PRINCE'S PURPLE REIGN EXTENDS TO VIACOM

This Wednesday (4/28), the Purple One will appear on a groundbreaking 30-minute special that will appear, for the first time ever, simultaneously on five Viacom TV outlets, including MTV, MTV2, VH1, VH1 Classic and BET, airing from 9 to 9:30 p.m. (ET).

The show will feature performances and interviews with the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee. Four of the participating networks will air the special under the title Prince: The Art of Musicology, while BET has dubbed their special Music and Words by Prince.

Recorded before a live audience at New York City's Webster Hall, the program features performances of material from Prince's new release Musicology, which hit retail stores last Tuesday, but has been available for free with the price of a ticket on his current tour/. The new disc includes the title track and the powerful "Dear Mr. Man," among other new tracks. The program also features Prince's acoustic solo performance of a medley of his greatest hits.

Said Prince, "The support for Musicology is wonderful. We're pleased to broadcast the Musicology special throughout the Viacom music channels. It is great to see audiences around the country embracing music again."

Added Columbia Records Group President Will Botwin: "This historic broadcast, going out simultaneously over the five most influential music networks, is a tribute to the music and artistry of one of the most singular talents of our time. With a fast-paced combination of
brilliant performances and compelling interviews, this show will be remembered as one of the most special entertainment events of the year."

Said MTV Networks Group President Judy McGrath: "I love Prince. Our viewers love Prince and we are so excited to give them the chance to see some of his incredible new live performances on all of our music channels. We share a long musical legacy with Prince and it
makes perfect sense to celebrate his new release with a simulcast across our networks."

BET President/COO Debra Lee said: "BET viewers have waited with great anticipation the return of Prince to the music scene. Prince has always had a home on BET, going back to some of his earliest releases. We can think of no better place to punctuate his return to the music charts than on BET in a unique show hosted by our own head of music programming, Stephen Hill, which features not only Prince's performances, but also some insight into his musical genius."

Prince has returned to the music scene in a big way this year, kicking off 2004 with a stunning opening per4mance at the 46th Grammy Awards with multiple-award-winner Beyonce, followed by an attention-grabbing induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also launched the phenomenally successful "Musicology" concert tour in March.

The multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, songwriter, Oscar-winning composer, multi-Grammy winning artist has sold more than 100 million records and has been fearless in his pursuit of artistic challenges.