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MUSICBLITZ STAGES DealBLITZ EVENT AT SXSW - 20 BANDS OFFERED ON-THE-SPOT RECORDING DEALS IN SIX HOURS

Expert Judges Select 20 Bands Including Martha Wainwright (Daughter of Louden Wainwright III), Hammell on Trial, Seventeen and others to Receive Singles Deals from MUSICBLITZ

Los Angeles, CA-March 21, 2000-Bands converged upon the SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas from across the United States, Europe and Asia. Many of them sought their big break, but unlike the thousands of other musicians who walked away from SXSW with just their bags and guitar cases, 20 artists performed their hearts out during MUSICBLITZ's DealBLITZ event and actually left Austin with a recording offer in hand.

More than 400 bands submitted demo tapes for the chance to play at DealBLITZ and over a span of six hours, 25 of them performed one song in front of a live panel of judges and an Internet audience for the chance to get a singles recording deal from MUSICBLITZ. These deals include financial compensation and the resources (producers, studio time, session musicians, distribution, marketing and promotion) necessary for the artists to record and release this new music.

Within the next month, new songs from some of the following 20 bands are expected to appear on MUSICBLITZ's Web site: Martha Wainwright (Montreal/Brooklyn), Hamell on Trial (New York), Punchy (Austin), Apulanta (Helsinki, Finland), The London Street Project (Los Angeles), Birdy (New York), 12 Oz Curl (Durham, NC), Laura Cantrail (New York), Eric Blakely (Austin), Pale (Houston), Perpetual Hype Engine (Detroit), Tom Freund (New York), Vegas DeMilo (Los Angeles), Down To Earth (Washington, D.C.), Starball (Chicago), Seventeen (Boston), Amilia Spicer (Los Angeles), Christian Anthony, Drunk Horse (Oakland) and Buckfast Super Bee (San Diego).

"Each year at SXSW there are so many great bands whose talents go completely unnoticed by the major and independent record labels," commented Mike Mena, vice president of artist development at MUSICBLITZ. "DealBLITZ was developed as a way to do something totally different and to create the most democratic A&R setting that these talented musicians would ever be likely to experience."

Anne Lit, a DealBLITZ judge and music supervisor / disc jockey at Los Angeles radio station KCRW-FM added, "What was really important to me was the ability to give all of these bands constructive comments that will help them advance their careers. Even for those bands that didn't get a record deal out of the event, DealBLITZ still gave them great exposure in front of people with high profiles in the music industry. I saw some great talent today and I can't wait to play some of these artists on the radio in the next few years."

Following his performance of the song "Nancy's Got a New Girlfriend" from the independently produced Choochtown album, Hamell on Trial's Ed Hamell also commented, "It's refreshing to see a music company that will work with artists on these terms. I really like the idea of a one song recording deal much better than a traditional contract because I'm trying to be as autonomous with my career as possible. I recognize that I still need some help and it seems that everything right now points online. I think MUSICBLITZ can give me the exposure I need."

About MUSICBLITZ
Based in Los Angeles, MUSICBLITZ is a consumer-oriented music company that is redefining the relationships between consumers, artists and record labels. The company combines traditional record label artist development and off-line marketing practices with technology-enabled distribution. MUSICBLITZ funds established and up-and-coming artists to record new singles, which consumers can download for free at the Company's Web site (http://www.musicblitz.com) and in its genre-specific Web communities. MUSICBLITZ continues to promote its music, and the artists who create it, by licensing it for use in film, television, commercials, soundtracks and compilations. MUSICBLITZ also offers music fans the only critical guide to free and legal music downloads from anywhere on the Internet. For more information about MUSICBLITZ, please visit http://www.musicblitz.com.

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