Crowfly Launches With On-Demand Digital Download of Top Concert Tours

Crowfly Launches With On-Demand Digital Download of Top Concert Tours

First Offering Includes Mark Knopfler's Shangri-La World Tour at the Historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Today 821 Entertainment Group, Inc. announced the launch of Crowfly Digital Entertainment, LLC (Crowfly) and the introduction of the ultimate encore: Crowfly LIVE digital concert downloads debuting with legendary artist Mark Knopfler's 2005 Shangri-La World Tour. Crowfly's initial service offering features digital downloads of entire concert tours; the first concert available will be Mark Knopfler's performance on July 13th at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium as well as select concerts from the entire world tour to-date. Crowfly has partnered with technology firm PassAlong Networks to provide the core technology for this revolutionary service.

Knopfler, the acclaimed solo artist and former front man of rock group Dire Straits performs many of the songs from his recently released album, "Shangri-La." Fans can go directly to Knopfler's web site beginning July 14, www.mark-knopfler.com and enter into a Mark Knopfler-branded experience that includes the exclusive full concert recordings of select concert dates from the Shangri-La World Tour for only $14.99. The July 13th concert will be available for download on July 14th. In addition, Mark's complete discography is available at only $9.00 per album as well as other customized features including "Passing-and-Points(TM)," an online rewards program for sharing Mark's music with fans through e-mail and instant messaging.

Mark Knopfler commented, "I have never objected to fans recording performances for themselves. However, with this new technology we are in a position to give our audiences something of the highest quality they can keep as a lasting souvenir of the night."

Crowfly, a division of media, entertainment and technology holding company 821 Entertainment Group, Inc. was created to provide the most comprehensive artist-driven digital media management and delivery system offering a customized, turnkey, secure technology platform and interactive services integrated into individual artists' websites. The offering was designed specifically to enable artists to electronically distribute music, videos, and other content in a manner beneficial to all stakeholders including record labels, music publishers, retail and especially fans, providing them with exclusive content such as live concerts and an artist-branded experience.

"Being first and foremost music fans, we are naturally enthusiastic about our ability to enable artists to develop deeper relationships with their fan base, grow that base and monetize it by providing value around exclusive content," commented Crowfly founder Eric Geadelmann, a technology entrepreneur and independent film and music producer.

Co-founder and music executive Anastasia Brown added, "Working with iconic artists such as Mark, and progressive technologists such as PassAlong Networks, Crowfly offers the ability for artists to control and distribute their own concert performances. There will be no better place for fans to get premium music, video, etc. then from their favorite artists."

Crowfly has partnered with technology firm PassAlong Networks to provide the core technology that features a patent-pending media distribution system designed to work across all operating systems and platforms and is device-independent. Initially launching with Windows Media DRM, Crowfly can incorporate any DRM or music file format and provide flexibility in the selection of rules for number of device and portable player transfers and CD burns. The platform provides Passing-And-Points(TM), an innovative music sharing system that actually rewards fans for recommending songs or videos to friends with links to clips sent through email and instant messaging services from AOL, MSN and Yahoo! In addition, Crowfly is capable of data mining and analysis including Advanced Predictive Modeling.

PassAlong Networks founder and CEO, Dave Jaworski stated "We are excited to partner with Crowfly to demonstrate how artists like Mark Knopfler can bring their concert experiences to millions of music fans through PassAlong's technology. Combining the immediacy of being able to purchase the entire concert the next day along with our unique Passing-and Points(TM) capabilities, Mark Knopfler fans who attend the concert can conveniently IM or email their friends encouraging them to hear the show digitally."

Mark Knopfler's July 13th concert at Ryman Auditorium is a fundraiser for the Chet Atkins Music Education Fund, which is dedicated to ensuring that there are always funds available to encourage and enable promising students as they pursue musical training. Mark is donating all of the proceeds of the concert to the charity. In addition, Crowfly is donating a portion of the download proceeds of the entire Shangri-La Tour to the Chet Atkins Music Education Fund and select European charities in Mark's name. Crowfly Digital Entertainment is dedicated to working with artists in an effort to impact culture, initially through donating a portion of the download proceeds of entire concert tours to charities designated by the artists.

Crowfly Digital Entertainment (www.crowflymusic.com) is an interactive services and digital media company that provides comprehensive "artist-driven" web-based applications and interactive solutions to the music industry including digital distribution. In addition, beyond digital distribution, Crowfly provides numerous production, marketing and content management services; including data mining and advanced predictive modeling. A subsidiary of Nashville-based holding company, 821 Entertainment Group, Crowfly was created in 2005 by select artists, producers, technologists and music and motion picture executives.

821 Entertainment Group, Inc. (www.821entertainment.com) is a privately held media, entertainment and technology holding company that is developing and acquiring assets in the motion picture, music and digital technology industries. 821 was founded in mid 2003 by technology entrepreneur -- turned independent film and music producer -- Eric Geadelmann and music executive Anastasia Brown joined the company in 2004 as a partner.

PassAlong Networks (www.passalongnetworks.com) is a media commerce platform that enables online communities to promote and exchange digital entertainment. With the industry's first Passing-and-Points(TM) program, users earn points that can be used toward future purchases by passing songs to friends via instant messenger, email, SMS, WiFi, and device-to-device transfer. The PassAlong platform can be branded and customized by clients to leverage the viral nature of the Passing-and-Points program to expand reach, build community, promote products and services, and generate revenues, while establishing a novel way for consumers to obtain points toward purchasing music, and exclusive content. PassAlong is Windows Media Plays-for-Sure(TM) compliant and has an extensive library of over one million licensed songs. Based in Nashville, Tenn., PassAlong was founded in 2002 and is a privately held entity of the Tennessee Pacific Group L.L.C.

About Mark Knopfler (www.mark-knopfler.com)

Songwriter and guitarist, Mark Knopfler is one of the most enduring, respected and original figures in modern music. Well known as frontman for the eternally popular Dire Straits, Knopfler made his first impact with hits such as "Sultans Of Swing" and "Money For Nothing," the song that helped immortalize the phrase "I Want My MTV." Among his landmark albums are Brothers In Arms, On Every Street and Sailing to Philadelphia. An accomplished and respected producer and performer, he has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Randy Newman, Chet Atkins, Emmylou Harris and scores of others. Knopfler's contribution to soundtracks includes Local Hero, Cal, The Princess Bride, Last Exit To Brooklyn and Wag The Dog. As a performer, his concerts attract sellout crowds worldwide.

Source: Crowfly Digital Entertainment, LLC

CONTACT: Ron Hofmann, rhofmann@bwr-la.com, or Amanda Gruder, agruder@bwr-la.com, of BWR Public Relations, +1-310-550-7776, for Crowfly Digital Entertainment, LLC; or Ronnie Lippin of The Lippin Group, +1-323-965-1990 ext 327, Ronnie@LippinGroup.com, for Mark Knopfler

Web site: http://www.crowflymusic.com/ http://www.mark-knopfler.com/ http://www.passalongnetworks.com/ http://www.821entertainment.com/

------- Profile: Ent