RIFFAGE.COM

Riffage.com, based in Palo Alto, California, was founded by Ken Wirt, the strategic visionary behind Diamond Multimedia's ground-breaking Rio portable MP3 music player. Our mission is to revolutionize the way music is distributed by using the Internet to allow bands to communicate directly with -- and sell music to -- their fans. Unlike some other sites, Riffage.com is staffed by people who genuinely care about music -- musicians, former radio DJs, record company veterans and rabid fans. We thin... k you'll see the difference. On the site, Riffage.com offers a large selection of authorized digital music, both for free as well as for purchase via download from the Internet. The ability to purchase single songs by download -- or even buy an entire physical CD -- from the comfort of a home, office, school or any "connected" location, makes Riffage.com an enticing alternative to shopping at a physical retail outlet. One of the biggest obstacles for most Internet music fans is finding music they like. Among the key features differentiating Riffage.com from the growing ranks of online music distributors are its unique personalization tools, which "learn" an individual's preferences as he or she uses the site. As a result, Riffage is able to quickly begin sending users recommendations about music that will appeal to them. Riffage.com has also rapidly developed into an active online community where fans of similar -- and even diverse -- musical tastes can meet to discover and discuss independent artists and their music. Musicians will find that Riffage.com offers an impressive roster of services, using the Internet as a direct marketing and distribution channel straight to the consumer. As a result, Riffage is successfully supplanting the traditional music industry paradigm of artist-label-distributor-retailer. Through Riffage.com, artists can deliver their music to fans either via direct downloads or by plugging into Riffage's turnkey e-commerce system for selling physical goods. And thanks to a state-of-the-art, daily updated system for reporting current sales, rankings and customer lists, band members are always just a mouse click away from accessing this important information. To increase awareness and improve communications with their fans, musicians can tap into Riffage.com's site to publish and promote upcoming concert dates, music previews, artist news and band merchandise, as well as use Riffage to help manage fan contact lists. Bands can also host live chats and discussion boards through Riffage.com, and are eligible to participate in company-generated promotional activities and events.More