Major Music Industry Players Invest in ARTISTdirect Inc.

Artistsdirect Inc., a leading online music company, announced that it has received $97.5 million in equity investments from six major music and media companies. Universal Music Group, BMG Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Cisneros Television Group, and Yahoo! Inc. have taken stakes in the company, expanding the content available on the ARTISTdirect Network and promoting popular musical artists across various genres. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the online music experience through the ARTISTdirect Network, which offers multimedia content, music news, and community features.

Key Takeaways:

• ARTISTdirect Inc. has received $97.5 million in equity investments from six major music and media companies: Universal Music Group, BMG Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Cisneros Television Group, and Yahoo! Inc.
• The ARTISTdirect Network will expand its content to include popular musical artists from various genres, as part of the licensing, marketing, and distribution agreements with the six music industry players.
• Cisneros Television Group, the leading pay television content provider in Latin America, has entered into a strategic relationship with ARTISTdirect, including an equity investment.
• Yahoo! Inc., a leading global Internet media company serving 105 million users, has taken a minority equity stake in ARTISTdirect Inc.
• The ARTISTdirect Network consists of multiple web sites, including ARTISTdirect.com, UBL.com, iMusic, and the ARTISTdirect Superstore, offering a wide range of music-related content and commerce opportunities.
• ARTISTdirect Inc. operates the ARTISTdirect Talent Agency and manages ARTISTdirect Recordings, expanding its presence in the music industry.

Statistics:

• $97.5 million: The total equity investment received by ARTISTdirect Inc. from six major music and media companies.
• Six: The number of music industry players that have invested in ARTISTdirect Inc.
• 105 million: The number of users served by Yahoo! Inc.
• 200: The number of record labels owned by BMG Entertainment in 53 countries.
• $15 billion: The annual revenues of Bertelsmann AG, the parent company of BMG Entertainment.
• 1,000: The number of artists rostered by Warner Music International.
• 65: The number of countries in which Warner Music International operates through a network of 47 affiliates, 24 licensees, and seven associated labels.

Sources:

• BUSINESS WIRE: "Universal Music Group, BMG Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, Cisneros Television Group and Yahoo! Inc. Acquire Stakes in ARTISTdirect Inc."
• About BMG Entertainment: "BMG Entertainment (www.bmg.com) is the $4.6 billion worldwide music and entertainment division of Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's leading media companies, with annual revenues of $15 billion."
• About Cisneros Television Group: "Cisneros Television Group (CTG), a member of the Cisneros Group of Companies, is focused on the creation of entertainment brands throughout the world."
• About Sony Music Entertainment: "Sony Music Entertainment (SME), a leading global producer, manufacturer and marketer of recorded music and video, has a presence in 60 countries."
• About Warner Music Group: "Warner Music Group is home to some of the world's leading record companies, including The Atlantic Group, Elektra Entertainment Group, Rhino Entertainment, Sire Records Group and Warner Bros. Records Inc."
• About Universal Music Group: "Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 59 countries around the world."