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Verizon Wireless Teams With Universal Music Enterprises to Bring Exclusive, Classic Motown Recordings to V CAST Music in Honor of Black History Month

Posted on: Tuesday, 10 February 2009, 08:00 CST

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and NEW YORK, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- To honor Black History Month and to celebrate Motown's 50th anniversary, as well as the unique contribution of the Motown sound in American culture, Verizon Wireless and Universal Music Enterprises (UMe), a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, have teamed to provide V CAST Music customers with dozens of classic songs by iconic Motown artists throughout February. V CAST Music will highlight exclusive sets of Motown hits each week, beginning with Motown Icons. Motown for Lovers will be available in line with Valentine's Day, followed by Motown Number Ones and then the Ladies of Motown.

A sampling of the full-track songs coming to V CAST Music during Black History Month are familiar favorites such as "Shop Around," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Please Mr. Postman," "ABC" and "I Second that Emotion."

"This is a great time to think about the influence and impact these great Motown songs and artists have had on today's entertainment and culture," said Ed Ruth, director of digital music at Verizon. "V CAST Music is a new way to discover and enjoy these songs and to honor the contributions and talent of these great artists."

"What a compelling way to celebrate the music and cultural importance of Motown," said Mike Davis, executive vice president and general manager, UMe. "Thanks to our work with Verizon, fans can now access their favorite Motown hits whenever and wherever they want."

More full-track songs from artists, including The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Commodores, The Four Tops and The Temptations from Motown's early years to songs from other hitmakers such as Boyz II Men and the Jackson 5, will be available for download and purchase through V CAST Music -- either over-the-air or on a desktop computer.

Verizon Wireless customers can also download and purchase ringtones and ringback tones of exclusive remixes and special edits of Motown classics. Customers who want callers to hear a great Motown song when they call, can purchase special Motown-themed ringback tone Jukeboxes with classic and more recent hits. These exclusive ringback Jukeboxes will be available as three-, five- and seven-packs of ringbacks.

Use V CAST Song ID and be Entered for a Chance to Win a Trip to See The Temptations

Throughout February, customers who use V CAST Song ID to identify any Motown recording will be entered for a chance to win a fly-away trip to see The Temptations in Las Vegas. Participants can also enter for a chance to win via text messaging or for free online. For more information about the sweepstakes and to view all the exclusive content, go to www.verizonwireless.com/blackhistory or www.vzwrules.com/Motown.

Customers who subscribe to V CAST Music with Rhapsody, Verizon Wireless' online music service that includes a library of more than 5 million songs, can download music to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software that restricts how and where music can be played. The music can then be side-loaded on select phones.

For more information on mobile music from Verizon Wireless, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com/music.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and data network, serving more than 80 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with more than 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Universal Music Enterprises

Universal Music Enterprises is a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 77 countries. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include 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, Philips, Polydor Records, Universal Motown Republic Group, Universal Music Latino, Universal Records South, 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.

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

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

Source: PR Newswire

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