Press Releases

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The promise of the digital revolution in the music industry takes another step forward with the creation today of Interscope Digital Distribution (IDD), by Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records. Through http://www.interscopedigitaldistribution.com/, IDD will work in conjunction with TuneCore to distribute new and independent artists' original music for sale on such leading retailers as the iTunes Store, Rhapsody, Amazon MP3, Shockhound, eMusic, and Napster, among many others worldwide.

IDD adds a fresh twist to the digital distribution model for independent music by offering unsigned artists a unique opportunity to reach the ears of A&R executives all while providing them complete freedom of choice. Interscope/Geffen/A&M's top A&R staff will closely monitor the IDD service as a way to discover great talent. By signing on for distribution specifically through IDD, artists will have the chance to gain their attention. A number of artists may then be selected for development deals.

IDD is digital DIY done right - giving music artists a platform for self-expression, allowing them to retain all of the profits from their efforts, and presenting an opportunity for them to access the resources of a major record company.

About TuneCore

TuneCore is a low, flat fee service that distributes music to iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and many other major download and streaming sites while taking no rights and no revenue from the sale of the music. Artists are building careers, selling significant volumes of music and generating revenue through TuneCore. Since its launch in 2006, TuneCore has distributed tens of thousands of albums and millions of songs to iTunes and other digital stores by Grammy winners and unsigned artists alike. TuneCore artists include Drake, Beck, Jay-Z, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Ricky Skaggs, Paul Westerberg, MGM Studios, Warren G, Bjork, Moby, High School Musical cast members, Ali Lohan, Cirque Du Soleil, Starbucks and tens of thousands more. More music is released in one day via TuneCore than any major record label over a year and the site recently expanded its offerings to distribute full-length films, TV shows, concert films, and documentaries to iTunes.

www.tunecore.com

For more information on TuneCore, please contact Nick Loss-Eaton [nlosseaton@shorefire.com], Miya Hannan [mhannan@shorefire.com] or Matt Hanks [mhanks@shorefire.com] at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171. For more info on Universal Music Group, please contact Maria Ho-Burge [maria.ho-burge@umusic.com], 212.331.2569.

SOURCE Universal Music Group

NEW YORK, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Many transfer pricing systems are coming under unprecedented stress as companies and revenue authorities around the world reassess their economic expectations in the current environment and plan for a global recovery, a new report from KPMG's Global Transfer Pricing Services group concludes.

Tax authorities -- under pressure to provide revenue to their governments -- are demanding additional documentation from formerly profitable companies that are now incurring losses and, therefore, paying less tax, KPMG partners and professionals indicate in the report, "Planning for the Recovery - Examining Transfer Pricing in the Current Environment and Beyond."

"The economic events of 2008 and 2009 have dramatically tested the entire transfer pricing system--a system that has been developed over a period of increasing globalization and prosperity," said Steven Fortier, global leader of KPMG's Global Transfer Pricing Services group and principal with KPMG LLP, the U.S.-based audit, tax and advisory firm.

"Multinational companies now need to adjust rapidly to new, much more difficult conditions and take a careful look at guidance from tax authorities, as well as their own current practices, in order to redraw transfer pricing policies in the new and different economic environment," he added.

Further, Fortier said that to meet increasingly stringent tax authority requirements, corporate taxpayers will need to find new ways to demonstrate that prices charged for inter-group transactions are appropriate.

The report, which addresses some of the critical transfer pricing issues that companies and their tax departments will continue to face in the coming years, is based on research and insights from leading KPMG transfer pricing professionals around the world.

Benchmarks Difficult to Find

According to the KPMG research report, a key challenge during the transfer pricing audit process has been the lack of comparable transactions to act as benchmarks for intra-group commerce, as economic activity around the world has slowed.

"The problem has been felt acutely in the area of third-party benchmarks," said Fortier. "For example, there is a lag in the availability of publicly available financial data, meaning that the full impact of the recession on company profitability is difficult to assess contemporaneously," he explained. "Furthermore, certain companies that may have been used historically as benchmarks may have been acquired or gone bankrupt during the recession, which would reduce the pool of benchmarks and potentially lead to 'survivor bias' in the financial results."

APAs Under Pressure

Advanced pricing agreements (APAs), often considered clear solutions to transfer pricing issues, have also come under strain, the report concluded. APAs are binding contractual agreements, the terms of which are fixed while the agreement is in force. This means that companies wanting to change agreements because of market changes, falling prices, or revenue losses, may find it difficult to adjust or terminate APAs that no longer match business realities.

"Taxpayers should expect an aggressive approach to their transfer pricing if they do not comply with an executed APA," Fortier said. "That said, understanding the relevant tax authority's views on APAs is important for companies in, or expecting to enter, an APA in the current environment."

The full report, prepared to meet the needs of tax and corporate finance executives, is available at: http://www.kpmg.com/Global/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesAndPublications/Pages/Planning-for-the-recovery.aspx.

Articles in the report deal with such issues as: the implications of the economic downtown and recovery for common inter-company structures, the defense of transfer pricing arrangements in the recession, and the ability of taxpayers to mitigate issues with existing advance pricing arrangements.

About KPMG LLP

KPMG LLP, the audit, tax and advisory firm (www.us.kpmg.com), is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International. KPMG International's member firms have 137,000 professionals, including more than 7,600 partners, in 144 countries.

    Contact:
    Robert Nihen/Ichiro Kawasaki
    KPMG LLP
    201-307-8296/8640

SOURCE KPMG LLP

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute announces a GREENGUARD Program Technical Partnership with leading international testing and certification company TUV Rheinland LGA

ATLANTA, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) has teamed up with Germany-based TUV Rheinland LGA as a technical partner to provide product testing and manufacturers' evaluations for GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certification in Europe. This partnership helps GEI to better serve European and globally operating customers and further establish GREENGUARD Certification in European markets. TUV Rheinland LGA will offer product evaluation and manufacturing reviews as required by GREENGUARD Certification, while management, administration and monitoring of the GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM) will remain with GEI.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090401/DC92292LOGO-b)

"We are thrilled to partner with such an esteemed and quality-driven organization as TUV Rheinland LGA," said Henning Bloech, GEI's Executive Director. "GREENGUARD Certification is based on the highest data quality and analysis requiring chemical evaluations at extremely low levels. Very few laboratories worldwide are able to meet our standards. With Air Quality Sciences and now TUV Rheinland LGA as GREENGUARD Program Technical Partners, we are fortunate to work with two of the leading organizations in this field."

LGA participates in third-party proficiency and round-robin testing with Air Quality Sciences, GEI's long standing technical partner, to ensure comparable test results, data quality and analysis. In addition to demonstrated proficiency, GEI requires established quality programs such as ISO 17025 from its certification partners as well as established technical and scientific expertise. This high level of accuracy and repeatability is important in assessing product emissions for their human health impact.

"GREENGUARD Certification is becoming increasingly important in the markets we operate," commented Michael Jungnitsch, Managing Director for TUV Rheinland LGA. "Becoming a GREENGUARD Program Technical Partner is a testament to the high quality standards under which TUV Rheinland LGA operates. We are excited to work with GEI and help our customers create value through GREENGUARD Certification."

About GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

Founded in 2001, GEI is a third-party organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program(SM). The Institute's mission is to improve human health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified(R) products must meet stringent standards for low chemical emissions based on established health criteria from key public health agencies. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by a number of "green" building programs, including the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED(R) program. For more information and a complete listing of certified products, visit www.greenguard.org.

About TUV Rheinland LGA

TUV Rheinland LGA is a group of companies providing testing and other services, based in Nuremberg, Germany. Their parent company is TUV Rheinland, headquartered in Cologne, Germany with over 12,000 employees in 62 countries and annual revenues of euro 1.1 billion (~$1.6 billion). TUV Rheinland LGA and the companies in its group work independently and impartially for all sectors of business, as well as for private and public clients. The services mainly involve testing and examination, consultancy, certification and training. The TUV Rheinland LGA group practices continuous quality assurance for greater customer satisfaction; this is documented by a certified management system.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Henning Bloech

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=91890

SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute

NEW YORK, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Motown Republic Group, a division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, today launches two new web portals designed specifically to help unsigned artists get heard. The portals, powered by TuneCore, a leading digital music distribution company, are branded under the Republic and Motown banners:

http://www.unimodigitaldistribution.com/

http://www.republicdd.com/

Following UMG's recent agreement with TuneCore, UMRG's new portals will make use of TuneCore's leading distribution platform to provide unsigned artists worldwide distribution into the iTunes Store, eMusic, Nokia and other digital download stores. In addition, artists may have the chance to be involved in label showcases, creating and producing proper studio demos, or receiving professional reviews of their music by an artist or member of the company's A&R team. And as the careers of unsigned artists grow, they may benefit from having a number of artist-discovery, marketing and upstreaming opportunities within UMRG.

"Now, more than ever, the Web has opened up countless opportunities for unsigned artists to distribute their music directly to their audiences and we want to collaborate with them throughout that process," stated Cameo Carlson, Senior Vice President of Digital Business Development for UMRG. "And thanks to TuneCore, we can create a portal that provides them access to digital distribution and the expertise of a major label."

Jeff Price, CEO and founder of TuneCore.com, said, "It's our job to serve and connect artists with opportunities they choose and want. If an artist's goal is to be part of one of the most recognizable names in music, this relationship will potentially provide them a direct in to help them get heard and discovered by the people they want to reach, all while having complete control."

About Universal Motown Republic Group

Universal Motown Republic Group 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.

About TuneCore

TuneCore is a low, flat fee service that distributes music to iTunes, eMusic, Rhapsody and many other major download and streaming sites while taking no rights and no revenue from the sale of the music. Artists are building careers, selling significant volumes of music and generating revenue through TuneCore. Since its launch in 2006, TuneCore has distributed tens of thousands of albums and millions of songs to iTunes and other digital stores by Grammy winners and unsigned artists alike. TuneCore artists include Drake, Beck, Jay-Z, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, Ricky Skaggs, Paul Westerberg, MGM Studios, Warren G, Bjork, Moby, High School Musical cast members, Ali Lohan, Cirque Du Soleil, Starbucks and tens of thousands more. More music is released in one day via TuneCore than any major record label over a year and the site recently expanded its offerings to distribute full-length films, TV shows, concert films, and documentaries to iTunes.

www.tunecore.com

For more information on TuneCore, please contact Nick Loss-Eaton [nlosseaton@shorefire.com], Miya Hannan [mhannan@shorefire.com] or Matt Hanks [mhanks@shorefire.com] at Shore Fire Media, 718.522.7171. For more info on Universal Music Group, please contact Maria Ho-Burge [maria.ho-burge@umusic.com], 212.331.2569.

SOURCE Universal Music Group

NEW YORK, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Famed singer, actress, author, and entrepreneur Marie Osmond is embarking upon a new career in the design industry with a line of home decor and fashion products produced by Giftcraft. Launching in stores this month, the Marie Lifestyle Collection includes uniquely designed quilted bags and accessories, fashion jewelry, elegant table top and stylish home decor accessories.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091111/NY09426)

"Creative expression has always been respected and treasured in my family. It is with that in mind, that I have poured my creative spirit and love for design and style into this new lifestyle collection," says Marie. "I am thrilled to offer stylish, functional products for women everywhere at a value-oriented price."

Marie was directly involved with the creation, design and development of the line which closely mirrors the aesthetic and values seen in Marie's own style. The entire Marie Lifestyle Collection retails for under $100 and will be available for purchase in Hallmark Gold Crown stores and fine boutiques across the US and Canada starting in November.

For more information, please visit: www.mariecollection.com.

About Giftcraft

Giftcraft is a leading designer and marketer of gifts and collectibles, fashion accessories, designer tabletop collections, garden and home decor products, including the distinctive Romero Britto® collection.

SOURCE Giftcraft