COMPOSER/ARTIST JOEL PELLETIER "FREES THE MUSIC" AND OFFERS HIS ENTIRE CHAMBER POP CD FOR FREE ONLINE 26 September 2000 (Los Angeles, CA): Composer/multimedia artist Joel Pelletier, the "Cyber Music" columnist for Los Angeles' Music Connection Magazine, has been following the MP3.com/Napster/RIAA debates over the last year, and as an artist himself has decided to put his money where his mouth is by "giving away" all 12 tracks of his critically-acclaimed CD, CHAMBER POP, in MP3 form on his website, www.joelp.org. He is in a unique position as a recording artist and songwriter/composer who also owns the rights to all of his music and his website, which he also designs and maintains, to make this decision himself without record label and big-business pressures. "I realized that I am not a 'record company,' and don't have the overhead large corporations deal with, including inflated executive salaries, expense accounts and foreign multi-national multimedia corporations skimming the profits off the top of their music divisions. MP3 files of my music don't have to support distributors, promoters and retailers, and I can support myself financially without making a penny on my music. I don't need corporate money or praise to be an artist; I am an artist, and whether or not anyone pays me for my music has nothing to do with who I am and what I do." Joel, utilizing the online "shareware" paradigm, has changed his online "Order" page to an "Artist Support" page. Quoted from his website, "If you really like a track, you can send me a $1 bill, which is more than most artists make on the sale of a single album on a major label. If you like a few tracks, send me $5 and I'll mail you the CD inserts (and a signed poster) for your own custom-burned CHAMBER POP CD. Send me $10 and I'll send you the CD (and the poster), which includes a 10-language CD-ROM. No industry pimps, middle-men or corporate pirates here, just the artist going directly to the listener, with the hope that if enough people like it, they'll ask me to come out and play in their town/city/country/whatever. If not, I'll just keep making more music for myself, and for the few that enjoy it." The artist, currently planning a North American and European tour for 2001 with his 8-piece CHAMBER POP ENSEMBLE (including a string section), has received high praise from national and international press and music websites, including Musesmuse.com and Listen.com. In early September 2000 Joel and his CHAMBER POP Ensemble performed at the Western Arts Alliance Conference in San Jose, CA, and is working with community arts presenters to bring his CHAMBER POP music to communities all over the Western US and Canada. Music Connection Magazine named Joel "Top 1999 Male Solo Artist" in their Top 20 1999 Demo Critiques roundup, and his "Chamber Pop" CD has garnered airplay on over 240 college radio stations in 1999. The CD, featuring 12 personal pop songs combined with pop, rock and classical arrangements, also includes a10-language CD-ROM, featuring Joel's original music, illustrations, animations and videos. The CD is available at all major music retail websites (CDNow, Buy.com, Amazon, TheOrchard.com, MP3.com, etc.), can be ordered from any music retailer, and is also available at his extensive website, www.joelp.org. Also a professional web designer and multimedia artist, Joel Pelletier's self-designed and maintained website features tour, gig and bio info, audio and video, original illustrations and animations, press and fan comments, and extensive promo downloads and information. Joel is also the Cyber Music columnist for Los Angeles' Music Connection Magazine, runs successful music websites including musicLA.com and WebBands.com, and consults and designs for many Los Angeles area companies, including Northrop Grumman Corporation, Logicon, Stomp Inc. and Universal Computers, Inc.. A complete promo package, including his CD, an interview/performance video, bio and tour information is available from The Way Home Media. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Way Home Media/Music, Box 1842, Hollywood, CA 90078 USA 818-980-8304, fax 818-373-7512, email joelp@joelp.com