THE ORCHARD AND PPL RENEW STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

Hundreds of Orchard Distributed Labels Opt for Orchard's One-Stop Royalty Collection Solution

New York, NY and London, UK – March 26th 2007 - The Orchard, the world’s largest and leading digital distributor and marketer of independent music, today announced the renewal of its alliance with Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), the world's largest collector of sound recording airplay and performance royalties. The Orchard's PPL membership renewal is significant, as it ensures the collection of U.K. performance royalties for hundreds of Orchard-distributed labels and artists who have opted into The Orchard's one-stop royalty collection service. The raft of leading U.S. labels includes Cleopatra and Lookout Records, together with Mexican powerhouse Musart, and a host of significant labels in Australia, South America, Continental Europe, India, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.

The Orchard offers distributed labels a wide range of services to drive revenue that include royalty collection due for “neighbouring rights”; song synchronization placement in film, TV, advertising and games; U.S. digital mechanical licensing; and global sub-publishing services.

This strategic alliance with PPL provides The Orchard's distributed labels access to the world’s largest market for performance royalty collections, and in turn, brings to PPL an expanding universe of important global labels that opt-into The Orchard's offering.

"The Orchard has transcended traditional notions of “distribution” and emerged as a leading solutions provider helping its labels and artists make money in new and creative ways", said Greg Scholl, president and chief executive of The Orchard. "In the U.S., the concept of neighbouring rights is in its infancy and there is little understanding that labels control these rights globally. The Orchard is committed to maximizing its labels and artists revenues from all sources and our alliance with market leader PPL is an integral part of that vision."

About The Orchard
The Orchard is the world’s leading digital distributor and marketer of independent music, with a catalogue of more than one million tracks representing 73 countries, thousands of labels, and every music genre. This catalogue includes titles from multi-platinum acts such as Green Day, Coldplay, Ray Charles, and Ice T, as well as from breaking bands like The Hold Steady, Bedouin Soundclash, and Immortal Technique. The Orchard supplies all the leading legal digital music stores and mobile operators throughout the world and markets its labels’ catalogues for sync song placements in films, commercials, and television shows. The company is owned by Dimensional Associates, the private equity arm of JDS Capital Management, Inc. whose portfolio companies also include eMusic and Dimensional Music Publishing. The Orchard is headquartered in New York and London, with offices in 27 countries and six continents.