REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 1, 2001
— Microsoft
Corp. today announced that every copy of the Windows® XP operating
system will come with a promotional song from the musical innovator David
Byrne to show off the digital media capabilities of the new Windows Media™
Player for Microsoft® Windows XP.
The song
“Like Humans Do” from Byrne’s latest album, “Look Into the Eyeball,”
on Virgin Records America, will come preloaded in Windows Media Player for
Windows XP. The song will play as a digital audio track, complete with album
art and lyrics, the first time the Windows Media Player is used, showcasing
the high-quality music experience possible with Windows Media Player for
Windows XP.
“Windows
Media Player for Windows XP is a big step forward that will help digital music
reach its full potential for fans, musicians and the industry,” said Ty
Braswell, vice president of New Media for Virgin Records. “Having a track
from David Byrne included with Windows XP speaks to his broad appeal and gives
millions of people a fun way to explore all the ways they can enjoy digital
music on Windows XP.”
Byrne first
achieved fame in the late 1970s for his work with Talking Heads, a New
York-based band that combined cutting-edge artistic sensibilities with clever
lyrics and danceable rhythms. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Byrne has been
active in a wide range of solo projects, including theatrical and
international music.
“Throughout
his career, David Byrne has redefined the boundaries of popular music,” said
Dave Fester, general manager of the Windows Digital Media Division at
Microsoft. “This is a great song, with wide appeal, and I think users are
going to really enjoy listening to the song while experiencing all the
exciting new digital music features of Windows XP.”
Windows Media
Player for Windows XP takes advantage of improvements throughout the operating
system to offer the best digital media experience on a personal computer. The
new Windows Media Player for Windows XP offers dramatically improved media
playback and handling, CD ripping with the industry-leading Windows Media
Audio, enhanced MP3 support and more.
With the Byrne
track, music fans will be able to experience how Windows Media Player for
Windows XP improves virtually all their favorite digital music activities. As
the track plays, showing off the high quality of Windows Media Audio, users
can explore the new player visualizations that move to the music, view the
album art in the Now Playing window, and follow the lyrics in the Media
Information pane.
Microsoft also
announced today that WindowsMedia.com will feature a free webcast of an
hour-long concert Byrne recorded before a private audience. The webcast
premieres on WindowsMedia.com (http://WindowsMedia.com/previewv2/xpconcerts/)
at 7 p.m. EDT Aug. 2 and will be available on demand through August.
Windows XP will
be available on Oct. 25.
About Virgin Records America
Virgin began in the early 1970s as a
small, independent label based in London. By 1986, Virgin had grown
dramatically and brought its innovative approach to U.S. soil. Today, Virgin
Records America and its London-based parent company, Virgin Music Group
Worldwide, are part of EMI, the world’s third-largest music company. In
America, Virgin is distributed by EMI Music Distribution (EMD), and the
label’s offerings span virtually all contemporary musical genres, including
modern rock, R&B, pop, hip hop, rap, blues, country, film soundtracks,
compilations and contemporary instrumentals. Over 25 years after its humble
beginnings, Virgin remains devoted to seeking and embracing artists who
possess the talent, vision and passion to create something new and different.
About Windows Media
Windows Media
is the leading digital media platform, providing unmatched audio and video
quality to consumers, content providers, solution providers, software
developers and corporations. Windows Media offers the industry’s only
integrated rights-management solution and the most scalable and reliable
streaming technology tested by independent labs. Windows Media Technologies
includes Windows Media Player for consumers, Windows Media Services for
servers, Windows Media Tools for content creation, and the Windows Media
Software Development Kit (SDK) for software developers. Windows Media Player,
available in
26 languages, is the fastest-growing media player. More information about
Windows Media can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet
technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide
range of products and services designed to empower people through great
software —
any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows
and Windows Media are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft
Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies
and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
For
more information, press only:
Gwynne Beatty, Rogers & Cowan for Microsoft, (646) 658-8318, gbeatty@webershandwick.com
Lori Genes, Rogers & Cowan for Microsoft, (646) 658-8311, lgenes@webershandwick.com
Yon Elvira for Virgin Records America, (310) 288-2419, yon.elvira@virgin-records.com