Local LIC biz, Amie Street, releases 15,000 songs from independent artists

For those music lovers out there, here’s a Press Release from a local Long Island City business, Amie Street, which provides a great website promoting independent music. Check them out.

Hello:

Today, 2/26/08, Amie Street is releasing the entire catalogs of Beggars Group (XL, Rough Trade, 4AD), Matador Records and Polyvinyl Recording Co. — more than 15,000 songs.

Thom Yorke, Cat Power, Interpol, of Montreal, Devendra Banhart, The New Pornographers, Sigur Rós, Yo La Tengo, Pavement, Belle and Sebastian, and Architecture In Helsinki are just a few of the artists now available on AmieStreet.com.

This is an exciting new development in the digital music world, as more and more artists embrace fan-based pricing as a viable music sales model.

These artists, like all songs on Amie Street, are initially free to download and rise in price based on popularity, up to $0.98.

Check out the [press release] for more information, go to AmieStreet.com for the music, and feel free to call or email me with any questions.

Thanks, Zane

• Amie Street [Official Website]

PRESS RELEASE

Major Indie Artists Release Albums On AmieStreet.com, Giving Pricing Power To Fans

New York, NY (Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008) - Cat Power, The National, and Of Montreal are among the many distinguished artists releasing their music on AmieStreet.com today.

The release of top artists from industry leaders Beggars Group, Matador Records, and Polyvinyl Recording Co. reinforces the growing trend of fan-driven pricing as the future of the music industry.

“More than just a place to sell music, Amie Street is a great marketing tool for our labels and artists,” said Lesley Bleakley, CEO of Beggars Group USA. “They know that to successfully sell music you have to provide customers with much more than just a buy button. They give customers a social experience around music discovery that has up to this point been lacking in digital retail.”

All songs on Amie Street, including the thousands being released today, are initially free to download and then rise in price based on popularity, up to 98 cents. AmieStreet.com is the only online music store where fans determine the price of songs.

Today’s release will also include such artists as Interpol, The New Pornographers, Sigur Rós, Pavement, Yo La Tengo, Devendra Banhart, Belle and Sebastian, Architecture In Helsinki and many more.

“We couldn’t be more excited to offer these incredible artists to our customers,” said Peter Asbill, Chief Content Officer for AmieStreet.com. “This is an important validation of Amie Street’s vision that empowering customers is the best way to maximize revenue for the artists.”

About AmieStreet.com

AmieStreet.com is the first digital music store to leverage community-driven pricing and social discovery tools to make buying music fun, easy and social. Founded in the Spring of 2006, AmieStreet.com is a site where the community determines the price of songs, which start out free and rise in price the more they are purchased. For recommending songs that subsequently rise in price, AmieStreet.com rewards its members with free downloads. Amazon.com led AmieStreet.com’s Series A round of financing in August 2007. The company is located in New York City.