REDMOND, Wash., August 13, 1999 — Starting at 6 a.m. EDT today, visitors to MSN Windowsmedia.com will be able to sample an exclusive preview of “Heartbreaker,” the new single from top-selling Sony Music Entertainment artist Mariah Carey. Using the Windows Media Player, users can download the full-length version of the single — as well as exclusive photos and an audio greeting from Carey herself — from Windowsmedia.com at http://windowsmedia.com/mariah/. The single, from Carey’s forthcoming album “Rainbows,” is the first from a major Sony artist to be premiered exclusively on the Web.
“Microsoft is thrilled that Sony Music has chosen Windows Media due to its industry-leading sound quality,” said Will Poole, general manager, Marketing and Business Development, Streaming Media Division at Microsoft. “We’re pleased to be a part of delivering a global superstar’s latest music to Internet users worldwide.”
This preview adds to a host of free content featured on MSN Windowsmedia.com, already the fastest-growing audio and video guide on the Web. The site recently highlighted exclusive downloads from artists such as Tori Amos, Sugar Ray and Elliot Smith. In addition, the Beastie Boys last month used Windows Media Technologies in a unique way — for each free download of an exclusive, unreleased Beastie Boys track, Microsoft and LAUNCH.COM donated $1 to charities in support of the Kosovo relief effort.
