NOT FAR FROM THE MADDEN CROWD

With Madden NFL 07 set for release on Tuesday, MTV2 and Electronic Arts have teamed up to create the half-hour special The Music of Madden 07. The show, which debuted Saturday and will air repeatedly during the week, highlights some of the music and artists that have been featured throughout the history of the most popular football videogame, with an emphasis on the artists, songs and gameplay featured in the latest edition.

Said MTV2 GM David Cohn: “We are ecstatic to bring The Music of Madden 07 to MTV2 as it is an ideal way to reach viewers who are passionate about music and videogames. EA Sports has established the Madden NFL series as the premier video game franchise breaking new music and artists.”

Commented EA music guru Steve Schnur: “For more than 25 years, videogames and MTV have each developed their own groundbreaking ways to expose new music. Today's generation has been raised to expect visuals attached to music and has even created a global community that craves an active involvement in the discovery of new artists. EA Trax has remained at the forefront of this movement, and no game franchise in entertainment history has illustrated this more than Madden NFL. This collaboration with MTV2 is an important peak in the ever-evolving Madden game franchise, but is also an unprecedented partnership that furthers the same essential goal: to help people discover the year's biggest and best new music through the experience of an EA game.”

The Music of Madden 07 on MTV2 was shot during the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp and features several Seahawks players. Also making appearances are Madden NFL experts from EA and Sports Illustrated’s SI.com, along with artists from past and present Madden NFL in-game soundtracks including the All-American Rejects, Dashboard Confessional, AFI, Rise Against and Taking Back Sunday. The program will also give viewers a “first listen” to exclusive unreleased singles featured on this year’s soundtrack from Audioslave and the Panic Channel. Jim Shearer hosts the show.

MTV2 has supported the special with the following programming on-air and online:

· MTV2 has supported the special with the following programming on-air and online:
Cartel hosted MTV2’s daily rock countdown, T-Minus Rock, during the week of Aug. 14.

· MTV2 VJ Ebro hosted the channel’s daily hip-hop countdown, Sucker Free, which has been Madden NFL 07-themed all week, highlighting exclusive game footage.

· On Saturday, AFI appeared on Rock Countdown talking about the game and showing gameplay footage.

· MTV.com will feature the entire Music of Madden 07 special on Overdrive.

· This week marked the debut of Twitch, a new short-form videogame feature from Gametrailers.com with the first of three pieces on the game.