EMI Music signs agreement with SNOCAP, enabling fans to buy MP3s from artist websites, social networking pages and blogs

EMI becomes first major label to team up with SNOCAP MyStores to sell DRM-free, higher-quality MP3 tracks

Artists now selling via SNOCAP include 30 Seconds To Mars, The Almost, The Bird and The Bee, KORN, Dean Martin, MIMs, Relient K, Saosin, Sick Puppies, Yellowcard and legendary Blue Note artists

New York, NY and San Francisco, CA –EMI Music today announced that it has reached an agreement with SNOCAP which enables U.S. fans to purchase DRM-free, higher-quality MP3s by EMI artists through artist websites, social networking pages and fan blogs. EMI will have the ability to place SNOCAP MyStores – digital storefronts that work on nearly any standard website – on the web pages of hundreds of its artist sites, making EMI the first major record company to partner with SNOCAP to sell its music in a DRM-free, higher-quality format.

Beginning this week, music from a broad range of EMI Music artists will be available for purchase via SNOCAP MyStores. Downloads will be DRM-free MP3s, encoded at 320 kilobits per second, more than twice the audio quality of standard files. Artists whose tracks will be available via SNOCAP MyStores at launch include 30 Seconds to Mars, The Almost, Ryland Angel, The Bird and The Bee, KORN, Joe Lovano, Dean Martin, MIMs, Relient K, Saosin, TobyMac and Yellowcard, with additional EMI artists rolling out SNOCAP MyStores in coming weeks. EMI’s Blue Note Records label has also placed a SNOCAP MyStore on its main website making tracks available from both catalog and current artists – everyone from Freddie Hubbard to Sonny Clark – as well as the single from the upcoming Suzanne Vega album.

The SNOCAP MyStore is an easy-to-use Web-based interface and digital storefront which enables labels and artists to place a retail point of sale almost anywhere on the web. EMI’s agreement with SNOCAP means fans will be able to download higher-quality DRM-free tracks without leaving the artist’s website or social networking page. SNOCAP is making tracks available for $1.30, and albums will be made available via SNOCAP MyStores later this year. Using SNOCAP MyStores’ “Spread the word” feature, fans, music bloggers and other third party sites will also have the ability to place SNOCAP MyStores from their favorite artists on their own websites.

“SNOCAP’s MyStore technology is an exciting new proposition and another step forward for consumers, artists and the digital music market overall,” said Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group. “Giving consumers the capability of buying music directly from their favorite artists’ websites and social networking areas is a great way to connect artists directly with fans. We’re delighted that our DRM-free, higher-quality offering will be available this way, so that fans can play the music they buy on a range of devices.”

“EMI is breaking important new ground in making music accessible without DRM restrictions to everyone and we are thrilled to be a part of this exciting launch,” said Rusty Rueff, SNOCAP CEO. “EMI is the first major label to use the SNOCAP MyStores to make such a great range of digital music totally open and available so music lovers will now have the freedom to play and listen to what they purchase from a SNOCAP MyStore on every device, from iPods to music-enabled phones.”

SNOCAP, the premier music technology company for direct artist-to-fan online distribution, offers a one-stop registration to allow musicians, labels and distributors to clear and manage their licensing rights across multiple retail destinations. Using sophisticated music fingerprinting technology to identify and catalog the music, SNOCAP’s registry authenticates against over five million tracks.

Examples of how SNOCAP MyStores are selling music from EMI artists to fans direct from web sites are available at the following websites:

30 Seconds To Mars - http://www.thirtysecondstomars.com
KORN - http://www.korn.com
Sick Puppies - http://www.sickpuppies.net
The Almost - http://www.thealmost.com/home.aspx
Yellowcard - http://www.yellowcardrock.com/music.aspx
The Bird and The Bee - http://www.thebirdandthebee.com
Elisabeth Withers -- http://www.elisabethwithers.net
Relient K - http://www.relientk.com/music.aspx
Saosin - http://www.saosin.com/news.aspx
Mims - http://www.mimsmusic.net/-/Main.aspx?pbt_name=Music
Blue Note Label - http://www.bluenote.com
Ryland Angel - http://www.rylandangel.com
TobyMac – http://www.tobymac.com
Joe Lovano - http://www.joelovano.com
Dean Martin - http://www.deanmartin.com