Microsoft And TVT Records Take Digital Music Commerce To New Level

History was made at Webnoize '99, a digital music industry conference that is being held November 15-17, 1999 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, as TVT Records, the nation's largest independent label, and Microsoft Corp. announced that TVT's entire catalog is available immediately for sale via digital download. At http://www.tvtrecords.com/, music fans can now purchase and download every song from a collection of over 100 TVT titles, featuring acclaimed artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Guided by Voices, Sevendust and XTC.Microsoft is providing e-commerce solutions and technical support to the newly launched Web site, enabling an unprecedented scale of digital distribution. All songs are available for $0.99 each, or $9.99 for full albums, as secure files in the MicrosoftÆ Windows Mediaô format. As the industry-leading digital media format, Windows Media offers CD-quality sound at half the file size of MP3 and a flexible digital rights management system.""TVT Records is proud to be the first major label to cross the e-tail barrier and offer its repertoire for sale online,"" said Steve Gottlieb, Founder and President of TVT Records. ""Now any time day or night anywhere in the world, if you need to hear Pretty Hate Machine or your favorite TV theme, Gil Scott-Heron, or some of the best new alternative rock acts, there is a store open for business that can get you the album or just the track in a couple minutes' time. With the help of Microsoft, we are making the online shopping experience consumer-friendly and imparting a sense of value to digital music.""""TVT's initiative demonstrates that Windows Media Technologies can support large-scale digital distribution effectively and efficiently,"" said Will Poole, General Manager, Streaming Media Division, Microsoft. ""The Windows Media platform is about enabling new opportunities, and we're excited to be working with TVT as it makes its deep, eclectic catalog available to music fans.""About TVT RecordsTVT Records is part of the TVT Label Group, which includes Wax Trax! Records, Blunt Recordings, United Producers and TVT Soundtrax. Headquartered in New York City, TVT is one of the nation's leading independent labels, with annual sales exceeding $40 million. Best known as the label that discovered Nine Inch Nails, its roster ranges from alternative to hip-hop. Currently charting TVT releases include Sevendust, Bounty Killer and the ""Buffy The Vampire Slayer"" soundtrack. The label recently announced the signing of Snoop Dogg and Tha Eastsidaz.About WindowsMedia.comWindowsMedia.com (http://windowsmedia.com/), part of the MSN(TM) network of Internet services, is among the fastest-growing major audio and video guides on the Internet. WindowsMedia.com provides access to localized audio and video content worldwide, including major music and video events from more than 1,000 radio stations and more than 1,000 content providers.About Windows Media TechnologiesWindows Media Technologies is the leading digital media platform that provides consumers, content providers, solution providers, software developers and corporations with unmatched audio and video quality. Windows Media Technologies 4, which includes Windows Media Player, Windows Media Services, Windows Media Tools and the Windows Media SDK, is available for free* download at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/. More than 50 million copies of the free* Windows Media Player have been downloaded to date - growing by more than one every second.About MicrosoftFounded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.*Connect-time charges may apply.Source: Microsoft Corp.Web Site: http://www.tvtrecords.comhttp://www.microsoft.com