DCIA Members Present Inaugural Gift to President Bush; Sovereign Artists and INTENT MediaWorks Break New Ground with File-Sharing Release of 'Petra Haden and Bill Frisell'

Business Wire, Jan 20, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Distributed Computing Industry Association (DCIA), on behalf of its more than 30 member companies, announced that it is presenting President George W. Bush with a symbolic and historic gift in honor of his re-inauguration today. The significance of this offering is that it represents a turning point in the commercial development of the emerging distributed computing industry. The gift is the first major album to be licensed for paid distribution via the peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing channel. DCIA member companies INTENT MediaWorks and Sovereign Artists are participating in this P2P promotion of the self-titled album "Petra Haden and Bill Frisell," an eclectic mix of new and arranged standards of jazz and rock music.

Featuring the vocal harmonies of singer-songwriter-violinist Petra Haden -- the daughter of jazz legend Charlie Haden -- and the guitar playing of Bill Frisell, the album contains 12 tracks. The artists and composers on the album include Elliot Smith, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, George Gershwin, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder, Henry Mancini, as well as original songs from the duo. The last track on the CD, "Throughout," an original song by Bill Frisell, will be available free on P2P, with all other tracks available for purchase at $0.89 each.

"While the retail value of this gift may only be $9.79, its significance as a turning point in the licensing of mainstream music content for P2P distribution is enormously valuable to the entertainment and technology sectors," said DCIA CEO Marty Lafferty. "With this promotion, DCIA member companies are proving that mainstream artists can be fairly compensated and consumers can enjoy the benefits of P2P file sharing."

"Sovereign Artists is excited to be working with INTENT MediaWorks, which has made it simple for any music label to distribute tracks for sale and for free downloading by means of multiple P2P platforms," said Chip Schutzman, Internet marketing strategist, Sovereign Artists. "As an independent label, we are constantly looking for new revenue generators to maximize exposure of our artists in the P2P environment."

"It's time for labels such as Sovereign to realize the advantages of the P2P marketplace and learn how to effectively capitalize on those opportunities that will benefit our artist roster," added Schutzman.

This marks the first major release to use INTENT's Palladium platform, which allows media to be provisioned across all leading P2P software programs, as well as enabling ad-sponsored media to be dynamically targeted based on its content.

"Our mission is to positively impact the bottom line for artists, labels and consumers by using P2P and other interactive digital technologies," said Les Ottolenghi, president and co-founder of INTENT MediaWorks. "We are excited to be releasing this new work from Petra and Bill, and believe that P2P is the way for smaller artists to distribute music on an interactive network."

INTENT's platform will allow the end user experience to be identical whether the track is downloaded from a hosted Web site such as All About Jazz or Off the Peer, or by means of a peer-to-peer software program such as BearShare, eDonkey, Grokster, Kazaa or TrustyFiles.

"What Sovereign Artists and INTENT MediaWorks have demonstrated is that collaboration is becoming the standard for new artists' releases moving forward, and that the P2P is a great way for artists to get their music out to the masses," noted Lafferty.

About Petra Haden and Bill Frisell

The daughter of jazz legend Charlie Haden, Petra Haden grew up surrounded by music. As one of triplets, she constantly sang with her two sisters and began playing the violin at age eight. Petra was the lead vocalist for That Dog, a Los Angeles indie-pop rock group, and The Rentals, and has collaborated with artists ranging from Sean Lennon to Victoria Williams to Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto.

Bill Frisell is celebrated for his singularly original approach to the guitar which blends rock and country with jazz, blues and electronic loops. He has released numerous solo albums to widespread critical acclaim, and has contributed to the work of Elvis Costello, Ginger Baker, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bono, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, as well as scoring a variety of film projects. Frisell has been nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album alongside Sovereign label-mate Don Grusin.

About INTENT MediaWorks

INTENT MediaWorks is a digital media distribution company. INTENT provides artists, musicians, movie makers and authors with the widest and furthest reaching distribution network in the world. INTENT services independent artists, music labels, film makers, authors and publishers. For more information on INTENT, please visit its Web sites at www.intentmedianetworks.com and www.offthepeer.com.

About Sovereign Artists

Sovereign Artists is an independent record label dedicated to quality, honesty and the power of music. With offices in Santa Monica, Calif., and Austin, Texas, Sovereign Artists works with musicians across a diverse and eclectic spectrum of styles. Sovereign Artists' collective goals are effective communication with fans, financial success from its efforts, and the creation of great music. For more information, call 310-314-4131 or visit www.sovereignartists.com.