Santa Monica, CA, January 8, 2002 – Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest music company, today announced further details of its commitment to make music available on Super Audio CD (SACD). Starting with the first releases in Spring 2002, UMG plans an ongoing program to make a combination of best-selling artists and core catalog titles available on SACD in major regions worldwide. A substantial number of these releases will incorporate SACD’s multi-channel surround sound.

Some of the initial UMG titles slated for release on Super Audio CD include: Diana Krall – The Look of Love, Andrea Bocelli – Cieli di Toscana, Ja Rule – Pain Is Love, Shelby Lynne – Love Shelby, John Coltrane – A Love Supreme, ET – The 20th Anniversary Soundtrack, Steely Dan – Gaucho, The Allman Brothers Band – Live at the Fillmore East, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Ella & Louis, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – Getz & Gilberto, and Muddy Waters – Folksinger.

“By making our music available on SACD, UMG hopes to help drive the growth of this high-quality, secure music format,” said Mr. Larry Kenswil, President, eLabs, Universal Music Group. “With its many benefits for consumers and recording artists, Super Audio CD has the potential to become a standard for the industry.”

“Universal has always played a leading role in the development and implementation of new technologies and formats,” Mr. Kenswil added. “We recognize the potential that SACD presents and are pleased to be working together with Sony and Philips, as we had for the introduction of the Compact Disc.”

Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company with wholly-owned record operations or licensees in 63 countries around the world. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, one of the industry’s largest global music publishing operations.

Universal Music Group consists of record labels Decca Record Company, Deutsche Grammophon, Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Island Def Jam Music Group, Lost Highway Records, MCA Nashville, MCA Records, Mercury Records, Motown Records, Philips, Polydor, Universal Records, 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 is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and UM3 (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes eLabs, its division dedicated to strategy, business development, and launch of new businesses and formats utilizing advanced technology in the online and offline space.

Universal Music Group is a unit of Vivendi Universal, a global media and communications company.