Sony/ATV Plants a Tree in The Orchard

Iconic Sony Tree Productions Catalogue and All Sony/ATV Owned Master Recordings Go to The Orchard for Digital Distribution, Creative Licensing & Brand Entertainment

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In a groundbreaking deal announced today, The Orchard, a global leader in digital music and entertainment, has secured marketing and digital distribution rights to all Sony/ATV Music Publishing owned master recordings, including recordings owned by Sony/ATV’s worldwide affiliates covering Europe, Asia, Australia, Japan and South Africa. The worldwide deal, which excludes North America, was made with Sony/ATV Music Publishing International in London and also includes representation rights for creative licensing in film, television and advertising and brand entertainment opportunities.

“Our regional offices around the world will combine with Sony/ATV’s affiliates to innovate and create value for this treasure trove of diverse and rare recordings in the digital realm.”

Commenting on the deal, Guy Henderson, Senior Vice President of Sony/ATV Music Publishing International said, “We are very excited at the prospect of working with The Orchard team to market and sell our master recordings digitally to all parts of the globe. In this new world where music companies are expected to handle all facets of the business, this deal not only provides an opportunity for new income streams for our more established writers, but opportunities for our up and coming songwriters as well”.

Sony/ATV will initially deliver The Orchard hundreds of albums by major country and R&B artists from the renowned Sony Tree Productions, Masters International and Hickory catalogues, which feature the historic labels Dial Records, Four Star, Hickory and Challenge Records.

The Tree Productions/Dial recordings include the original Joe Tex hits, "Hold What You've Got," "I Gotcha," "Papa Was Too," "Show Me," and original masters and re-recordings of chart-toppers by artists including Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Roger Miller, Lee Greenwood, Brenda Lee, Willie Nelson, Little Richard and many others.

The Masters International catalogue spans two decades of hits by artists including Patsy Cline, The Champs, The Knickerbockers and Jerry Wallace, who were originally released on the Four Star and Challenge Records labels. Uniquely, the catalogue includes archive spoken word recordings of John F. Kennedy. The Hickory Records and Hickory/ 16th Ave. recordings feature artists such as The Newbeats, Sue Thompson, Don Gibson, Roy Acuff, Bob Luman, Charlie Pride and Don Everly.

In addition to the major artist hits in the Sony/ATV catalogues, the deal is expected to market recordings by new songwriters, as well as unearth “hidden” and previously unreleased “gems” from both international and important local artists from around the world, who have variously recorded masters during the term of their publishing agreements with Sony/ATV and its affiliate companies.

“Sony/ATV selecting The Orchard is an accolade for us, and we will support them with the full breadth of our services offerings – from marketing and promoting to drive digital sales; to placing masters for use in film, TV and commercials; to new and exciting revenue streams from our burgeoning brand entertainment group," said Greg Scholl, President and CEO of The Orchard. “Our regional offices around the world will combine with Sony/ATV’s affiliates to innovate and create value for this treasure trove of diverse and rare recordings in the digital realm.”

About Sony/ATV Music Publishing

Sony/ATV Music Publishing was established in 1995 as a joint venture between Sony and trusts formed by Michael Jackson. Sony/ATV Music Publishing owns or administers over 600,000 copyrights by such artists as The Beatles, Beck, Brooks & Dunn, Leonard Cohen, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, The Everly Brothers, Fall Out Boy, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Mann, Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Richie Sambora, Stephen Stills, KT Tunstall, John Mayer, Akon and Diane Warren, among others. Sony/ATV recently acquired both the Leiber Stoller and Famous catalogues. It is not part of the Sony BMG Music Entertainment venture.

About The Orchard^®

The Orchard (NASDAQ: ORCD) controls and globally distributes more than 1.1 million songs and over 3,000 hours of video programming through hundreds of digital stores (e.g. iTunes, eMusic, Google, Netflix, V CAST) and mobile carriers (e.g. Verizon Wireless, Vodafone, Bell Canada, Moderati, 3). With operation in 27 countries, The Orchard drives sales for its label, retailer, brand, and agency clients through innovative marketing and promotional campaigns; brand entertainment programs; and film, advertising, gaming and television licensing. A pioneer in digital music and media services, The Orchard fosters creativity and independence. For more information, please visit us at www.theorchard.com.

The Orchard is a registered trademark and The Orchard logo is a service mark of Orchard Enterprises NY, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Forward Looking Statements

This release may contain certain forward-looking statements regarding The Orchard’s expectations regarding future events and operating performance within the meaning of Federal Securities laws that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the ability of The Orchard to distribute certain products and artist recordings. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking statements as they speak only as of the date hereof, and The Orchard undertakes no obligation to update these statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances except as may be required by law. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in The Orchard's most recent periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.