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Universal Music invests in Loud.com The Universal Music Group said on Wednesday that it had acquired a stake in the operator of the urban social networking Web site Loud.com, which operates the www.loud.com and www.battlerap.com.“Universal’s strategy is to become actively involved in all areas of media where our artists and our music are present,†stated UMG Vice Chairman/CFO Nick Henny. “Loud.com has created an incredibly vibrant and growing online hip-hop community that features not only compelling user-generated content, but also the means for users to create their own music and compete for a record deal. Loud.com is quickly emerging as one of the leading new online ventures that successfully reaches the new generation of international and multicultural youth.â€â€œWe are delighted that UMG is joining the Loud.com family,†commented Loud.com co-founder/CEO Joseph Safina. “When Steve Rifkind and I started Loud.com, our hope was to create a virtual home for hip-hop fans around the world. To our delight, it has quickly evolved into an online community, competition, A&R site and marketing company all rolled into one. With UMG now on board, we’ll be able to offer even more compelling services to our members.â€The company, a unit of Vivendi, based in Paris, did not disclose the size of its investment in the Web site..The ad-supported site caters to hip-hop fans, who can upload their own raps and compete for a record deal with SRC Records, a label distributed by Universal.The Web site also sells audio files of hip-hop beats for 99 cents.So far this year, Universal has made an equity investment in Alliance Trace Media, which owns Trace-TV, based in Paris, and acquired companies that have record labels and operate merchandising, touring and artist management businesses in Spain, Britain and Brazil.Loud is Back! Pure Games Launches LOUD.com and Battlerap.com - as Hip-Hop Community Site, with Winner Getting $100K and a Record Deal with SRC SRC's Steve Rifkind and Joseph Safina's Pure Games to Launch Groundbreaking Site Offering Original Beats for 99 Cents from Leading Hip-Hop Producers
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hip-hop finally has its own version of successful online communities like YouTube, MySpace and various game sites with the debut of Battle Rap, a contest which will be launched on the legendary www.loud.com site as well as www.battlerap.com. The project is a Joint venture with SRC Records and Pure Games. Entrepreneur Joseph Safina, along with hip-hop legend Steve Rifkind and Rich Isaacson will spearhead the site.
LOUD.COM is a free competition open to all registered users that offers the ability to download professional beats from some of today's leading hip-hop producers at 99 cents apiece and overlay rap tracks while going head-to-head with other DJs and MCs from around the world. The series of battles will be judged by celebrity hip-hop producers such as Cool and Dre, Zukhan Bey, DJ Khaled and Teflon, with the ultimate winner of the Showdown given $100,000 in cash and a recording deal with SRC Records, Steve Rifkind's Universal Music Group-distributed label that is home to such platinum-plus, Grammy-nominated superstars as Akon and David Banner. Additional judges will be announced soon.
"Loud.com and Battle Rap will revolutionize the way records are made, marketed and sold," said Safina, founder and CEO of Pure Games. "Loud.com is an online community, competition, A&R site and marketing company all rolled into one. We have assembled a great team to execute our plan and are eager to get started."Said Rifkind, who revolutionized grass roots marketing with his patented Street Team: "The resurrection of Loud.com and Battle Rap is the latest step in providing a vibrant, growing on-line hip-hop community with not only compelling user-generated content, but also the means to create and sell their own product to like-minded fans."
Added Isaacson, a Harvard-trained attorney who formed Loud Records with Rifkind: "Our vision is to create a place where all with a shared passion can come together to meet, share, create, express and battle, where creativity, aspiration and competition melds into something fresh. It combines the interaction of social networking communities, the competition of online gaming and the thrill of creation."
Battle Rap puts the user at center stage, providing them with professional "beats" from leading hip-hop artists along with powerful online editing tools which will allow them to create their own raps and compete with other aspiring MCs and DJs around the world. There is no charge except the 99 cents for the downloaded beats. Each battle is officiated by a panel of celebrity hip-hop producers, with a 10-round head-to-head elimination resulting in a Battle Rap Showdown final. The final winner will receive $100,000 in cash and a recording deal with Rifkind's SRC label, home of Akon and David Banner, among others.
The Battle Rap portal at www.loud.com and www.battlerap.com includes original beats by celebrity producers, educational forums on making demos, engineering and production tips, ringtone creation, bulletin boards, a real-time data base, chat rooms and a comprehensive grass roots marketing program, including posters, flyers, T-shirts, hats and other gift items.
Contacts Wolfson Public Relations Jonathan Wolfson, 818-615-0499 [email protected]