• Bee Gees Release Long-Awaited New Studio Album 'This is Where I Came In' on April 24th
• Handleman Company President and COO, Peter J. Cline Named Chairman of The Board of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM)
• Navarre Signs Brooklyn & Pangea Music to Exclusive Distribution Agreements
• Gracenote Signs with Rainbow Partners To Drive Japanese Presence Rainbow Provides Gracenote CDDB to Japanese Market
• Gracenote Solidifies Japanese Market Presence Gracenote CDDB Music Recognition Service Now Supports Multiple Japanese Character Sets

Bee Gees Release Long-Awaited New Studio Album 'This is Where I Came In' on April 24th

Bee Gees Prelude American Release with Chart Topping Start In Europe and the UK

Bee Gees fans in the U.S. won't have to wait long to hear new material from the band. On April 24th, Universal Records will release highly anticipated new material from the Bee Gees. The album, titled "This is Where I Came In," contains twelve new tracks, all written by Barry, Robin & Maurice Gibb. The album was principally recorded at the Bee Gees' own Middle Ear Studios in Florida.

The album was released last week in Europe where it dominated the charts. It is currently #3 in Germany and debuted at #6 on the UK charts, where it was certified gold on release. The album was the highest debut of the week in the UK and Germany, charting higher than new releases by both Leann Rimes and Bruce Springsteen. The first single, "This Is Where I Came In," debuted in the Top 20 on the UK charts and is now the 5th consecutive Bee Gees single to debut in the UK Top 20.

"This is Where I Came In" follows 4 years after the release of their platinum-certified "Still Waters" studio album and 2 years after their live "One Night Only" album which has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.

On "This is Where I Came In," the musical magic of the Bee Gees has come full-circle. It's a return to their rock, soul and classic ballad roots, and yet it has a contemporary edge. The album is more guitar-based; the feel and production are more 'live,' with the brothers recording many of the vocals standing around a single mic -- as they did when they started in the sixties. The unique blend of Barry, Robin & Maurice's voices and phrasing are still here, together with their trademark harmonies.

The Bee Gees' recording career is phenomenal. Apart from the Beatles, no other group has come close to producing such a consistent quantity of music. It is a consistency that has lasted over 30 years, during which time the Gibb Brothers have given the world music as varied as "New York Mining Disaster" and "Massachusetts," "How Deep is Your Love" and "Night Fever," "Jive Talking" and "Lonely Days," "Tragedy" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," and scores of other hits. They are the only songwriters in history to have five songs in the Billboard Top 10 at the same time, Number One hits in four decades, with artists as diverse as Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Destiny's Child, Janis Joplin, and Elvis Presley covering their songs. Just one jaw-dropping statistic is that the Bee Gees have now sold nearly 110 million albums worldwide!

The Bee Gees are also one of a small handful of artists who sell out stadiums worldwide. In the last two years, they have wowed capacity-filled stadiums in England, Ireland, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The Bee Gees have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Songwriters Hall of Fame, and been awarded numerous Lifetime Achievement honors.

The first single, "This is Where I Came In," is currently receiving extensive airplay across the country, especially at KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and WTLW-FM in New York. Expect to see special television performances from the band to help promote the album. Look for appearances on "Good Morning America," "The Late Show with David Letterman," "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and A&E's "Live By Request." The fundamental basis of a great album is the songs and tunes and they are as strong as ever, something clearly heard on the first single, which sets the mood for the rest of the album. The Magic Continues ...

Handleman Company President and COO, Peter J. Cline Named Chairman of The Board of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM)

Handleman Company (NYSE: HDL), http://www.handleman.com, one of the world's largest category manager and purchaser of music, today announced that Peter J. Cline, President and COO of Handleman Company, has been named Chairman of the Board of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) for the 2001-2002 term.

Peter Cline, President and COO of Handleman said, "Handleman has a long and active history in NARM. I am honored to be named Chairman of the Board of NARM during this exciting period within the music industry. New opportunities to provide music in a variety of formats and services to consumers will ensure the industry's continued growth."

Pamela Horovitz, President of NARM said, "NARM's agenda for the coming year contains many important items, including advocacy of retail and wholesale concerns in the emerging models for digital distribution. Peter Cline's proven leadership capabilities in such a year will be an important component in helping us achieve our goals."

Peter Cline joined the Handleman Company in 1994 and has served on the Board of NARM for the past four years. Mr. Cline has helped to re-position Handleman Company as a premier category manager of music. Through the use of advance proprietary category management systems and programs, Handleman Company is able to anticipate consumer demand and assist in maximizing retail music sales. Proprietary systems and programs include new release benchmarking, store inventory replenishment, sales force automation and highly efficient automated distribution centers.

NARM serves the music and other pre-recorded entertainment software industry as the preeminent forum for insight and dialogue for its more than 1,100 member retailers, wholesalers, distributors, entertainment software suppliers, and suppliers of related products and services.

About Handleman Company:

Handleman Company is comprised of two operating divisions: Handleman Entertainment Resources (H.E.R) and North Coast Entertainment (NCE).

H.E.R. is a category manager and distributor of prerecorded music to mass merchants in the United Stated, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. As a category manager, H.E.R. manages a broad assortment of titles required to optimize sales in retail stores and provides direct-to-store shipments, marketing of the selections and in-store merchandising.

NCE has three companies in its portfolio. Anchor Bay Entertainment is a leading independent home video label, which markets a vast collection of popular titles that range from horror to exercise to children's classics. Madacy Entertainment, a major independent recording label, markets an exciting range of music and video products with a catalog spanning all genres. The itsy bitsy Entertainment Company is a leading provider of preschool entertainment, both on and off the screen, for the youngest children and their caregivers.

Navarre Signs Brooklyn & Pangea Music to Exclusive Distribution Agreements

Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq:NAVR) announced today that it has signed exclusive distribution agreements in North America with two music companies: New York-based Brooklyn Music Ltd. (BML), an electronic and dance label; and Pangea Music, (formerly Outer Music), a progressive rock, jazz fusion and psychedelic-trance label, based in Mill Valley, California. The two labels bring a wealth of music by recognizable artists to the distributor.

Brooklyn Music's first release through Navarre is the latest installment in its Digital Empire Series, "Mix Breed," a compilation of remixes by some of today's hottest electronic music artists, such as The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Atomic Babies, Roni Size, and Frankie Bones. BML plans to release 10 to 12 CD's annually through Navarre.

Pangea Music has diversified its catalog with such artists as Brand X, Gong, Hawkwind, and also created and a new imprint, Aqua7, featuring cutting-edge artists in electronica, avant-rock and world beat music. Through Navarre, Pangea will re-release the entire Outer Music catalog, another 6 titles from back catalog, plus 4-5 new releases.

Steve Pritchitt, Senior Vice President, Navarre Entertainment Media, states, "BML and Pangea are considered the best in their genres of music. Navarre can take the label's compilations and remixes to a wider audience at retail, naturally expanding consumer awareness. We welcome them both into Navarre's family."

Future releases on BML include a first installment in the Rewind series, "Jack Dangers/Meat Beat Manifesto Remix Collection" and "The Orbital Remixes;" "Simply Jeff : Funky Instrumentalist;" a Signature Series Volume 1: "Fatboy Slim's Greatest Remixes," by various artists; "Vitamin Gee: A Continuous Hardcore Mix," by Rob Gee; and a continuous techno mix by Robert Armani; Daily operations at BML are handled by co-founder Frank Babar, president, co-founder Joe Natoli, VP & director of A&R; Mark Dixon, CFO & COO; Lawrence A. Omansky, VP of general council; Sean Moritz, label manager, director of marketing & project coordinator; Angelo Natoli, accounting, bookkeeping & royalties; Nicole Natoli, executive assistant & human resource manager; Tania Mercado, legal affairs & licensing; Eric Censoprano, A&R; and Gabe Hunter, graphic design/art.

"BML is excited to partner with a company that possesses the skills and capabilities to operate on multiple levels," comments Moritz. "We feel Navarre will give our label/artists an unprecedented amount of exposure to a larger market, while maintaining our 'underground' reputation."

Releases on Pangea's Aqua7 will include Meridiem, featuring Bill Laswell, Vernon Reid and Percy Howard, Buckethead, Praxis and Sami Kaneda's Madan. Additionally, the label will issue a double CD from Brand X, "The X-Files," featuring original members John Goodsall, Percy Jones and Phil Collins.

Pangea is headed by President Sean Ahearn, who formed the company in '95 with partner/General Manager Sami Kaneda. David Prampin serves as A/R assistant and Production Manager. Prior to forming Pangea, Mr. Ahearn was President of L.A.-based New Art Productions and represented such artists as Bill Ward (Black Sabbath), Jack Bruce (Cream), Allan Holdsworth, and Eric Johnson.

Ahern adds, "We chose Navarre as our new distribution partner based on their support for our music and the company's excellent reputation. Navarre's label management staff shared our vision of how we could both better serve our core audience and implement innovative promotion and marketing programs."

Navarre Corporation's major business groups are: Navarre Distribution Services, which distributes quality consumer software, major label music and DVD to a broad base of retailers nationwide; Navarre Entertainment Media, distributes proprietary, independent music and DVD in the United States and Canada; the company operates a "business to business" Internet E-Commerce web site www.navarre.com.

Contact: Navarre Corporation, Carolyn Broner, 310/441-2200 cprpromo@cs.com

Gracenote Signs with Rainbow Partners To Drive Japanese Presence Rainbow Provides Gracenote CDDB to Japanese Market

Gracenote (formerly CDDB®), a content delivery platform specializing in music recognition services, today announced a partnership with Rainbow Partners Inc.  Rainbow will be the authorized reseller of Gracenote's industry standard CDDB Music Recognition ServiceSM  in the Japanese market, offering the world's leading music recognition technology to both PC-based media applications and consumer electronics devices.

"We see Japan as a strategic market, due to the high concentration of the world's leading consumer electronics manufacturers," said David Hyman, President of Gracenote.  "Working with Rainbow will ensure that Gracenote provides Japanese companies with the highest quality of localized customer support and service."

"We are extremely excited to represent Gracenote in Japan. Our agreement gives Rainbow Partners the unique opportunity to have an important role in the development of music players and devices for the world's largest and most advanced manufacturers of consumer electronics. We plan to change the way people experience music," said Kevin Meyerson, Senior Partner of Rainbow Partners. "Rainbow offers Gracenote licensing and full technology integration services to its clients which include many globally known brands."

Gracenote's industry-standard capabilities reach Japanese music fans through the use of 2-byte characters and the Unicode data standard.  Programming with Unicode allows Gracenote to present content and accept submissions in Japanese language as well as other multi-byte languages such as Chinese and Korean.  The Unicode capability of its data services allows Gracenote to expand its offerings rapidly throughout the world.

Gracenote Solidifies Japanese Market Presence Gracenote CDDB Music Recognition Service Now Supports Multiple Japanese Character Sets

Gracenote (formerly CDDB®), a content delivery platform provider specializing in music recognition services, today announced a partnership with AIM Company Ltd. of Kawasaki, Japan that brings an enhanced version Gracenote's industry standard CDDB Music Recognition ServiceSM to the Japanese market.  By partnering with AIM, Gracenote now offers the largest database of Japanese music titles in Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana character sets to CDDB-enabled media layers around the world.

The combination of Gracenote CDDB and KCDB creates the world's most comprehensive database of music information including album, artist, song title and genre.  The service allows users to play a CD or MP3 in a CDDB-enabled music player or consumer electronics device and receive information about what is being played.  The track numbers are replaced with artist name and song titles. 

"Japanese music fans now can get more information about their favorite artists and music both in English and Japanese," said Yasumitsu Watanabe, President and Senior Partner of AIM Company, Ltd. of Kawasaki.  "Our players bring fans the best of today's music technology."

Coinciding with the integration of Japanese data to CDDB, AIM has launched the world's first media application, called CD Partner.   This player utilizes Gracenote's database of rich Japanese titles and leverages the Gracenote music browser to deliver related content.  This player is available for download at www.aim-inc.co.jp.

To further expand it's Japanese presence, Gracenote has partnered with Rainbow Partners Inc. of Tokyo, as its authorized reseller in Japan of Gracenote's services and technology.  Rainbow Partners now offers the licensing and integration services of the world's leading music recognition technology to both PC-based media applications and consumer electronics devices.

"Gracenote's relationships with Aim and Rainbow Partners enable us to have a strong local presence and provide comprehensive Japanese data to the world's second largest music market," said David Hyman, President of Gracenote.

About AIM

AIM Co., Ltd. is a leading developer of firmware applications for a wide variety of devices ranging from cellular telephones and car navigation systems to dam control systems. AIM independently developed and maintains the KCDB service, and has created KCDB enabled music players for several different platforms including consumer electronic devices. AIM's YOMI pronunciation database allows for advanced applications such as voice recognition. AIM was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Kawasaki, Japan. For more information about AIM, go to www.aim-inc.co.jp

About Rainbow Partners Inc.

Rainbow Partners Inc. is Japan's leading supplier of music meta-data technology and infrastructure. As Gracenote's only authorized reseller in Japan, Rainbow offers licensing and integration services to the consumer electronics, mobile communications, music, and package software industries. Rainbow Partner solutions allow users of network enabled devices to maximize their music experience via related content delivery, personalization, and music navigation services. Rainbow Partners is a subsidiary of Rainbow Japan Inc., founded in 1991 and Japan's largest website developer. For more information about Rainbow, go www.rainbow.co.jp.

About Gracenote

Gracenote is a content delivery platform offering music recognition technology that enables relevant information and services to enhance the music listening experience. Gracenote designed its platform for makers of media players and encoders, consumer electronic manufacturers, record companies, and on and off-line consumer brands. Its network of technology and services opens new direct interactive channels to online music fans worldwide.  Over 1,000 partners worldwide, serving more than one million consumers daily, rely on Gracenote's CDDB® technology, which is the industry standard in Music Recognition Services (MRS).  Gracenote was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Berkeley, California.  For more information about Gracenote, go to www.gracenote.com.

For more information Lauren Karp Gracenote  510/849-2332 lkarp@gracenote.com

Kevin Larson Blanc & Otus 415/912-2331 klarson@blancandotus.com

Kevin Meyerson Rainbow Partners Inc. +81-3-5475-3088 kevin@rainbow.co.jp