destra online music agreement heralds a new step in retailing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation MELBOURNE – 15 March 2005 – Australia’s No 1 Digital Rights Management (DRM) provider, destraMusic.com (wholly owned by destra Corporation: ASX:DES) has signed an agreement with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to provide online music for consumers to purchase and download at their convenience. destra's technical platform allows three of the ABC's most popular websites, the ABC Shop, triple j and ABC Classic FM, to feature the music download facility. Within each website is a custom-built Download Shop which showcases sound clips, track listings, ABC album art, links to programs, triple j music forums on the triple j site and new music from ABC Music and ABC Classics. Through these websites consumers are being offered a new and legal way of accessing music from their favourite ABC artists - a three step process to click their selection, play it, and then download for future use. The ABC manages product presentation and editorial control of all ABC content. destra provides the technical platform for product browsing, sampling, downloading and sales for the ABC's three music download shops. The music is in the Windows Media Architecture (WMA) format and has built in technology for consumers to copy the songs onto a CD three times, as well as to a portable media player. The technology is designed to prevent unauthorised use, offering record companies protection from copyright violation. "Through this new facility customers can build and listen to their own play lists, then buy them to play at home, on the bus or wherever they choose," said Doug Walker, General Manager ABC Retail, for ABC Enterprises. "This is a new way for audiences to engage with the ABC to access their choice of content to listen to again at their convenience. It's an innovative shopping service which is devised from the ground up to benefit our customers." destra’s CEO, Domenic Carosa, said, “The ABC will be Australia’s first broadcaster to align an online digital music download store with their national radio and television programming. Listeners will potentially be able to purchase a song immediately upon hearing it on-air. The ABC's move will drive the popularity of legal music downloading in Australia.” destraMusic.com was the first company in Australia to launch a legal digital music service in December 2003, offering music through its network of online retail partners. Today, destraMusic has access to over 500,000 tracks from major record companies including EMI, Sony and FMR, while digital music delivery is managed through retail partners such as Sanity.com.au, Harvey Norman, JB HI-FI.com.au and Chaosmusic.com.au ABC Shop triple j ABC Classic FM www.abcshop.com.au www.abc.net.au/triplej www.abc.net.au/classic - ENDS -
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