AOL Music Announces New Initiatives in Online Music.

Business and Technology Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 23, 2001

Artist Discovery Network, Radio@AOL, and Other Advances

to Create New Opportunities for Consumers to

Conveniently Discover and Experience Music

AOL Music Channel Ranked the no.1 Online

Music Destination By Media Metrix

America Online, Inc., the world's leading interactive services company (NYSE: AOL), today announced a range of initiatives that will transform the online music experience for AOL members and other Internet users by offering new ways to discover, experience and own music in one familiar, easy-to-use environment, and lay a foundation for innovations ranging from new forms of music programming to subscription-based online music services.

The company announced two new offerings, the Artist Discovery Network, an all-new outlet for music fans featuring content from major and independent record companies, and Radio@AOL, a breakthrough new service that transforms the conventional radio experience. These initiatives, together with a range of new enhancements to the service's popular music offerings and content, will allow AOL to provide the online audience -ranging from die-hard fans to the casual listener - with a depth, breadth and level of convenience that consumers have not had before in a single, integrated music platform.

The initiatives announced today extend AOL Music's own leading properties - the AOL(R) Music Channel, Spinner(TM) and Winamp(TM) - which together are visited by nearly 25 million unique users each month. AOL's Music Channel alone had 23 million unique users last month and was the no.1 music destination for June, according to Media Metrix. Spinner.com continues to be the most popular Internet radio offering, with over 150 channels of original programming, while the Winamp player now has more than 90 million registered installations, more than triple the number from a year ago.

Kevin Conroy, Senior Vice President and Head of AOL Music, said: "The programming, products and services we're introducing will expand opportunities for consumers to experience music in a variety of ways. AOL's wide range of music assets and expertise positions us to drive the growth of digital music and make the Internet even more central to members' lives."

AOL's integrated applications weave together the ability to listen to Internet radio, to access information about artists and music content, to play CDs and download music, and to connect with an online music community, and make it more convenient for consumers to enjoy and personalize music online. AOL's integrated music offerings will also help to fuel the growing adoption of broadband by linking today's digital music experience with services designed to take advantage of faster high-speed, "always on" connections.

New AOL Music Initiatives

- AOL(R) Artist Discovery Network lets members discover the best of online
music such as premiere original programming, in-depth artist information,
genre-based "Listening Lounges," and localized content via direct zip code
links to AOL Local's music pages. Artist Discovery Network will feature content
from major and independent record labels including Arista, Ark 21, Atlantic,
Dreamworks, Elektra, Grand Royal, J Records, Priority, RCA, RLG, TVT and Warner
Bros., as well as the rich programming and editorial perspectives of partners
such as Digital Club Network CNN Worldbeat, and National Public Radio (AOL
Keyword: Artist Discovery Network).

- Radio@AOL blends traditional radio features with top-of-the-line original
content, programming from leading partners and integrated retail offerings.
Launching this fall, the breakthrough new radio service will take its place on
the toolbar of America Online's next-generation AOL 7.0, where it will become a
key part of the AOL experience for the service's over 30 million members. Among
the 50-plus channels of innovative programming at Radio@AOL, members will find
news, information and entertainment, as well as AOL exclusive programming,
including an interactive weekly countdown show, celebrity-programmed and
kids-only channels, holiday features and other original offerings.

Artist Discovery Network and Radio@AOL join a wide range of enhanced features and services to help consumers discover, experience and own music online, including:

- Ground Zero(TM), AOL Music's weekly new music show featuring host

Chris Douridas, will now offer members in search of the hottest

new music the chance to peruse archives of content from Chris'

wide-ranging, intimate interviews and live performances from both

established and up-and-coming musicians. This week Ground Zero

presents singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco performing songs from her

all-new album Revelling/Reckoning.

- "Artist of the Month," AOL Music's innovative multimedia showcase

for top artists - such as Janet Jackson and Sugar Ray and current

"Artist of the Month," P. Diddy - brings members content ranging

from video sneak previews and global listening parties to

exclusive tracks, advance ticket sales, news, photos and more

across AOL's music properties. Next month, AOL Music will

spotlight 'NSYNC.

- Spinner(TM) 4.0, the recently released version of AOL's number one

Internet-based radio service featuring easier access to the

richest selection of original audio programming. Available now at

www.spinner.com, Spinner gives listeners over 150 channels of

originally programmed music.

- AOL(R) Media Player, a new enhanced version of the popular and

easy-to-use multimedia player that supports all major audio

formats will debut in the new AOL 7.0 service this fall and offer

CD playback.

- AOL(R) Music Search, a new music-centric search engine that

enables members to easily explore the music universe via song

clips, images and links to both leading content and retailing

partners such as Rolling Stone and CD Now.

- MusicNet(TM), the online subscription music service scheduled to

launch later this year, will give members the ability buy and

listen to digital music within the convenient AOL environment from

one of the world's largest libraries.

Later this year, AOL will also launch a variety of new music features such as customizable radio, a sophisticated music recommendation tool for a more personal listening experience and expanded access to exclusive broadband content. All products will focus on making it easy for consumers to explore the music they love, to interact with artists and other fans, and to obtain digital music, concert tickets and related products.

Mr. Conroy continued: "With broadband poised to become more widely available, we're also taking the lead in building a bridge for consumers between today's products and services and the online music future. By seamlessly integrating a complementary range of music-related offerings, we're able to redefine online music for the mass market today and lay a foundation for exciting new experiences to come."

Bringing Together the Best in Online Music Entertainment

AOL's online music platform also leverages a number of AOL Time Warner(TM) programming and promotional assets to create and deliver a richer online music experience that benefits both AOL members and marketing partners, including the AOL Entertainment and AOL Teen Channels, and AOL's Web-based services such as ICQ(R) and Netscape(R). AOL Music's Spinner and Winamp will develop new opportunities for music fans to listen and chat in collaboration with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM(R)) and ICQ.

AOL Music can also draw upon AOL Time Warner's expansive entertainment possibilities to provide unique content and benefits to AOL members including brands such as Teen People(R) and The WB(R), the number one television network among female teens. AOL is sponsoring the "Madonna Drowned World Tour 2001," which features the Warner Music-released CD Music and other material from throughout Madonna's phenomenal career. As part of the tour sponsorship, AOL gave members the first chance to purchase tickets to U.S. concerts, and the AOL service will be promoted at all the concerts and will make downloads of the concert music, photos, video clips, interviews, chats and other content available online.

Beginning next month, HBO will expand the influence of its innovative series "Reverb" with exclusive online programming and promotion on AOL (AOL Keyword: Reverb). AOL is also the online home for Popstars, The WB's smash hit reality TV series chronicling the development of new musical acts such as Eden's Crush, the five-woman band that made history by becoming the first female group to have its first single debut at no.1 on the Billboard 200.

About AOL Music

AOL Music brings together AOL's leading music brands to reach the largest audience of online music fans in the world through a rich array of options making it easy to discover, experience, and buy music on the Internet. AOL Music's combined offerings include the AOL Music Channel, the top Internet music destination; Winamp, the most popular audio jukebox; Spinner, the first and largest Internet radio broadcaster and SHOUTcast(R) the cutting edge audio homesteading tool. AOL Music also provides music programming and services throughout the AOL service and family of brands including AOL Plus(TM), Netscape(R), CompuServe(R) and ICQ(R).

About America Online, Inc.

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner, Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.