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Press Release |
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Jamster and Warner Music Expand Relationship
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs First A-List Celebrity and Label CEO to Record
Ringtone Commercial Voice-over – for The Notorious B.I.G. Mobile
Music Products
MOUNTAIN
VIEW, California and NEW YORK – December 20, 2005 – Jamster,
a worldwide leader in mobile content and entertainment services and
a wholly owned subsidiary of VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), today announced
that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, founder and chief executive of Bad Boy Worldwide
Entertainment Group, is featured in a new advertisement promoting Jamster-exclusive
ringtones created from master recordings in The Notorious B.I.G. catalogue.
The Notorious B.I.G.’s latest album from Bad Boy Records, The Notorious
B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter, hits music retailers today. Bad Boy
Records is a joint venture with Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG).
Jamster has successfully worked with
WMG for almost a year. Jamster has distribution rights in WMG’s mobile
personalisation products catalogue, which allows it to offer consumers
ringtones and screensavers by WMG’s world-renowned stable of artists.
Earlier this year, WMG’s Warner Bros Records worked
with Jamster to provide consumers with early access to Asylum Records/Warner
Bros Records rap artist Mike Jones’ Top Five debut album by taking advantage
of ringtones. Together they created the first artist-endorsed Jamster
ringtone advertisement in the Americas. A band on WMG’s Asylum Records,
D4L, created a ringtone called ‘Laffy Taffy’ earlier this year that
has topped the Jamster Top 40 Ringtones chart for nearly three months.
‘This relationship with a diverse,
global content aggregator like Jamster allows Warner Music Group to
literally put our music-based content in the hands of mobile phone users
around the world,’ said Kevin Liles, Executive Vice President, Warner
Music Group. ‘As the mobile phone becomes an increasingly important
way for consumers to get their favourite music and entertainment, we’re
excited to be the first major music company to help fans connect to
music they love through Jamster and its network of dozens of wireless
providers.’
‘Warner Music Group provides Jamster with popular
mobile entertainment choices that individuals everywhere are using to
personalise their wireless experience,’ said Vernon Irvin, Executive
Vice President and General Manager, VeriSign Communications Services.
‘As labels move into the mobile broadband age, Jamster is helping the
music industry give consumers what they want, when and how they want
it.’
The advert featuring Diddy can be seen on BET, the
USA’s leading television network providing quality entertainment, music,
news and public affairs for the African-American audience.
About Jamster and VeriSign
Jamster International Sarl, a wholly owned subsidiary of VeriSign, Inc.,
is the world’s largest creator, aggregator and distributor of premier off-deck
mobile content, which includes music, games and community services.
Jamster content may be ordered using a short messaging service and is
distributed to carriers and consumers worldwide. Through VeriSign’s
Intelligent Communications, Commerce and Content Services, the company
delivers content on-boarding, licence aggregation, formatting, catalogue
management, mediation, subscription management, rating, and billing
and payment integration. Additional news and information is available
at www.jamster.com
and www.verisign.co.uk.
About Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group (WMG) became the only stand-alone music company to
be publicly traded in the United States in May 2005. With its broad
collection of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is
home to many of the best-known record labels in the music industry,
including Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, East West, Elektra, Lava, Maverick,
Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Sire, Warner Bros and Word. Warner Music International,
a leading company in national and international repertoire, operates
through numerous international affiliates and licencees in more than
50 countries. Warner Music Group also includes Warner/Chappell Music,
one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalogue of more
than one million copyrights worldwide.
For More Information
VeriSign Media Relations: Lori Sinsley, lsinsley@verisign.com,
001 650-426-4716
VeriSign Investor Relations: Tom McCallum, tmccallum@verisign.com,
001-650-426-3744
Warner Music Group: Amanda Collins, amanda.collins@wmg.com,
001-212-275-2213
Trademarks
VeriSign, Jamster and other trademarks, service marks and logos
are registered or unregistered marks of VeriSign and its subsidiaries
in the United States and in foreign countries. Copyright © 2005 VeriSign,
Inc. All rights reserved.
Statements in this announcement other than historical
data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements
involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results
to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking
statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others,
the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations
in quarterly operating results due to such factors as the inability
of VeriSign to successfully develop and market new products and services
and customer acceptance of any new products or services, including Jamster
services; the possibility that VeriSign’s announced new services may
not result in additional customers, profits or revenues; and increased
competition and pricing pressures. More information about potential
factors that could affect the company's business and financial results
is included in VeriSign's filings with the US Securities and Exchange
Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2004 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking
statements after the date of this press release.
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