Grooveshark Adds Veteran Music Industry Executive Vincent S. Castellucci and Grammy Award Winner Jason Miles to Advisory Board

April 05, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Technology News
Gainesville, Fla. – April 2007 – Grooveshark announced today that it has contracted with two music industry veterans, Vincent S. Castellucci and Jason Miles, to serve as mentors and as active members of their advisory board. Castellucci’s experience includes executive positions with Harry Fox Agency, Castel Management, Inc., and Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, as well as his own consulting firm. Miles, a respected jazz musician, has produced more than 30 CDs for such noted artists as George Benson, Anita Baker and David Sanborn, among others. He won a Grammy in 2000 for producing “She Walks This Earth” by Sting, which won Best Male Pop Vocal. He has been nominated for an Emmy and four additional Grammys, most recently in 2004 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his production of the album “Chasing Shadows” by Herb Albert.

Grooveshark (www.grooveshark.com) is a peer-to-peer (P2P) music-sharing community which both compensates copyright holders for song purchases and rewards members who participate in the community with free or discounted music. Visitors can browse songs uploaded by other members and pay to download MP3 files with no digital rights management (DRM) technology. Proceeds will be used to compensate copyright holders for their work, unlike other P2P file sharing sites.

“We’re thrilled to be working closely with both Vince and Jason,” said Sam Tarantino, founder and CEO of Grooveshark. “Neither would risk his reputation, earned through nearly 60 years of combined experience in the music and intellectual property business, on a start-up product like Grooveshark if they didn’t believe we had a viable solution to the myriad of issues currently plaguing online music sales.”

Tarantino continued, “Yesterday’s announcement of the availability of DRM-free files from EMI and iTunes further reinforces our business model, which says there is a better way to buy and sell music online without DRM while compensating copyright holders for their work.”

It was Grooveshark’s unique mission and approach to solving those problems that attracted both men to their new roles as mentors and advisors.

“The P2P exchange of music without compensating artists and songwriters is a hot topic and clearly a practice that needs to be corrected,” Castellucci said. “At the same time, consumers are tired of DRM schemes that unfairly limit their ability to use and enjoy what they’ve purchased, as when they purchased DRM –free CDs. I am confident the innovative Grooveshark approach has the potential to be the music distribution platform of choice for consumers the world over.”

Miles agreed. “I have been on the frontlines of the music business for 28 years,” he said. “I have seen the music business and technologies go through many changes. My philosophy is about adapting. We are now in the most challenging times this business has ever faced. Being smart and creative is going to be the mantra of the future, and Grooveshark represents that future,” he added.

About Grooveshark

Grooveshark, a peer-to-peer (P2P) music file-sharing community that brokers music transactions between members, is a service of Escape Media Group, Inc. By charging for the songs exchanged between members on their site, Grooveshark will compensate copyright holders and users while providing the convenience and selection of P2P file sharing in an online music community. All Grooveshark music transactions are free of digital rights management (DRM) technology, allowing users to play the songs they purchase on any type of computer or digital music player. For more information, visit www.grooveshark.com or www.escapemg.com.

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