Copyright 2000 Business Wire, Inc.  
Business Wire


March 29, 2000, Wednesday


DISTRIBUTION: Business Editors & Entertainment Writers

LENGTH: 681 words

HEADLINE: VH1.com Offers Academy Award Nominee Aimee Mann's Latest Single for Exclusive Download

DATELINE: LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, March 29, 2000

BODY:
    "Red Vines" is First Track From Mann's New Bachelor No. 2 Album to be Available for Free Downloading Via VH1.com

Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song, Aimee Mann today released her latest single, "Red Vines," from her new album Bachelor No. 2, on VH1.com through an online distribution deal with RioPort, Inc., a leading business to business digital audio solutions provider. VH1.com is the first music site to have access to the "Red Vines" promo track.

"Aimee's performance at our Sundance Festival Storytellers was a huge highlight for VH1.com -- and we still feature it on VH1.0 on the site," said Fred Graver, SVP and GM, VH1.com. "We're thrilled to offer more Aimee for the growing numbers of VH1.com fans."

"We are incredibly excited to be working with Aimee Mann and to release her latest independent recordings on VH1.com," said J.D. Heilprin, executive vice president and general manager of RioPort. "Aimee's sheer style and attitude, not to mention acclaimed musicianship, make her a perfect match for the VH1.com audience."

Mann was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Save Me," one of nine songs she contributed to the Magnolia soundtrack. Mann first rose to prominence with the pop group Til Tuesday and their 1985 hit, "Voices Carry," and subsequently released several critically-acclaimed albums with the group and as a solo artist. Bachelor No. 2 is Mann's third solo album and the first independent release under her own label, SuperEgo Records. In a landmark move, Mann bought back the master recordings from her previous label, Interscope Records, and chose to distribute the album herself. It is currently available for purchase on her website, AimeeMann.com, and will be released to stores within the next few weeks.

VH1.com is heavily promoting the "Red Vines" download both on its site and through VH1.

About The MTVi Group

VH1.com is a unit of The MTVi Group, the number one online music entertainment company featuring a comprehensive collection of music destinations on the Internet. The MTVi Group's 22 worldwide destinations include MTV.com, VH1.com, and SonicNet.com. The MTVi Group is a unit of MTV Networks, which is owned by Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA, VIA.B). Headquartered in downtown New York, The MTVi Group has satellite offices in San Francisco, CA. Liberty Digital (NYSE:LMG.A and LMG.B) holds a minority stake in The MTVi Group. For more information please visit The MTVi Group corporate Web site (www.mtvigroup.com).

About RioPort, Inc.

RioPort, Inc. is redefining digital audio by delivering an integrated, secure platform for acquiring, managing and experiencing music and spoken audio programming from the Internet. A pioneer in the digital audio market, RioPort partners with companies to provide them with an easy-to-use infrastructure that includes access to a wide range of digital audio content, customizable software solutions, technology, and device design services. For consumer-focused partners, RioPort provides easy access to a variety of popular and innovative music and word programming through its network of distribution partners including the RioPort.com digital audio site. In addition, RioPort markets the RioPort Audio Manager, an easy-to-use jukebox application for the acquisition, management and playback of digital audio content from the desktop or RioPort compatible portable appliances. RioPort also provides content companies with production services, including encoding and secure packaging, allowing them to easily get their content into the hands of digital audio enthusiasts. RioPort's investment partners include Vulcan Ventures, Oak Investment Partners, MTVi Group and S3, Inc. More information may be obtained from the web site www.rioport.com.  

CONTACT: Faiola Davis Public Relations for RioPort
Maissa Dauriac or Sung Choi, 323/933-4959
maissa@fdpr.com or sung@fdpr.com
or
The Brookes Co. for Aimee Mann
Jolyn Matsumuro, 323/653-4330
or
The MTVi Group
Graham James, 212/654-9410
graham.james@mtvmail.com  

URL: http://www.businesswire.com

BACK