Atlantic Records, AOL Brands Collaborate On Innovative Matchbox Twenty Album Blitz

Business Wire, May 9, 2000

Business Editors

DULLES, Va. and NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2000

Multi-tiered Interactive Campaign Brings Exciting Benefits to

Online Music Fans for Debut of New Album

"mad season by matchbox twenty"

America Online, Inc. the world's leading interactive services company, and Atlantic Records, one of the world's premier music companies, announced today that they are joining forces for an innovative media campaign to support the launch of "mad season by matchbox twenty," the eagerly awaited new Melisma/Lava/Atlantic album by multi-platinum rock band matchbox twenty - due in stores on May 23rd.

The multi-tiered promotional campaign, which kicks off this month, includes a number of activities and features across the AOL flagship service, Winamp and Spinner, and AOL's international services such as AOL Canada and AOL Australia. In addition, the new matchbox twenty CD will contain AOL software, giving matchbox twenty fans immediate access to AOL 5.0, the world's most popular interactive service, as well as Winamp, the world's leading high-fidelity audio player, and Spinner, the first and largest Internet music service.

Atlantic Group Co-Chairman/Co-CEO Val Azzoli commented: "We are tremendously excited to be partnering with AOL in a campaign of such innovation, depth, and quality. Matchbox twenty is the ideal artist for such a wide-ranging program, not only because of their already enormous popularity but also because of their unusually broad fan base - which cuts across a wide and diverse spectrum of music consumers. Most importantly, this groundbreaking campaign offers the band a wealth of creative avenues to connect with their present and future audience."

"We are thrilled to be working with Atlantic and matchbox twenty on this groundbreaking promotion," said Jonathan Sacks, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the AOL Service. "We believe that this campaign marks the beginning of a new era of innovative promotional opportunities."

Josh Felser, General Manager of Spinner and Nullsoft, added, "Our close collaboration with Atlantic and the members of matchbox twenty is the next logical step in connecting Winamp and Spinner's surging Internet music audience to the artists and music that they love. Blending on and off line components such as the custom Winamp and Spinner players on the matchbox twenty CD with unique content from the band, we will provide consumers with a rich, totally new experience."

AOL's Spinner and Winamp Take Fan Experience to Next Level

Matchbox twenty fans everywhere can enhance their experience through a series of unique content offerings provided by AOL's Internet music properties, Winamp and Spinner, which will both be included on the CD. Winamp has created a special matchbox twenty player, which gives fans the ability to listen to digitally downloaded music. This custom player, featuring "mad season by matchbox twenty" album-styled graphics or "skin," provides access to the song "You & I & I," a live bonus track recorded in Australia.

The new matchbox twenty CD will also offer direct access to Internet digital music service Spinner Plus, which features an exclusive "Matchbox Twenty Radio" Internet radio channel. This unique, artist-programmed channel will feature nearly one hundred songs personally selected by the members of matchbox twenty themselves: Rob Thomas, Kyle Cook, Adam Gaynor, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette. Their selection represents a diverse range of styles spanning past and present - showing influences from established artists like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and Stevie Wonder to up-and-comers like Angie Aparo. The channel also features exclusive tracks from the band's new album along with songs from their first album and live performances and clips from their interview with Spinner radio host, Chris Douridas.

Starting this week at Winamp.com and Spinner.com, online fans will have the opportunity to download a secure version of the band's new single "Bent," as well as audio clips from their interview with Chris Douridas. Visitors to the sites can also enter to win a limited edition Ernie Ball guitar signed by the members of the band.

New Campaign Offers Unique Benefits to AOL Members

With the launch of the new campaign, matchbox twenty will be featured prominently as AOL's Artist of the Month for May, giving AOL's 22 million members special access to exciting matchbox twenty content.

Features especially for AOL members include:

-- Keyword: "matchbox twenty," which will take members to a custom-content area with music previews, message boards, video clips, extensive tour news, a "Listen & Rate" poll and links to the band's official matchboxtwenty.com Web site and mailing list.

-- Starting May 16th, AOL will provide special coverage of the band's U.S. club tour, which kicks off in Norfolk, Virginia. A digital imaging team will accompany the band on the road to provide new photos and video clips from each date.

-- On Monday, May 22nd at 7:00 p.m. ET -- the night before the release of "mad season by matchbox twenty" -- the members of the band will participate in an international online chat, live from New York City. The event will be available simultaneously to AOL members in the U.S., Canada and Australia-- with more territories expected to be added.