Napster Selects Loudeye For Song Identification
Loudeye Integrates Fingerprint Technology With Licensed Metadata To Identify Copyrighted Music
Redwood City, CA and Seattle, WA - June 07, 2001
Napster, the world`s largest file sharing service, and Loudeye Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: LOUD), a leading provider of services and infrastructure for the authorized delivery of digital content, have entered into a multi-year strategic agreement. Loudeye is providing digital "fingerprints" and associated descriptive data, or metadata, to Napster for use in its planned membership service, which is slated to launch this summer. Additionally, Loudeye`s service offering will support Napster`s compliance efforts to filter noticed copyrighted content from its current service.
Using fingerprint technology provided by Napster, Loudeye will generate unique digital signatures, or fingerprints, for a music catalog representing more than two million tracks. Loudeye is providing this service by combining its catalog with new releases as part of its ongoing licensing relationships with the five major music companies and several hundred independent labels. By integrating the descriptive metadata licensed from Loudeye, these fingerprints will allow Napster to verify the identity of files shared on its network.
"Loudeye`s contribution is key to enabling Napster to create a membership-based file-sharing experience," said Napster CEO Hank Barry. "Loudeye`s fingerprints and metadata will ultimately help us track millions of unique music files on our service, so we can fulfill our commitment to compensate artists, songwriters, music publishers and record companies."
"The Napster agreement demonstrates the power and scalability of Loudeye`s digital music infrastructure and service capabilities," said John T. Baker, Loudeye chief executive officer. "Napster is committed to deploying sophisticated technology to build their business, and to protect the interests of copyright holders. I am delighted that Loudeye is supporting those efforts."
Napster has already received fingerprints and descriptive data from Loudeye and is working to implement fingerprint-based filtering. In addition to previously released works, fingerprints and descriptive data for newly released material will be added on a weekly basis.
About Loudeye Technologies, Inc. Loudeye is a leading provider of services and infrastructure for the authorized delivery of digital content that empower today`s top media, entertainment and Fortune 1000 companies to transform traditional media assets into dynamic digital content. With facilities in Seattle (headquarters), New York and London, Loudeye is building the infrastructure to support the next generation of digital media businesses. Loudeye has music licensing agreements with the world`s five major record companies and more than 800 independent labels. Loudeye is also a leading provider of song samples, music metadata and album cover art. Loudeye™ Sample Services supports more than 2.5 million samples to over 85 online music business customers including Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, CDNOW, BMG Direct and Tower Records. To learn more, visit www.loudeye.com.
About Napster
Napster is the world`s leading person-to-person file sharing community. Napster provides music enthusiasts with an easy-to-use, high quality service for discovering new music and communicating their interests with other members of the Napster community. Napster`s software application enables users to locate and share music files through a user-friendly interface, and features instant messaging, chat rooms, and Hot List User Bookmarks. In October 2000, Bertelsmann AG and Napster announced the formation of a strategic alliance to further develop the Napster person-to-person file sharing service. In January 2001, edel Music and TVT Records joined the alliance. Last year, Napster won several Wired Magazine Readers Rave Awards, including Best Music Site, Best Innovative Start-up, and Best Guerilla Marketing.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, including but not limited to statements related to Loudeye`s anticipated performance and service capabilities, and Napster`s use, deployment and expected benefits and corresponding results using Loudeye`s metadata and fingerprint generation services. These statements are based on current trends and expectations. Actual events, results or developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of risks and uncertainties. Such factors include: difficulties encountered in the rollout or the interoperability of third party technologies, adverse developments in Loudeye`s and Napster`s relationship due to strategic, technological or business reasons, Loudeye`s ability to scale, support and respond effectively to third party technologies, the possibility of adverse changes in the market for digital media services relating to digital music that Loudeye serves, adverse or uncertain legal developments with respect to copyrights surrounding the creation, reproduction and distribution of digital music and other digital products related to digital music, adverse developments in Loudeye`s relationships with copyright holders, pricing pressures and other activities by competitors; lack of market acceptance for Loudeye`s products and services; and the acceptance and growth of streaming media technology in general. More information about the risks and challenges faced by Loudeye is contained in Loudeye`s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000, Quarterly Report on 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2001 and other documents filed by Loudeye from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, copies of which are available through the SEC`s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov.
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Loudeye Contacts:
Media/Public Relations:
Andrew Cullen
Barokas Public Relations
andrew@barokas.com, 206.264.8220
Investor relations:
John Shaw
Loudeye VP-CorpComm
John.Shaw@loudeye.com, 206.832.4102
Napster Contacts:
Business / Tech Media:
mPRm Public Relations
Paul Breton / Tracy Mlakar
323-933-3399
pbreton@mprm.com / tmlakar@mprm.com
Consumer Media:
Girlie Action
Jill Mango / Tobey Dorschel
212-234-3200 x111 / x106
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