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"What we hope to achieve through this move is to create a technological wonderland for VU to lean on us to implement the applications of their creativity."
——Robin Richards

MP3.COM SPAWNS NEW VU NETCO

Dot-com Forms New MP3 Technologies To Service VivendiUniversalNet
MP3.com today announced it would be transformed into two connected entities.

The result will yield both a repurposed MP3.com and a new company, MP3 Technologies, which will furnish technology solutions for parent company Vivendi Universal's digital distribution projects—such as Pressplay—as well as Euro portal Vizzavi, among others. The release referred to the new entity's mission to be a "One-Stop-Shop" for the IT requirements of digital parent VivendiUniversalNet.

Chairman/CEO Robin Richards has named Greg Kostello, an MP3.com EVP of tech and a Netscape alumnus, to head the new company.

"It's an aggregation of 150 world-class Internet technologists," Richards told HITS when asked about the new unit, "and what we hope to achieve through this move is to create a technological wonderland for VU—the music, the film, the publishing groups—to lean on us to implement the applications of their creativity."

"The creation of a centralized technology platform makes sense on many levels—cost reduction, database consolidation and the ability to offer Brand America the largest music and media audience on the Web, by far," proclaimed Kostello.

Richards added that MP3.com will continue, under its original moniker, to "supply to aggregation websites, like EMusic, RollingStone.com, GetMusic, InsideSessions, Education.com and others, a centralized platform which, when complete, will create the world's largest contactable database of Internet media lovers. This should appeal to advertisers, because of its unparalleled depth and breadth." VU's online holdings claim some 50 million users, collectively.

"It has the one-to-one connection ability that exceeds the world's largest cable companies. With the diminishing results in the advertising world, I think this bodes well to be the purchase of choice for Internet advertising in the future."

Bridging the two, Richards believes, will result in "media programs second to none." Ideally, the distinct but related entities will provide for VU both a solid tech backbone and a streamlined online ad-sales system.

"We have wonderful musicians," Richards said of the consolidation process. "Now we've just got to make them into a band."

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