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SONGPRO REEMERGES WITH MAJOR NEW
DEVELOPMENTS
First
African American Digital Audio Device Manufacturer Announces
New Team Members Jon Richmond and Dr. Marc Hannah and Distribution
Partnership with RioPort, Inc. in Preparation for Fall Retail
Launch
Los Angeles
- After spending the last two years refining its SongPro player,
Ronald L. Jones, founder and chairman of SongPro, Inc., along
with Mark A. Bush, co-founder and vice president of business
development, have reemerged with the announcement of major
new developments for the company. SongPro made media headlines
soon after its founding in 2000 with the announcement of the
first upcoming device with the capability of converting the
Nintendo® Game Boy® into a digital music and multimedia player.
The SongPro player is now scheduled to launch at retailers
nationwide this fall. SongPro, Inc. is the first African American
owned portable digital multimedia device manufacturer in history.
The first
announcement is the appointment of Jon Richmond, former president
of News Digital Media, the digital arm of News Corporation,
and Dr. Marc Hannah, co-founder of Silicon Graphics, Inc.,
as CEO and CTO respectively. In addition to Richmond and Hannah,
Mark Dawson, former director of product development and content
at News Digital Media, and Paul Wylie, former vice president
of global operations for Activision, have joined the company,
as vice president of product development and vice president
of operations, respectively.
"I couldn't
be more pleased to have this new team of industry veterans
on board to usher in the launch of the first SongPro device
and create the blueprint for SongPro's strategic direction
moving forward," says Jones. "I was always taught that business
is an open-book test, allowing you to go out and get the best
minds and talent for the job."
The SongPro
device opens an exciting new channel for secure digital content
distribution squarely targeted at the coveted youth market
and the 125 million users of the Nintendo® Game Boy®. In addition
to supporting playback of traditional WMA/MP3 music files,
the SongPro device enables the playback of special SPA multimedia
files which integrate music with synchronized scrolling graphics
and text, such as album art and liner notes. These SPA files
will allow for the enjoyment of digital storybooks, photographs,
slide shows, digital stamp collecting and other entertainment
using the Nintendo® Game Boy® platform.
The second
announcement is SongPro's partnership with RioPort, Inc.,
the leading music application service provider. RioPort, Inc.
will deliver secure online music and multimedia downloads
for the SongPro player. Utilizing RioPort's PulseOne Media
ServiceT and Direct-to-Device (d2d) T technology, SongPro
device owners can easily access a large library of secure
music from major recording artists through any PC.
As SongPro
devices saturate the marketplace, the SongPro Network will
evolve to support a permission-based, personal approach to
the world of digital music. The Network will evolve to offer
its community of users thousands of secure music and multimedia
downloads, as well as core tools to extend their enjoyment,
including chat, e-mail and instant messaging. Users will also
have the ability to remotely access the Network from locations
other than their home through RioPort's direct-to-device (d2d)
technology. The SongPro business model provides for two principal
revenue sources the sale of hardware devices and the distribution
of secure content.
Tony Schaller,
chief technology officer of RioPort, Inc. cites, "We think
the SongPro business model is a great example of how digital
content delivery can increase revenue possibilities for content
holders and artists."
SongPro's
early promise of revolutionizing the industry is now fast
approaching with the 1.3 ounce player slated to hit retail
in Fall 2002 for $99.
States
co-founder Mark Bush, "The state of affairs for New Economy
companies and business models has been challenging since the
downturn of the U.S. market and economy. We're excited that
SongPro has been able to ride out the slump and to emerge
for the long haul. Recent technology modifications and SongPro's
initiatives to harness entertainment industry support should
make for a successful launch of the product."
To see
the SongPro player, and secure additional details and information,
go to www.songpro.com.
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