Universal Republic Rockers Hinder Crowned #1 at Top 40 Radio, #1 Digital Artist.

Rock Anthem 'Lips Of An Angel' Affirms Breakout Band's Status as Artist Development Story of the Year

Acclaimed Debut Album ' Extreme Behavior ' Nears 40 ( th ) Consecutive Week on Top Albums Chart

NEW YORK -- In the skip-forward, song shuffling world that now powers mainstream music, there's one band ruling the 2006 pop, rock, alternative, Hot AC radio and digital roost with unprecedented command: Universal Republic rockers Hinder - who continue to make history this week as they seize the #1 spot on both the Top 40 Pop Radio chart and the Digital Download chart with their scorching rock hit " Lips Of An Angel." The searing anthem has put the band on or near the top a multiple of radio formats, and earned them top honors on a dizzying array of digital charts, including Yahoo, iTunes, Real/Rhapsody and MSN. The popular song has also ruled the influential Active Rock Radio Chart for 30 consecutive weeks, peaking at #2, (currently #9 and soaring at Alternative Radio) solidifying its status as the multi-format smash phenomenon of this - or any year - for a debut rock artist!

The Oklahoma band has re-written the record books as the grassroots-artist development story of the year, (crowned Yahoo's ' Who's Next' success story in September), with their platinum-plus debut album, Extreme Behavior - released more than a year ago - holding down an incredible 39 week run as the pivotal rock fixture on The Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart for 2006, currently logging in at #6.

Anointed by fans and critics alike as rock's new standard bearers, the fiery rockers' refusal to be pigeonholed early on earned them an incredible multi-format radio audience of more than 100 million listeners. The raucous fivesome is one of the only rock bands in recent memory to jostle established superstar artists such as Justin Timberlake, Sean Paul, and Shakira aside, and nail down the top spot in the competitive Top 40 Radio arena.

Even more amazing, the group has earned these honors without relinquishing their take-no-prisoners rock swagger, establishing themselves as relentless road warriors, hailed by both VH1 and MTV as music's newest rock video icons. "They are a hard-working, no-frills, straight-ahead rock band that flies in the face of any lab-tested, pre-conceived notions of what contemporary music consumers are hungering for," stated Monte Lipman, Co-founder and President of Universal Republic Records. "Like all of the best rock bands, they've garnered the respect of the entire music community by great word of mouth - one fan at a time."

The group's scorching anthem, which single-handedly put rock balladry back on the mainstream map, is also the breakout radio story of the year. Hinder's methodical rise has become the most indelible #1 rock story in recent memory, emblematic of both Universal Republic's and the Oklahoma band's grind-it-out, build-from-your base philosophy. Their debut single, "Get Stoned," climbed all the way to #2 on the Active Rock chart, with their third single, "How Long," already breaking the Top 20 of the sturdy rock format. Their explosive mainstream acceptance can also be gleamed in their recent takeover of the digital domain. The group currently reigns as the top digital artist in the U.S., with their #1 rated MySpace site putting up some staggering numbers: An amazing 9 million profile views, with " Lips Of An Angel" garnering 27 million audio plays and the site drawing 360,000 friends.

The tireless rockers continue to win new fans via a series of successful tours, most recently joining a variety of summer and fall treks that featured rock stalwarts such as Godsmack, Nickelback and Staind, as well as currently ripping through their own sold-out series of live dates through December, including some shows with 3 doors Down and Staind. Hinder is Austin Winkler (vocals), Mark King (guitar), Blower (guitar), Mark Rodden (Bass), Cody Hanson (drums).