform onstage with some of the greatest players ever born," said Sterling Ball, president of Ernie Ball. "Sonic Foundry's amazing software and multi-media - Internet expertise really levels the playing field for all players, plus it's a ton of fun."

"Together with Ernie Ball's innovative equipment and our powerful software, we wanted to provide a contest that enables guitar enthusiasts an opportunity to showcase their talents and make a lasting mark in the music industry," stated Jeff Conover, vice president of marketing for Sonic Foundry. "We feel that the talent contestants bring to this contest will result in never before thought of musical creations."

About Ernie Ball

Ernie Ball Company, one of the most innovating companies in the music industry, is recognized for its cutting-edge, grass roots promotions that helps up-and-coming musicians gain recognition. Ernie Ball also sponsors the annual Battle of the Bands competition, now in it's forth year and an exclusive Vans Warped Tour 2000 event. They were the first to offer rock strings with the creation of Slinkys and further revolutionized the market by offering guitarists Custom-Gauge single strings. Ernie Ball also produces Music Man guitars and basses, volume pedals, and other accessories.

About Sonic Foundry

Founded in 1991, Madison, Wisconsin-based Sonic Foundry(R) is the leading developer and marketer of digital media and Internet software tools, services, and systems. Sonic Foundry's award-winning software products offer consumers the ability to create and capture media, edit the content, and deliver the information via the Internet or other traditional formats.

Sonic Foundry Media Services(TM), a division of Sonic Foundry, Inc.(R), offers premium solutions for delivering audio and video content online. The division provides the industry's most powerful combination of proprietary technologies that incorporate high-end encoding, webcasting, syndication systems, content and digital rights management, and consulting services.

Certain statements contained in this news release regarding matters that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Because such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, uncertainties pertaining to continued market acceptance for the Company's products, the Company's ability to succeed in capturing significant revenues from media services, the effect of new competitors in the Company's markets, the Company's integration of acquired businesses, and other risk factors identified from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.