Riffage.com ( http://www.riffage.com) is a revolutionary, new web-based music service that houses one of the largest selections of authorized digital music for purchase by download. Aimed at "connected" musicians and fans worldwide, Riffage.com combines powerful community, communications and e-commerce capabilities to deliver the most comprehensive library of music genres on the Internet. Since the site's initial launch on June 7, more than 1,000 new artists on average have signed up each week.

"One of the key goals behind Riffage.com is to get our indie artists involved in promotional programs and help them to generate incremental revenue, " said Ken Wirt, CEO and founder of Riffage.com. "Virgin Megastore's digital download kiosk enables Riffage.com artists to grow their fan base and increase their income."

Riffage.com for Bands

Riffage.com provides musicians with a direct marketing and distribution channel to the consumer through the Internet, replacing the traditional music industry paradigm of artist-label-distributor-retailer. Unlike other digital music distribution sites, Riffage.com enables artists to deliver their music through direct downloads or by selling CDs. Artists can also sell T-shirts, posters and other merchandise on the site.

Musicians utilizing the site can build fan awareness by publishing upcoming concert dates, music previews and artist news, showcasing band merchandise and threaded discussion forums through their own personalized Riffage.com web page. Riffage.com artists also have access to daily reports showing current merchandise sales, the number of times that their songs have been downloaded and the number of fans who have added one of their songs to a personal playlist or voted them as a "favorite" band.

Riffage.com for Fans

Riffage.com targets Internet-savvy consumers with a wide selection of unique music and merchandise from breakthrough indie bands. For consumers, the ability to purchase single songs by download or an entire physical CD from the comfort of a home, office, school or any "connected" location, makes Riffage.com an enticing alternative to shopping at a traditional retail store.

One of the key features that differentiates Riffage.com from the growing ranks of online music distributors is unique personalization tools. These tools enable users to quickly receive recommendations on music that will appeal to them using individual preference profiles. Riffage.com also provides an online community where fans of similar or varied music tastes can converge to discover and discuss independent artists and their music. In addition, fans can produce their own album (playlist) or "radio show," write personalized reviews of new music releases and rank songs (unlike other sites that feature ranking by download count).

About Riffage.com

Riffage.com, an Internet-based music service aimed at "connected" musicians and fans worldwide, combines powerful community, communications and e-commerce capabilities to deliver the most comprehensive source for cutting-edge music on the Internet. For musicians, Riffage.com provides a powerful medium to develop their fan base, promote their music and sell both music and merchandise. For consumers, Riffage.com provides an online community where fans are matched with others of similar music tastes to discover and discuss independent artists and their music. Unique personalization tools provide a better consumer experience than other music sites by enabling people to receive recommendations from other listeners about music they will like.

Riffage.com is a privately-owned company. More information is available at http://www.riffage.com.

<<Business Wire, 08-02-99, 09:34 Eastern>>

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