LEGENDARY HIP HOP LABEL DEFINITIVE JUX MOVES TO THE ORCHARD FOR WORLDWIDE DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING

Label Co-Founders, Jaime Meline, aka El-P, and Amaechi Uzoigwe, to Advise on Programs and Policies to Advance Interests of Independent Music Sector

NEW YORK – May 1 2007 - The Orchard, the world’s leading digital distributor and marketer of independent music, today announced that celebrated independent hip hop label Definitive Jux has moved from DMGI to The Orchard for exclusive worldwide digital distribution and marketing. El-P and Uzoigwe will also work with the Orchard to further develop, promote and amplify the goals and rewards of the independent marketplace.

Founded in 1999 by Uzoigwe and El-P to release uncompromising music on their own terms and to empower artists both creatively and financially, Definitive Jux’s rapid success quickly established it as a force in independent music. Releases from artists such as Aesop Rock, Rjd2, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif and El-P cemented the label’s reputation for successfully creating, marketing and selling cutting-edge hip hop music.

On March 20th, Definitive Jux released “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead,” El-P’s first album in five years and one of the most talked about independent albums of 2007. Featuring collaborations with guests such as Trent Reznor, The Mars Volta and Cat Power, “I’ll Sleep…” paves the way for the next phase of the evolution of hip hop. Since the seminal release of his 1997 album Funcrusher Plus (Rawkus) with former group Company Flow, El-P has been an icon in and beyond the independent and hip hop worlds, constantly pushing the envelope of creativity and expression. In addition to producing his own albums, he has produced several for other artists as well as remixes for the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Beck, The Mars Volta, Ghostface Killah and more, and scored an acclaimed soundtrack to the film “Bomb the System”. The Orchard will distribute and market “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” to all major digital and mobile stores worldwide, and will coordinate all online promotions to support his 26-date North American tour. Marketing plans include a recording for Amp’d Mobile’s “Amp’d Studio Sessions”; Flyentology 3-pack on iTunes with the single, a remix and the video created by Adult Swim; and an “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” video scavenger hunt hosted on social networking site imeem.

Commenting on the partnership, El-P said “As the old paradigms of the recording industry melt away, it’s companies like The Orchard who have the opportunity to put their fingerprint on the direction and spirit of what is to come. I am incredibly excited to work with them to help bring and create a culture to the frontier of digital music that will not only be forward thinking and progressive, but will actually mean something to the way art and commerce will be integrated in the new millennium. Amaechi and I have been searching for people with the right vision, mechanism and intent to partner with in this most important of realms and we have surely found them in the amazing staff of The Orchard."

Uzoigwe and Meline will also advise The Orchard on how best to utilize its market-leading position to further the interest of independent artists and labels through new business development opportunities, retail partner negotiation approaches, lobbying efforts and other initiatives. This appointment comes at a critical time. There is a surge of digital sales from and audience interest in independent music and culture, but at the same time, it is a pivotal time where policy decisions could materially impact the opportunities digital retail and promotion offers for the independent sector.

As a co-founder and manager of the iconic independent hip hop label Definitive Jux, Uzoigwe has long been at the forefront of independent music. Recognized by his peers for his vision, leadership and diplomacy, Uzoigwe serves as Chairman of the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), a nonprofit advocacy and lobby group advancing the collective interests of US-based independent labels. Additionally, he is the co-founder of World’s Fair, an artist and label management company representing clientele such as Rough Trade, The Flaming Lips, El-P, Definitive Jux, BBE, Pela, Bella Union, British Sea Power and more. Amaechi is also the co-proprietor of the PLUG Independent Music Awards and has managed the careers of artists such as El-P, Tortoise, The Anti Pop Consortium, Saul Williams, Mike Ladd and others.

“This new relationship for Definitive Jux represents an incredible opportunity to join forces with a digital partner that shares our vision for this new marketplace and is able to engage it progressively, aggressively and successfully. As a label, we have always leaned forward into the future and teaming up with The Orchard provides us with the resources to significantly amplify that reach. We are both emboldened and excited by the chance to make history together,” said Amaechi Uzoigwe.

“The Definitive Jux catalogue and track record speaks for itself, and ‘I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead’ speaks for the future of the hip hop genre. It’s a thrill to market and promote such fantastic and iconic music. Equally, El-P and Amaechi’s passion, vision and commitment to our shared desire to seize this moment in evolution of the music industry to assert the proper and vital role of independent artists and labels marks an exciting day in our ten-year history,” said Greg Scholl, president and chief executive of The Orchard.

About Definitive Jux
Widely considered to be the industry’s preeminent independent hip hop brand, Definitive Jux has been consistently championed by fans, the media, retailers, tastemakers, celebrities and artists worldwide. Once described by an esteemed journalist as “the bastard child of Def Jam and Sub Pop”, the label has made its mark with highly creative, impassioned and powerful music that stays true to the essence of hip hop even while charting new territory for the art form. Founded on the belief that there is a new way to make, market and sell music successfully, this NYC-based label has given birth to many of the genre’s leading lights, including El-P, RJD2, Aesop Rock, Cannibal Ox, Mr. Lif, MURS and Cage, making it responsible for some of the most important hip hop music of this decade. In addition to selling a considerable amount of records, the label has seen in its music licensed repeatedly for film and tv, its videos picked up by major media outlets, its artists tour throughout the world and engendered successful co-ventures with companies like Adult Swim, MTV, URB magazine and Palm Pictures. In 2006, Def Jux launched its own digital music store (The Pharmacy) to great acclaim and success, and was the first of its kind to offer digital and physical purchasing in one shopping cart. For more information, please visit www.definitivejux.net.

About The Orchard
The Orchard is the world’s largest and leading digital distributor and marketer of music. The Orchard staffs offices in 27 countries and controls an unparalleled catalogue of over one million songs from 73 countries, thousands of labels, and every conceivable music genre and era. This catalogue spans international multi-platinum acts; cutting-edge, breaking bands; and iconic and historically significant regional music. The Orchard supplies music and video to the leading digital music stores and mobile operators throughout the world, and executes global marketing and promotion programs locally, with experts in every music territory managing initiatives tailored to each country's unique dynamic. The Orchard works as a close business partner with its label clients, retail sales and marketing, an extensive suite of online promotional programs, synchronization placement, global royalty collection, global publishing administration, and in some cases, co-production investment capital. The Orchard also provides strategic media services to an impressive roster of digital retailers and leading consumer brands, ranging from publishing research, licensing and administration through comprehensive online and offline branding programs. The Orchard was founded over a decade ago as the first company to provide independent artists and labels with broad and fair access to distribution, and takes great pride in its commitment to fair and equal treatment for all labels, regardless of size or location.