LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers will have their first "clicks-and-bricks" experience today with the release of rock-legend Todd Rundgren's latest disc, "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Todd Rundgren Live." The Rundgren CD release represents the first product to combine digital music downloads with the traditional distribution of physical media sold in retail stores.
Consumers who purchase "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Todd Rundgren Live" at retail stores will be able to access bonus tracks not available on the CD. The technology, provided by San Francisco-based SecureMedia, allows the artist and the record label's Web site, KingBiscuitRadio.com, to control how the tracks are used once they are downloaded.
To access the tracks, the consumer puts the CD into the CD-ROM drive of their Internet-connected PC and is connected to a secure Web site. The user is then required to enter a name and e-mail address that, once submitted, will result in the receipt of an e-mail providing a unique key code and link to a server that allows the download of bonus tracks. When the user double-clicks on the track to be played, a graphic user interface will appear offering six options: listen, e-mail a friend, get license, buy, exit and help.
Users can download the tracks for unlimited listening, but will not be able to copy or distribute them. The user will be able to e-mail selected tracks from the CD to other recipients, each of whom will be able to listen to the tracks up to three times as well as email it again.
"For music producers and distributors to deny that the Internet will redefine the business is, in a sense, a denial of a capability that the medium has already demonstrated," said Rundgren. "I think the goal should now be for everyone -- artists, producers, distributors, record labels, technologists -- to support the music fans by implementing a secure, yet consumer-friendly way to distribute high-quality music over the Internet as we've done with this release."
The downloadable bonus tracks are protected using SecureMedia's patented Encryptonite Engine technology, an exceptionally fast, highly secure public key encryption system. In upcoming KingBiscuitRadio.com releases, the technology will be used to provide pre-encrypted tracks directly on the CD, thereby providing even greater levels of protection and user convenience.
"The work we are doing with Todd Rundgren and KingBiscuitRadio.com represent a unique and valuable form of media distribution," said Gary Ambrosino, Executive Vice President of SecureMedia. "We believe this cross-platform approach that combines the existing physical distribution infrastructure for delivery of music CDs with utilization of the Internet for secure downloading of special tracks is a very viable delivery and e-commerce strategy."
"We are planning to have an Internet component attached to all of our 20-plus yearly releases," said Steven Ship, President of KingBiscuitRadio.com. "The release of this disc clearly illustrates just how an entertainment company can protect an artist's music when using the Web for distribution and promotion."
KingBiscuitRadio.com is a streaming media entertainment destination. The Web site features exclusive content from the legendary King Biscuit Flower Hour Radio show archive. The archive features audio recordings from some of the greatest names in music including: The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Clapton, Santana, David Bowie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley and many more. In the coming months, KingBiscuitRadio.com will be expanding the scope of its Web site to take full advantage of this treasured archive of recordings.
Legendary artist/producer Todd Rundgren established himself as an Internet "early adopter" when he founded his multimedia holding company Waking Dreams in 1990. In 1992 he released the world's first interactive record album "No World Order," quickly followed in 1993 by "The Individualist," the world's first full length enhanced CD. In 1994, he made the world's first album available for digital download. He launched PatroNet in 1998, a paradigm-shifting online artist subscription service utilizing proprietary technology.
Founded in 1996, SecureMedia, Inc., provides the first end-to-end solution for securely delivering audio and video over the Internet. The SecureMedia system is highly scalable to meet the demanding needs of simultaneous real-time and on-demand content delivery to large audiences. SecureMedia, Inc., is based in San Francisco with offices in Boston, Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand. Investors include Sony, Macrovision, Trans Cosmos, CB (Berkman) Capital LLP, and Bayview Investors, Ltd. and is an affiliate of BancBoston Robertson Stephens. Partners and customers include Real Networks, Intel, InvisiMail Ltd. and Communicado/Satlink.
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