February 24, 2005, 12:00 PM ET
Sony BMG Boosts Copy-Protected CDs
By Ed Christman, N.Y.
Sony BMG Music Entertainment is stepping up the rollout of what it calls "content-enhanced" copy-protected CDs, according to company executives.
The move began with the Chieftains' album "Live From Dublin," released Tuesday (Feb. 22). Upcoming albums that will receive the treatment are from Kasabian (March 8) and Susie Suh (March 29).
Sony BMG expects that by year's end, a substantial number of its U.S. releases will employ either Sunncomm's newly enhanced MediaMax or First4Internet's XCP to address piracy concerns. No matter which technology a CD uses, it will include extras such as photo galleries, enhanced liner notes and links to other features.
"What matters the most to us is the consumer experience," Sony BMG Sales Enterprise co-president Jordan Katz says. "Both technologies offer playability across all standard players, including CD players, boomboxes, DVD players, PCs, Macs, car stereos, videogames and clock radios."
Katz says the company wants to alert the industry that it is implementing the content-protection technology, because extensive consumer research indicates widespread customer acceptance of it.
BMG has used MediaMax on a number of titles, including Velvet Revolver's "Contraband" and Anthony Hamilton's "Comin' From Where I'm From." In all, it has shipped more than 5.5 million content-enhanced and protected discs, which have met with extremely positive consumer reactions, according to Katz.
The albums coming out now and in the immediate future will allow for three copies to be made. "We haven't set on what the number of copies should be, other than there should be a limited number; it shouldn't be infinite," Katz says. "Our research shows that the consumer thinks that's fair."
ABOUT SUNNCOMM:
In just five years, SunnComm International Inc. (OTC:SCMI) has become the leader in digital content enhancement and security technology for audio compact disc media. 2004 was a year of milestones for SunnComm including Anthony Hamilton’s “MediaMax’d” CD “Comin’ From Where I’m From” recently achieving platinum status. Last year, Velvet Revolver’s “Contraband” CD reached the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart becoming the world’s first number one CD to include content management. “Contraband” has achieved double-platinum status by selling more than 2 million units. Additionally, SunnComm’s technology has appeared on many other best-selling albums in 2004, some of which have gone gold. Last year ended with MediaMax implemented on more than 75 commercially released CD titles across 25 record labels generating over 10 million CDs, making it the U.S. market leader in copy control and enhancement technology.
MediaMax is state-of-the-art technology which features SunnComm's proprietary On-the-Fly Technology™ - giving the consumer a legal method of making licensed duplicate copies of the CD music they purchase without the record label needing to include a 2nd set of songs on the CD in a protected format. MediaMax also includes SecureBurn™ - SunnComm's extraordinary new technology that inhibits copying a copy of a MediaMax CD.
MediaMax is mastered directly on the audio CD and is accessible using a personal computer. SunnComm was the first company to commercially release a content-protected audio CD utilizing an early version of the Microsoft Windows Media Data Session Toolkit, and was the first company in America to commercially release a copy-managed audio CD (www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/jan03/01-20SessionToolkitPR.asp). Bonus features include on-board press kits, artist-related promotions, videos, song lyrics, artist bio page, photo gallery, web links and tune-sharing capability through SunnComm’s MusicMail™ functionality. For more detailed information about the company, its vision or philosophy, personnel, partners, and customers, please visit the company's Web site at www.sunncomm.com, or call the Company directly at (602) 267-7500. For additional information or investor relations please contact:
Company contact:
Kimberly Faulkner
602.267.7500
kimf@sunncomm.com Investor contact:
Investor Communications Consulting
602-231-0681
investor@sunncomm.com
MediaMax CD3, On-the-Fly Technology, PromoPlay, TuneShare, MusicMail, Secure Burn and SunnComm are registered and/or trademarks of SunnComm International, Inc., in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
