Download 2007 Announces Impressive Slate of Sponsors for its Acclaimed Interactive Festival

Download 2007 Announces Impressive Slate of Sponsors for its Acclaimed Interactive Festival

VOLKSWAGEN, adidas and CHAMPS SPORTS, NOWWHAT.com, AMERICAN EXPRESS, BURNLOUNGE, W HOTELS, GIBSON, NRDC ENHANCE DOWNLOAD EXPERIENCE WITH INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Live Nation, the world's largest live music company, announced featured interactive experiences in cooperation with premiere sponsors for Download 2007 today. The acclaimed music festival, scheduled this year in Boston, Washington State, Chicago and San Francisco, attracted sponsors specifically interested in developing unique ways to incorporate their brand into the festival programming and truly deliver on Download's mission to be the "ultimate interactive festival." Each Download 2007 sponsor, Volkswagen, American Express, adidas and Champs Sports, BurnLounge, NowWhat.com, W Hotels, Gibson and NRDC, will offer fans brand-exclusive and valuable onsite and online interactive experiences with artists and festival fans, including but not limited to, jamming with fellow musicians in a genuine garage style setting, experiencing the show with true VIP treatment like a rock star, a virtual photo booth, artist meet and greets, autograph sessions and more.

"The core of Download is to create an experience that connects fans to their favorite artists in a more distinctive and intimate fashion," said Christopher Swope, Vice President of National Alliances at Live Nation. "Each of the exciting interactive programming experiences at Download 2007 are enhanced through the participation of this year's strategic partners who make that connection even more memorable."

Volkswagen returns for the second consecutive year of a three-year sponsorship as the exclusive automotive sponsor for Download and the V-dub Road to Download club-events (concerts in club venues interspersed between the Download Festival dates). VW will host the V-dub Garage, an authentic garage-style environment where festival attendees can jam with supplied instruments and have their music digitally recorded and spotlighted on vw.com. Volkswagen will also be hosting an artist interaction stage where select Download bands extend to the fans a rare look into their lives on the road during free form Q & A sessions.

"The Volkswagen/Download music partnership is a logical extension to our history of supporting emerging musical artists," said Keith Price, Public Relations Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "The Download Festival is innovative in combining music with technology, and directly speaks to the people who buy Volkswagens."

adidas teams up with Champs Sports for the second year in a row at Download to bring fans a unique opportunity to "Walk In The Shoes of a Rock Star," giving them the chance to attend the festival like a rock star. In each market, a lucky fan and their entourage will be chauffeured to the show and given VIP treatment for the day with access to an artist meet-and-greet and a gift certificate for their favorite adidas product at Champs Sports. adidas and Champs Sports continue the interactive experience at each event by conducting a text-messaging promotion that will give fans the opportunity to upgrade their seats to an exclusive stage-level viewing area -- bringing fans even closer to the artists they love. Prior to each festival date, adidas and Champs Sports will be offering everyone the chance to experience Download by giving away tickets in each market via scratch and win cards distributed at select Champs Sports retail locations.

BurnLounge, the world's first fan-driven digital community, will create a dedicated Download Festival Community page featuring music from participating Download artists. Through the revolutionary technology of BurnLounge, fans can visit the Festival page for updates and more, as well as download the music they love, all in one place.

"The BurnLounge Community is about empowering and rewarding fans by driving the entire entertainment experience online; being a part of the Download Festival is an obvious extension of that objective and we're excited to be involved in such an important music experience for artists and their fans," said Anastacia K. Stathakis, BurnLounge Director of Events & Strategic Partnerships.

NowWhat.com is another returning sponsor and will be present at each venue with an on-site activation booth, including photo opportunities for fans to be viewed later online. NowWhat.com contest winners and special guests will also have access to special meet & greets with select artists. After the show, NowWhat.com will allow fans to get an exclusive view from behind the scenes at Download by logging on to NowWhat.com to watch video footage from backstage.

"We are excited to be a part of Download again in 2007 with this engaging consumer activation. Download is THE festival to reach our core target audience," said Bobby Wilkinson, National Sponsorship Marketing Manager for NowWhat.com.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) -- a national nonprofit organization of specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment -- will work with Live Nation to create a greener festival experience for Download 2007 events. Now, the festival that connects fans to their favorite bands like never before will also connect fans to a cause like never before. Among the initiatives being planned by Download Festival and the NRDC, are a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and artist and audience awareness outreach at the participating venues.

"With the impacts of global warming becoming more visible every day, green issues are permeating the culture like never before," said Kelly Cox, NRDC Marketing Associate. "Now eco-friendly behavior is beginning to cross into music festival experiences, and the music industry is helping to fuel the cultural shift. We're thrilled to be a part of the Download Festival, offering up the latest ideas, opportunities and information to an audience that's eager to engage."

Gibson is the official instrument provider of Download 2007 and will be providing various Gibson guitars and Slingerland drums to the Download Artist Master Class Workshops where select Download talent will share insight and knowledge about what it takes to become an accomplished artist in an intimate experiential setting that is focused on musical instruments and the song creation process. Fans will also have a chance to win Download-branded Epiphone guitars, artist-signed guitar straps, access to Gibson bus tours, and even a chance to tour the Gibson factory in Nashville.

American Express(R) Gold Card members, Platinum Card(R) members and Centurion(R) Card members will have the opportunity to redeem Membership Rewards points or purchase VIP experience packages in select Download markets including premium seats, access to VIP hospitality and official festival merchandise.

W Hotels returns as a Download sponsor for the third consecutive year and will be hosting exclusive festival after parties in select markets. "Music, design and technology are passions of W Hotels," said Ross Klein, President of Starwood Luxury Brands Group. "Just as W provides a destination for people to connect with one another, the Download Festival has created one of the most innovative and engaging music experiences to foster this connection."

   The Download Festival 2007 event dates and lineup includes:    -- August 18th at Boston's Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts: Modest      Mouse, Guster, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Neko Case, Wolf Parade, Band of Horses,      Bang Camaro, Apollo Sunshine   -- August 25th at Washington State's Gorge Amphitheatre: Modest Mouse,      Incubus, The Presidents of the United States of America, Nada Surf, The      Thermals, Arthur & Yu, The Heavenly States, Back Door Slam   -- September 2nd at Chicago's Charter One Pavilion: The Shins, Snoop Dogg,      Brand New, Band of Horses, Minus The Bear, Wolf Parade, Honeycut, De      Novo Dahl, Men Women & Children, The Veils   -- October 6th at San Francisco's Shoreline Amphitheatre: The Cure,      A.F.I., Kings of Leon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, She Wants Revenge,      Metric, Black Angels, 65Daysofstatic,  Vau De Vire Society    

Tickets for Download Festival 2007 range in price from $35-$65 and are available at http://www.livenation.com/ and http://www.downloadfestival.com/.

For additional information on Download 2007, please visit http://www.downloadfestival.com/.

About Live Nation

Live Nation is the world's largest live music company. Our mission is to inspire passion for live music around the world. We are the largest promoter of live concerts in the world, the second-largest entertainment venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence. We create superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, The Police, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay. Globally, we own, operate, have booking rights for and/or have an equity interest in more than 160 venues, including House of Blues(R) and Fillmore(R) music venues and prestigious locations such as Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London's Wembley Arena. Our websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment/event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. In addition, we also produce, promote or host theatrical, specialized motor sports and other live entertainment events. In 2006, we connected nearly 60 million fans with their favorite performers at approximately 26,000 events in 18 countries around the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV."

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Source: Live Nation

CONTACT: Susan Makarichev, Susan_Makarichev@dkcnews.com, or Rhett Usry,
Rhett_Usry@dkcnews.com, or Alana Salzberg, Alana_Salzberg@dkcnews.com, all of
Dan Klores Communications, +1-212-685-4300, for Live Nation; or John Vlautin
of Live Nation, +1-310-867-7127, johnvlautin@livenation.com

Web site: http://www.livenation.com/
http://www.downloadfestival.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment