BitPass Expands Online Music Efforts With CD Baby Partnership

BitPass Expands Online Music Efforts With CD Baby Partnership Signs Distribution Agreement with Leading Indie Music Seller to Distribute Over 300,000 Songs from 76,000 Artists PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- BitPass, Inc., one of the leading Internet payments companies enabling digital content sales, today extended its reach in digital music by entering into a partnership with CD Baby, the largest seller of independent CDs on the Web, to distribute the retailer's complete collection of original music. Under the agreement, BitPass will make the 300,000+ tracks in CD Baby's digital distribution library available at BitPass' online music store, Mperia (www.mperia.com). In addition to providing valuable new exposure for CD Baby's 76,000 independent artists, the partnership lets those artists earn far higher returns on their music when sold on Mperia. "BitPass' goal aligns nicely with CD Baby's in that we are both working to offer independent artists distribution options while giving them the highest possible return for their work," said CD Baby President Derek Sivers. Already attracting thousands of unsigned musicians and independent labels, Mperia is recognized for breaking new ground by providing musicians with worldwide distribution and grassroots marketing tools, including the ability to upload, preview and sell individual songs and albums with no setup or monthly fees. Artists also benefit from Mperia's extensive networking functionality that makes it easy for consumers to discover, sample, share, and buy new music. "We're excited to be working with CD Baby to expand their distribution and introduce their massive collection of digital music from some of the most interesting artists available," said Michael O'Donnell, BitPass' Chief Executive Officer. "BitPass offers a complete solution for these artists, from the technology needed to easily distribute their digital music to a profitable business model that puts money in their pockets." The CD Baby library will be fully integrated into Mperia by early Q1 of 2005. About BitPass BitPass was founded in December 2002 to address the growing demand for digital content (music, video, photos, news, patents, etc.) and the need for publishers to efficiently monetize their online offerings through a-la-carte and subscription-based payment models. Since the company's production release of its service in December 2003, BitPass has signed over 1,500 vendors. The company has received venture funding from Worldview Technology Partners, Steamboat Ventures, RRE Ventures, First Data Corp., Garage Technology Ventures, Cardinal Venture Capital, Amicus Capital and others. For more information, visit www.bitpass.com. About CD Baby CD Baby does online sales and distribution for independent artists and labels. Founder and musician Derek Sivers was selling his own CD online in 1997, and he eventually asked a few friends if they'd like to sell their CDs there, too. Friends told friends and now over 76,000 artists sell their music through CD Baby. CD Baby has sold over one million CDs to customers worldwide, and paid over $10 million dollars to musicians. CD Baby's Digital Distribution program has deals with all major digital outlets such as Apple iTunes, MSN Music, Rhapsody, Napster, Sony Connect, and many others, making CD Baby one of the leaders in the aggregation of digital content. For more information, visit www.cdbaby.com. Source: BitPass, Inc. CONTACT: Johnny Wong of BitPass, +1-650-387-0027, or johnny@bitpass.com Web site: http://www.mperia.com/ Web site: http://www.cdbaby.com/ Web site: http://www.bitpass.com/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment