Unique Classical, Jazz Recordings Available at New Digital Music Site from Powell Flutes; World’s Leading Flute Maker Ventures into Digital Music Business

MAYNARD, MA -- Jan. 18, 2005 -- Verne Q. Powell Flutes, a maker of hand-crafted instruments that have made the “Powell Sound” the gold standard for flutes worldwide, today announced the launch of the “Recording Studio,” an online music distribution service offering music enthusiasts a resource for finding flute recordings from a wide range of musical styles, including classical, jazz, folk and more. For both established and emerging flutists from around the world, the Recording Studio provides a much-needed distribution outlet for sharing, promoting and selling their recordings. Visitors can find the Recording Studio at http://www.powellflutes.com/studio

Digital music services today offer a broad range of music, but most only offer genres and artists from within proven markets, creating a barrier for enthusiasts seeking easy access to recordings from lesser known styles and younger or up-and-coming artists. Powell’s new Recording Studio bridges this gap between enthusiasts and artists by providing an alternative destination where fans can find the music they want and artists can promote and share their music more easily and cost effectively with their audience.

Visitors to the Recording Studio will find exclusive recordings from performers of a wide range of musical styles, including classical, jazz, and folk. Tracks can be downloaded for $1.00 each. For music enthusiasts, the Recording Studio provides:

-- A limited number of FREE downloads of music by famous flutists.

-- A large selection of exclusive, affordable digital music not available anywhere else.

-- Access to recordings of new works and new performers from a wide range of musical styles, including classical, jazz, folk and more.

“We have heard from many of the artists who play our instruments that they incur great expense to produce CDs, but then have limited avenues for promoting them. For these artists, we want the Recording Studio to represent a sort of paradigm shift, where recording music for distribution directly to the Web is now a viable option,” said Steven Wasser, president of Verne Q. Powell Flutes. “We know there are many flute music enthusiasts out there who would love to get their hands on these exclusive recordings, so bringing these communities together with the Recording Studio is the logical next step for us.”

As part of the artists’ participation in the Recording Studio, each one receives a home page on PowellFlutes.com which includes photographs, biographies and links to their personal web sites. Artists can offer free downloads as well as recordings for sale, and they receive payment for a portion of each purchased track.

“In the past, if you didn’t have a recording contract with a major label, making and promoting your own recordings was prohibitively difficult and expensive,” said Paula “Boots” Hatcher of Boots Hatcher & the Stompers, one of the first artists to join Powell’s Recording Studio. “With the Recording Studio, Powell Flutes has made it so easy and much less expensive for me to promote my own work, and I’m very pleased with the experience I’ve had so far.”

For artists, the Recording Studio offers:

-- A centralized place for distributing their music to a wide variety of listeners

-- A home page within the website where they can place a picture, biography, a link to their personal website, and their recordings

-- A generous payment for a portion of each track purchased

-- A reduction in the expense involved in making and selling recordings - the production of actual CDs and liner materials is no longer required

About Verne Q. Powell Flutes, Inc

For almost 80 years, Verne Q. Powell Flutes Inc. has created a community that combines tradition with innovation and encourages collaboration and creativity. The result is a dynamic environment dedicated to quality and continuous improvement. This commitment to excellence has produced world-renowned instruments that have made the ’Powell sound’ the gold standard in the flute industry worldwide. More information can be found at www.powellflutes.com.

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