Sam Goody Opens Door for Philadelphia Band to Compete on National Stage at Bandemonium!

Business Editors & Entertainment/Music Writers

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2000

Band Was Selected from More than 800 Entries Around the Country

They came from all over the country - more than 800 strong - with the dream of making it big in the music industry. Now, after years of playing in garages, basements and small clubs, one Philadelphia band is closer to achieving its dreams.

Mr. Greengenes has moved to the quarterfinals of Sam Goody's Ultimate Band Search, Bandemonium. They will now compete head-to-head against a Boston band called Trigger Effect on January 21, in New York at the West Beth Theater. The bands will serve as the warm-up act for Capitol Records recording artists, Marcy Playground. The winner will be one step closer to the finals in Panama City, Florida.

"Mr. Greengenes is getting the push to make it to the top, which is Sam Goody's goal with Bandemonium - to help local, unsigned bands get exposure and introduce their music to fans, producers and promoters," said Marcia Appel, Musicland's Senior Vice President of Advertising, Brand Management and Communications. "This band has proved itself to industry experts, and now they will get to show their stuff live. It's a great event for the band and local music fans."

SFX, the world's leading promoter, producer and presenter of live entertainment, chose two quarterfinalists in each of eight regions across the country from more than 800 entries. These bands are all unsigned, and now have the unusual opportunity to gain visibility, introduce their music to a wider audience and compete for a chance to perform in the finals in Panama City, Florida, at one of the hottest Spring Break concerts of the year.

The judges said there were a lot of great bands with a lot of talent in this region, but Mr. Greengenes stood out with a unique sound. The Bandemonium judges complimented Mr. Greengenes' ability to perform many musical styles and praised the band's "overall production value and sharp snap of the mix."

The quarterfinalists will be judged by a panel including a record label representative, providing extremely valuable exposure to the participants. Videotapes of the performances will be judged by SFX to choose the finalists.

The grand-prize winner will receive a prize package worth more than $20,000. This includes $2,500 cash, studio time with a producer, and an array of Gibson musical equipment including an SG Standard guitar, an SG-Z bass guitar, amplifiers, and a five-piece Slingerland Spitfire drum kit. The second-place band will win $1,000. Regional winners receive $500 each.

Sam Goody is a division of Musicland Stores Corporation (NYSE: MLG). Based in Minneapolis, Musicland Stores Corporation is the leading specialty retailer of home-entertainment software products in the United States. As of December 31, 1999, the company operated 1,345 retail stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands under the names Sam Goody, Suncoast Motion Picture Company, Media Play and On Cue. In addition to its four store formats, Musicland also operates five commercial Web sites including: SamGoody.com (http://www.samgoody.com), Suncoast.com, Mediaplay.com, OnCue.com and Requestline.com. For additional information on Musicland Stores Corporation, visit the company's Web site at http://www.musicland.com.