BMG Japan Catalog Now Available on the iTunes Store

Top J-Pop & International Artists Including Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Seamo, Sukima Switch & Suga Shikao Now on iTunes

TOKYO—October 26, 2006—BMG Japan and Apple® today announced the availability of top Japanese and international artists on the iTunes® Store in Japan (www.apple.com/jp/itunes/). The addition of the BMG Japan catalog brings top J-POP and international artists to the iTunes Store beginning today, including Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Kasabian, Outkast, Pink, Seamo, Suga Shikao, Sukima Switch, Usher and more.

“BMG Japan is delighted to join forces with Apple to make the wealth of our catalogue available through the iTunes Store in Japan.” said Mr. Daniel DiCicco, EVP and co. general manager of BMG Japan. “We look forward to continuing to drive BMG Japan’s digital development through this very important relationship by connecting the iTunes community to top J-Pop and international artists from BMG Japan.”

“Top artists, breakthrough pricing, seamless integration with iPod and groundbreaking personal use rights have made iTunes the number one online music service in Japan,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We’re thrilled to bring BMG’s impressive catalog to iTunes so fans in Japan can download and enjoy even more great music.”

The iTunes Store in Japan now features a vast catalog of more than two million songs, 3,500 music videos, Disney and Pixar short films, 65,000 podcasts and 16,000 audiobooks. With over 90 percent of songs priced at just 150 yen per song, the iTunes Store offers the great value and features that have made iTunes the number one online music service in the world, with over 1.5 billion songs purchased and downloaded. BMG Japan will continue to add more of its extensive catalog to the iTunes Store in the coming months.

With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod® and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Store is the best way for Mac® and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

iTunes 7 for Mac and Windows includes the iTunes Store and is available as a free download from www.apple.com/jp/itunes. Purchase and download of songs and videos from the iTunes Store requires a valid credit card with a billing address in the country of purchase. Music fans in Japan have the option to use iTunes Cards for cash purchases on the iTunes Store.

BMG Japan is the wholly owned music entertainment company operated by SONY BMG Music Entertainment within the Japanese market and its labels include Arista, J Records, RCA and Zomba.

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.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.

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