Topping AOL Music's Top 11 Countdown: Live 8 performance of ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' by U2 and Paul McCartney and Mariah Carey's ''We Belong Together''

Business Wire, July 11, 2005

NEW YORK -- New First-of-Its-Kind Interactive Daily Music Video Countdown Show That Puts Viewers in Control

Taking the traditional music countdown show to a whole new level, AOL(R) Music today launched Top 11 Countdown, an innovative, interactive music video countdown program, which can be found at www.aolmusic.com. The new show - co-hosted by AOL Music VJs Jesse Blaze and Egypt - features the Top 11 music videos viewed the most by fans on AOL Music. Unlike any other show, viewers of AOL Music Top 11 Countdown are able to completely customize their experience - watching the countdown straight through or picking videos in any order they want, while communicating with friends, downloading or purchasing music, sending messages to the hosts and fans, and much more.

"As evidenced by the millions of people who tuned in for the incredible Live 8 event on aolmusic.com and are watching the performances on demand, it's clear that people like to have control of their viewing experience," said Bill Wilson, Senior Vice President, Programming for America Online, Inc. "Today, it's all about getting what you want, when you want, and how you want it and we are in a unique position to deliver that online with shows like the new Top 11 Countdown."

The first interactive show of its kind, AOL Music's Top 11 Countdown allows viewers to control the show and create their own unique viewing experience - watching the Top 11 videos in their own preferred order, customizing the background, participating in polls and voting on the worst video on the countdown - all of which generate instant results. The Top 11 module, which allows users to navigate where they want to in the show, changes as a video plays so that users can access information and links about the artist including artist details, photos, videos and interviews or purchase songs and CDs. Other features include multiple and full screen viewing, "shout out" messages from fans, and pop-up videos that surprise viewers with commentaries, fun facts, downloads and information about featured artists presented by the show's hosts. Viewers will have access to other exclusive AOL Music features including the AOL Music archive, one of the largest libraries of music videos on the Internet, AOL Music Sessions and the AOL Music LIVE! concert series.

The Top 11 Videos on today's countdown are:

    1)  U2/Paul McCartney: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
        performance from Live 8

    2)  Mariah Carey: "We Belong Together"

    3)  Jessica Simpson: "These Boots Were Made for Walking"

    4)  Missy Elliott/Ciara: "Lose Control"

    5)  Black Eyed Peas: "Don't Lie" from AOL Music Sessions

    6)  Natasha Bedingfield: "Unwritten"

    7)  Green Day: "Wake Me Up When September Ends" from AOL Music
        Sessions

    8)  Natalie: "Going Crazy" from AOL Music Sessions

    9)  Madonna: "Like a Prayer" performance from Live 8

    10) R. Kelly: "Trapped in the Closet Chapter 1"

    11) Faith Hill: "Mississippi Girl"

Top 11 Countdown will be co-hosted by new AOL Music VJs Jesse Blaze and Egypt. Jesse, son of legendary rocker Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame, is the lead singer and songwriter of Blazed, a punk/metal band he formed in 2001. On weekends, football fans can catch him playing running back for the semi-pro football team the Brooklyn Mariners. Fans may recognize Egypt from her syndicated television daytime show "Home Delivery," or her stint as a correspondent for "Access Hollywood" where she interviewed celebrities including Nick Lachey and Mariah Carey. Her voice may sound familiar to those in the New York City area where she hosts a weekend show on Power 105.1.

AOL Music is the leading online destination for music, reaching more than 24.2 million music fans a month(1) through a rich array of programming, products and services that make it easy to discover, experience, listen to and buy music online. AOL Music's offerings, include original programs such as AOL Music Sessions, AOL Music LIVE! and AOL Music Breakers, and special features such as First Listen and First View. They are available through aolmusic.com, the AOL Music Channel, the AOL(R) Radio Network, Netscape(R) Music, CompuServe(R) Music, AIM(R) Music, ICQ(R) Music, Winamp(R) and SHOUTcast(R) services. Integrated commerce options make it easy for consumers to purchase the music they hear on AOL Music through MusicNet@AOL, iTunes on AOL, AOL's CD/DVD shop and AOL's Entertainment for Mobile store.

About America Online, Inc.

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

(1) comScore Media Metrix, May 2005