VERVE & HDTRACKS TEAM UP TO DELIVER 96/24 SOUND

The Verve Music Group, the world's leading jazz label and a division of Universal Music Group, has recently announced a new agreement with HDtracks whereby it will provide consumers with access to many of the world's chart-topping and seminal jazz recordings in better-than-ever pristine 96/24 quality sound. "With HDtracks, Verve continues to bring consumers more choice in how they enjoy music online," stated Nate Herr, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Verve Music Group. "Along with the digital revolution, sound quality online has suffered. And for jazz fans in particular, this has been an issue. At least until now. Through HDtracks, jazz lovers will now be able to download DVD quality sound, as well as get full artist biographies, album descriptions and reviews, all of which creates an even richer musical experience."

Transfer of Verve 96K masters was done using a combination of the best new and vintage equipment available. The carefully chosen original analog masters were played back on vintage Studer 820 tape machines. These machines provide the most stable transport for handling these priceless analog tapes. The analog masters were converted to the digital domain using classic DCS 972 and Lavry analog to digital converters and recorded directly onto a SoundBlade Workstation with minimal processing in order to allow the music to be formatted for digital distribution. The shortest signal path and highest quality cabling were used to prevent any signal loss and additional noise from being introduced into the transfer. The entire digital process was driven with the Antelope Audio Atomic Clock, the industry leader in digital clocking technology. It enables the entire digital process to reference the same highly regulated clock master, preventing any loss in the digital signal due to jitter and clock degradation.

The Verve Music Group is a division of Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company with wholly-owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. UMG's businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation. Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino and Verve Music Group, as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. The Universal Music Group owns the most extensive catalog of music in the industry, which includes the last 100 years of the world's most popular artists and their recordings. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division; and Helter Skelter, its live music agency.

HDtracks was founded by multi Grammy-nominated jazz and classical composer and inventor of new sound technology, David Chesky and his brother, Norman Chesky, HDtracks raises the bar for digital download sound quality and enjoyment. Developed by musicians for musicians, HDtracks provides a superior listening experience in purity, tone and expression, presenting uncompressed CD and DVD audio quality and crystal-clear recordings of each world-class musician, vocalist and ensemble. HDtracks presents artists in the best possible light, allowing listeners to experience the true depth of their talent and individuality. David says, "The tone is what moves us. It is the poetry of the music. It is what gives artists their own identities." HDtracks deepens the listeners' experience beyond the music by being the only digital music service to provide complete liner notes with every download. "Listening to an album without liner notes is like going to a concert without a program. The writers add to and enrich the musical experience."