Global Digital Music Service rara.com Launches Across New Zealand

Global Digital Music Service rara.com Launches Across New Zealand

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 14, 2011/PRNewswire/ --

- rara.com streaming music service to launch across New Zealand
- Ad-free access to >10 million tracks from just $1.99 per month in New Zealand
- HP to pre-load rara.com on HP PCs in New Zealand
- Grammy award winning Imogen Heap named first Associate Editor of rara.com
- rara.com secures licensing from Universal Music Group, Sony Music
Entertainment, EMI Music, Warner Music Group
- rara.com now live in 17 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the USA
- rara.com expected to launch in 6 more countries across the world this week
- rara.com releases consumer research showing 70% of consumers do not "do"
digital music today

rara.com, a revolutionary new digital music service designed specifically for the mass
market who still use CDs and want an easier way to adopt digital music, launches across
New Zealand today, less than 24 hours after launching across the USA, UK, Ireland, France,
Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands,
Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Canada, Mexico and four other territories in the Asia
Pacific region are expected to launch later this week.

To enable as many consumers as possible to experience the joys of rara.com, consumers
will be able to gain instant access to rara.com and a catalogue of over 10 million tracks
ad-free from just $1.99, for the first three months.

The new service will also be pre-loaded on the vast majority of New Zealand HP PCs and
also available on Android, iOS and other platforms.

Imogen Heap, who will sit on the new service's Music Advisory Board as an Associate
Editor, said, "I'm really excited to be an associate editor for rara.com. As an artist in
this transitional music business phase I believe that rara.com is heading sharply in the
right direction. I've travelled the world this year and have realised that even if fans
want to pay for artists' work consuming it legally online can often be very difficult.
rara.com is a super easy service for everyone to use and I love the information on tracks
and artists that rara.com gives you. This is just the beginning for rara.com and it's a
great start."

"Uniquely, you can experience access to all the music you want, ad-free, for less than
the price of a single track," said Tim Hadley, rara.com Director. "Whether you're into
Gaga or Elgar, rara.com is a new kind of streaming music service which makes accessing the
music you love online easier and more delightful than ever; type rara.com into your web
browser and you have a world of music at your fingertips."

The new service was developed following ICM Research* commissioned by rara.com which
shows at least 70% of consumers have not bought a digital music track in the past six
months, and that 60% have never experienced any form of digital music.

rara.com reaches this market by utilising a simple and beautiful user interface, which
removes the need to navigate or manage lists of digital media files, through a standard
web browser.

rara.com also features a wide selection of expertly curated music channels to suit
your every mood at the touch of a button making playing music online with rara.com as easy
as switching on your radio or CD player.

rara.com users can also share music through Facebook and other social networks.

rara.com has secured international licensing agreements with Universal Music Group,
Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group. Publishers and collection
societies have also licensed the service internationally with Omnifone creating a
catalogue of over 10 million tracks for rara.com users to enjoy.

"rara.com has delivered a music service that taps into an entirely new type of music
consumer," said Rob Wells, President of Global Digital Business for Universal Music Group.
"Instead of competing with existing digital music services, it's designed for the mass
market of consumers who have yet to do digital music at all."

"We are pleased to be partnering with rara.com [http://rara.com ] on the launch of
their new music service," said Michael Paull, Executive Vice President, Global Digital
Business, Sony Music Entertainment. "Growing the audience for digital music around the
world requires services that resonate with the mass market. rara.com [http://rara.com ]
has been designed with broad consumer appeal in mind with a simple interface that provides
a great music experience and accessibility across a range of devices."

"rara.com is a great new way for a whole new audience of fans to find, listen to and
share music online, building deeper connections with the artists they love and discovering
a world of new music as well," said Mark Piibe, Executive Vice President - Global Business
Development at EMI Music.

"The intuitive and thoughtfully designed interface combined with the curated channels
makes rara.com a service that will be accessible and appealing to a wide audience and,
potentially, an entry point for many people just starting the transition to digital
music." said Stephen Bryan, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy and Business
Development, Warner Music Group.

rara.com is powered by global cloud music service provider Omnifone. "Omnifone is
proud to be behind this global digital music service," said Omnifone CEO Jeff Hughes,
"rara.com's unique service is a great example of how a company can utilise Omnifone's
MusicStation Platform and unique global licensing services to bring a truly innovative
service to market."

rara.com's global footprint will more than double by the end of 2012.

Notes to editors:

*ICM Research: Sample 1000 adults.

Unique introductory pricing

Access to rara.com in New Zealand costs just $1.99 per month for the first 3 months
followed by a flat fee of $7.99 per month for online access (web), with mobile access to
rara.com on Android smartphones (web + mobile) just $2.99 per month for the first 3 months
then $13.99 per month.

Users are free to unsubscribe from the service at any time.

About rara media group

rara.com, announced today, is the new global digital music service designed for the
mass-market. rara.com parent rara media group limited is a private company, headquartered
in London with offices throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific and in North America. Licensed
globally by all of the major labels; Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI
Music and Warner Music Group, rara.com is partnered with digital music service provider
Omnifone.

About Omnifone

Omnifone is the leading independent provider of cloud music services for consumer
electronics vendors, ISPs, consumer brands, automotive and mobile companies globally
including Sony, Sony Ericsson, RIM and rara.com. With services licensed in 23 markets and
a global catalogue of over 12m licensed tracks, Omnifone has the widest global reach of
any cloud music service provider able to develop, license and run white label cloud music
services across virtually all connected device platforms including TVs, games consoles
(in-home and portable), set-top boxes, home cinema systems, Blu-ray players, picture
frames, cars, mobiles, PCs, tablets and web browsers. For further information visit
http://www.omnifone.com

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record
operations or licensees in 59 territories. Its businesses also include Universal Music
Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Def Jam Recordings,
Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Geffen Records, Interscope Records, Island
Records, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury
Records, Polydor Records, Motown, Universal Music Latino, Universal Republic and Verve
Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record
company subsidiaries around the world. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct
divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing
(outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes Global Digital Business, its new
media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; and Twenty-First
Artists, its full service management division.

Universal Music Group is a fully owned subsidiary of Vivendi (Euronext: VIV).

About Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that
includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company
boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It
is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including American
Recordings, Arista Nashville, Arista Records, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, BNA
Records, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records,
Flicker Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS,
Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Roc
Nation, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Gospel Music
Group, and Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Sony Corporation of America.

About Warner Music Group

With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home
to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum,
Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc,
Sire, Warner Bros. and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading
music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

About EMI Music

EMI Music is one of the world's leading music companies, representing artists spanning
all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note,
Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI
Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone, Virgin Classics and Virgin Records.

Source: rara

Further information: Tim Hadley, Director, rara.com, +447976410001, thadley@rara.com ; PR agency contacts: New Zealand: Sarah Creelman, Olgivy PR Worldwide, 61-402-210-612, sarahc@ogilvy.com.au

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