With the Addition of SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT Later This
Month, Amazon MP3 Will Be the Only Retailer to Offer Customers
DRM-free MP3 Downloads from All Four Major Music Labels
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 10, 2008--Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN)
today announced that DRM-free MP3 music downloads from SONY BMG MUSIC
ENTERTAINMENT will be available to customers on Amazon MP3, Amazon's
DRM-free MP3 digital music store where every song is playable on
virtually any digital music-capable device, including PCs, Macs(R),
iPod(R), Zune(R), Zen(R), iPhone(TM), RAZR(TM) and BlackBerry(R). When
SONY BMG is added later this month, Amazon MP3 will be the only
retailer to offer customers DRM-free MP3s from all four major music
labels, as well as over 33,000 independent labels. Amazon MP3
customers will discover DRM-free MP3s from SONY BMG's vast rosters of
artists representing virtually every genre of music.
"We are excited to offer Amazon MP3 customers DRM-free MP3s from
SONY BMG, which represents many of the most popular musicians from the
past and present," said Bill Carr, Amazon.com Vice President for
Digital Music. "Our Amazon MP3 customers will be able to choose from a
full selection of DRM-free music downloads from all four major labels
and over 33,000 independents that they can play on virtually any
music-capable device."
"We are excited to be working with Amazon as they continue to
build new markets for digital music," commented Thomas Hesse,
President, Global Digital Business & U.S. Sales, SONY BMG MUSIC
ENTERTAINMENT. "We are constantly exploring new ways of making our
music available to consumers in the physical space, over the Internet
and through mobile phones, and this initiative is the newest element
of our ongoing campaign to bring our music to fans wherever they
happen to be."
Launched in September 2007, Amazon MP3 offers Earth's Biggest
Selection of a la carte DRM-free MP3 music downloads, which now
includes over 3.1 million songs from more than 270,000 artists. Every
song and album in the Amazon MP3 music download store is available
exclusively in the MP3 format without digital rights management (DRM)
software and is encoded at 256 Kbps to deliver high audio quality.
Amazon MP3 customers are free to enjoy their music downloads using any
hardware device, including PCs, Macs(R), iPod(R), Zune(R), Zen(R),
iPhone(TM), RAZR(TM) and BlackBerry(R); organize their music using any
music management application such as iTunes(R) or Windows Media
Player(TM); and burn songs to CDs for personal use.
Most songs available on Amazon MP3 are priced from 89 cents to 99
cents, with more than 1 million of the over 3.1 million songs priced
at 89 cents. The top 100 bestselling songs are 89 cents, unless marked
otherwise. Most albums are priced from $5.99 to $9.99. The top 100
bestselling albums are $8.99 or less, unless marked otherwise. Buying
and downloading MP3s from Amazon MP3 is easy. Customers can purchase
downloads using Amazon 1-Click shopping, and with the Amazon MP3
Downloader, seamlessly add their MP3s to their iTunes(R) or Windows
Media Player(TM) libraries.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., (Nasdaq: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in
Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers
Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most
customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover
anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its
customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers
offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories
such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food,
sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs,
electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including
www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp,
www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and the Joyo Amazon websites at
www.joyo.cn and www.amazon.cn.
As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms
include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context
indicates otherwise.
About SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint
venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array
of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast
catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in
history. SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G.
and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ
significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others,
risks related to competition, management of growth, new products,
services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating
results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and
claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial
agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange
rates, system interruption, significant amount of indebtedness,
inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud.
More information about factors that potentially could affect
Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, and all
subsequent filings.
CONTACT:
Amazon.com
Amazon.com Media Hotline, 206-266-7180
http://www.amazon.com/pr
SOURCE: Amazon.com, Inc.