U.S. Teens Pick Usher to Win Two Top Honors at Upcoming 2005 GRAMMY Awards, According to New Harris Interactive Survey

U.S. Teens Pick Usher to Win Two Top Honors at Upcoming 2005 GRAMMY Awards, According to New Harris Interactive Survey ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- If teenagers could decide, the race for the 47th Annual GRAMMY(R) Awards would result in a big day for R&B recording star Usher, according to a new Harris Interactive(R) survey. This year's results show that teens have little appreciation for the work of the late Ray Charles, as they give Usher the nod over Charles for both Record of the Year and Album of the Year by a five-to-one margin. "The Reason" by Hoobastank is teen's pick for Song of the Year while Los Lonely Boys is favored by teens as the Best New Artist. The Harris Interactive YouthQuery(SM) Omnibus of 622 teens in the United States, aged 13 through 18, was conducted online from December 15 through 22, 2004. The poll covered the four most popular GRAMMY categories and gave teens an opportunity to pick their favorites. Results include: * Record of the Year: "Yeah!" By Usher Featuring Lil' Jon and Ludacris (40%); "American Idiot" by Green Day (27%); "Let's Get It Started" by The Black Eyed Peas (16%); "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys (9%); and "Here We Go Again" by Ray Charles and Norah Jones (8%). * Album of the Year: "Confessions" by Usher (41%); "American Idiot" by Green Day (28%); "The Diary of Alicia Keys" by Alicia Keys (14%); "The College Dropout" by Kanye West (9%); and "Genius Loves Company" by Ray Charles and various artists (8%). * Song of the Year: "The Reason" by Hoobastank (28%); "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw (20%); "Jesus Walks" by Kanye West (19%); "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys (19%); and "Daughters" by John Mayer (13%). * Best New Artist: Los Lonely Boys (45%); Maroon5 (6%); Joss Stone (27%); and Kanye West (11%). "This is the fifth year Harris Interactive has conducted a teen GRAMMY poll," said John Geraci, vice president of Youth Research. "In the past, we have found that teenager's preferences on who should win are not usually reflected in the views of GRAMMY voters. Teens are widely acknowledged as trendsetters when it comes to new music, but the industry has yet to embrace their views, at least when it comes to GRAMMY night. That may be something the industry wants to reconsider, considering teen's purchases of music and their affect on the music tastes of the nation." The 47th Annual GRAMMY(R) Awards will air February 13, 2005, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on the CBS television network. Methodology The Harris Interactive YouthQuery(SM) omnibus was conducted online within the United States between December 15 and 22, 2004 among a nationwide cross section of 622 teens, aged 13-18 years. Figures for age, sex, race, education, region and urbanicity were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. teen population (ages 13-18 years) had been polled with complete accuracy. Unfortunately, there are several other possible sources of error in all polls or surveys that are probably more serious than theoretical calculations of sampling error. They include refusals to be interviewed (non-response), question wording and question order, and weighting. It is impossible to quantify the errors that may result from these factors. This online sample was not a probability sample. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. J19842 Q800, Q805, Q810, Q815 About Harris Interactive(R) Harris Interactive Inc. (http://www.harrisinteractive.com/), the 15th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, N.Y.-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll(R) and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results. Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries: London-based HI Europe (http://www.hieurope.com/), Paris-based Novatris (http://www.novatris.com/), Tokyo-based Harris Interactive Japan, through newly acquired WirthlinWorldwide (http://www.wirthlinworldwide.com/), a Reston, Virginia-based research and consultancy firm ranked 25th largest in the world, and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online(SM) and be invited to participate in future online surveys, visit http://www.harrispollonline.com/. Press Contacts: Nancy Wong Harris Interactive 585-214-7316 Kelly Gullo Harris Interactive 585-214-7172 Harris Interactive Inc. 1/05 Web sites: http://www.harrisinteractive.com http://www.harrispollonline.com http://www.wirthlinworldwide.com http://www.hieurope.com http://www.novatris.com Source: Harris Interactive CONTACT: Nancy Wong, +1-585-214-7316, or Kelly Gullo, +1-585-214-7172 both of Harris Interactive ------- Profile: International Entertainment