Universal Music Group and Home Phone Tunes Announce Ringtones for Landline Phones

Business Wire, Sept 4, 2007

Home Phone Tunes' Ringboxx Now Available at Amazon.com

NEW YORK & PORTLAND, Ore. -- Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, and Home Phone Tunes today announced that Ringboxx, the first device that allows users to personalize landline phones with music and audio content, is now available for purchase at Amazon.com and HomePhoneTunes.com. Ringboxx allows those with Caller ID to identify callers instantly, even when they are not near their phones, by assigning ringtones to friends, family or even unwanted 800 numbers. For those without Caller ID, the Ringboxx can be set to All Play to listen to all your favorite ringtones.

Consumers will be able to purchase Ringboxx for an introductory price of $59.95 and will receive free ringtone credits. A rich content library from Universal Music Group, The Orchard and other content providers is available.

"Universal Music Group is excited to lead the industry in our partnership with Home Phone Tunes to make our music available for the first time to the home phone," stated Rio Caraeff, Executive Vice President of eLabs, the company's new media and technologies division. "The Ringboxx is a natural and innovative way to provide entertainment and personalization for today's modern home."

As part of a groundbreaking ringtones agreement, Universal Music Group is the first major music company to make its entire ringtone catalog available to Ringboxx customers. Universal Music's library includes thousands of tones from top recording artists and recent chart toppers, including 50 Cent, Rihanna, Fergie, Fall Out Boy and Maroon 5, among many others, and joins content already available from The Orchard, the world's leading digital distributor and marketer of independent music. Ringboxx customers will have the opportunity to download the latest new songs from The Orchard and Universal Music as soon as they are released.

"With the extensive library available through Home Phone Tunes, Ringboxx customers now have the option to truly personalize their home phone," added Kirk Cameron, CEO for Home Phone Tunes. "From movie soundtracks and comedy to the latest hits, the home phone can reflect people's personality instead of the generic old phone ring."

Along with the immediate availability on Amazon.com, a growing number of telecommunications companies are test marketing Ringboxx in key locations, including Windstream in Texas, Ben Lomand Communications in Tennessee, Rainier Connect in Washington, and Alpine Communications in Iowa. Customers in these markets will have the option to get Ringboxx through their telecommunications provider either as part of a bundled premium package or as an a la carte option. Several Telecommunications companies will also have Ringboxx for sale at their retail stores.

Ric Crane, Senior Vice President Chief Marketing Officer at Windstream, said, "Windstream will trial the Ringboxx in Texas, the largest of our 16-state service areas, because we believe customers are ready to try a new, fun experience to replace their typical ringing phone, and they want more control. Instead of dashing to the phone to see who is calling, those with Caller ID can identify callers by the sound of the ring, a time-saving convenience that adds value to any home phone -- the safe, secure, reliable, and now entertaining, communication tool."

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries around the world. Its business also includes Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry's largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Music Group, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Geffen Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Music Latino, Universal Motown Records Group, and Verve Music Group, as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, a new media and technologies division, and Universal Music Mobile.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi, a global media and communications company.

About Home Phone Tunes

Home Phone Tunes is the developer and marketer of the Ringboxx, a product that personalizes home phones with music and audio content. A compact device, the Ringboxx connects to the home phone and uses the PC to download high-quality ringtones. Ringtones may be purchased and updated as desired to identify callers or to personalize the phone. The company is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and was founded in 2005.