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Four Ghanaian artists signs to Rockstar 4000

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 Source: GNA

Accra, June 18, GNA - Ghanaian stars Richie, Asem, Eazzy and OJ Blaq from Ghana based Lynx Entertainment, have signed on to the African Continent's first Pan African 360 Music and Entertainment Company and Record Label - Rockstar 4000.

A released by Management of Rockstar 4000 Music Entertainment copie d to Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday said the deal would see the young

stars in a historic, exclusive worldwide digital distribution deal, havin g their music made available commercially to a global audience. It said Rockstar 4000, through its exclusive Pan African partnershi p with Sony Music Entertainment Africa, would distribute its music and vide o catalogue to hundreds of digital storefronts.

It includes major digital music services like iTunes=AE, Amazon MP3, Napster, eMusic, Rhapsody, Beatport, YouTube, Vevo, Zune, MySpace Music, Spotify, SKY, Juno Download, Boomkat, and Turntable Lab.

The rest are mobile carriers and outlets such as Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile and Nokia via Sony's partnership, with the San Francisco-based digital distributor IODA.

The release said the deal with Rockstar 4000 would begin in June with a song by the Ghanaian artists featuring on the highly anticipated 'Hello Afrika' album released by Sony Music.

The album hit the shelves on May 31, and is an accessibly-priced, double-disc that provides a platform for close to 40 artists from Africa and the Diaspora to express their passion and support for the first FIFA Worl d Cup staged on African soil.

The song 'Africa's Moment' is a superb multi-artist collaboration performed by Richie, Asem, Zigi, Eazzy and OJ Blaq.

The recording by the all star line-up leads a call across the continent and around the world, inspiring millions of fans to rise up in support of Ghana's highly rated national football team- the Black Stars. "With Rockstar 4000 recently signing up Richie, Asem, Zigi, Eazzy an d OJ Blaq to our family we are very excited by the individual talent and th e collaboration on the "Africa's Moment" song, truly speaks to the inspirations behind the world's greatest game of football and underlines the potential and talent vested in these stars of music from West Africa. "The potential of the shores their music can reach is a hugely excit ing prospect," says Jandre Louw, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Rocks tar 4000.

Richie is the last of three children and a member of a family of music lovers whom he mentioned as having aided greatly in the development of hi s musical talents. When he was six years he partook in numerous stage performances as p art of the sibling family trio. As a little boy Richie aspired to be a surgeon, he kept music as an insatiable passion. Richie began with nothing more than an old computer, a PC microphone , and a lamp stand for a makeshift microphone stand. This increasingly popular music producer and artist expanded and improved on the technology at the studio and with it the quality of his productions. He formed Lynx Entertainment and thereafter has concentrated all his

energy into creating a different level of different genres of his music a nd that of the artists he works with. Nana Wiafe Asante Mensah - otherwise known as ASEM - is a star in th e making whose music is catching on fast in the urban scenes in Ghana. ASEM is the youngest of five boys and it was while sneaking into his family's boy s' quarters to bond with his much older brothers as they listened to hip-hop

music that he developed a strong passion for music. It was in those surroundings that his desire to grow up to be a grea t entertainer and lyricist was born. With the help of the Beat maker, Richi e, who was then scouting for talent to add to the music empire he was trying to build, ASEM rediscovered himself. In working with Richie - a singer, producer, sound engineer and CEO of Lynx Entertainment - ASEM has evolved, creating his own brand of Ghanaian

music niche for himself as an artist.

Eazzy has rapidly grown as an artiste and she has mastered the art o f performing whether in the recording booth, in front of the camera or on stage and her ability to rap, sing and dance has catapulted her to the forefront of Ghanaian showbiz. She has also done well in her collaborations with artistes such as Richie, Tinny, Asem, OJ Blaq and Zigi but it is her songs that have been the major catalyst for thousands of fans. Her first single, Bo Wonsem Ma Me was an instant club and radio hit but her newest song Wengeze has caused massive waves and is currently one of the most requested songs on radio. In her short stint on the music scene Eazzy has graced many high profile platforms and her blend of Hip-hop, R&B and Afro Pop thrills fans

across the Ghana.

OJ BLAQ, born Andy Nii Akrashie in Accra some twenty something years ago, can bluntly be described as a phenomenal double-edged sword who has masterfully combined the art of acting and making eccentric music. Mr BLAQ, currently making feverish preparations for the release and launching of his debut 13-track album is a young man, filled with style a nd positive energy.

OJ BLAQ's immense musical talents were first released to the public on Sydney's 'My Sweetie' track on the famous 'Abuskeleke' album, after which he began to produce his masterpiece of an album, 'Galanja'. He perfected his musical skills along the way through personal experiences and collaborations with various artistes such as, Tinny, Asem , Richie, Salimi, Dampo, and Diojo.

A true entertainer, and proven this through his work as an actor, radio deejay, he now intends to mystify the world with his true passion, music. The developments underscore Rockstar 4000 and Sony Music's commitme nt to expanding music service capabilities to a Pan African music community. Sony Music currently provides sales and marketing services to independent labels and artists, across Africa through its exclusive partnership with Rockstar 4000. The service is further bolstered by the addition of the services of

IODA that brings its proven digital distribution platform for the independent sector into the mix. With distinct areas of expertise and market focus, Rockstar 4000 an d IODA would build on their complementary technologies and resource increas ing the scope of sales and promotional opportunities. Both companies would also leverage the global marketing and financia l strength of Sony Music to continue expanding their businesses and providi ng best in class service.

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artis ts and international superstars. The company boasts of a vast catalogue that comprises some of the mo st important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including American Recordings, Arist a Nashville, Arista Records, Aware, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, Black Seal, BNA Records, Cinematic, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records,

Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, Fo-Yo Soul, GospoCentri c, Hitz Committee Entertainment, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, Masterworks, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville,

RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Slightly Dangerous, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Records, and

Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly-owned subsidi ary of Sony Corp., an Official Partner of FIFA and of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

South AfricaT.

Rockstar 4000 is the first Pan African 360 music and entertainment production, content and events company.

It is home to a roster of current artists across Africa that includ es a broad array of Africa's superstars from the vast spectrum of music genr es that influence the African continent's music trends, world-class, Pan-African experiences on a local level. Rockstar 4000 provides brands an unrivalled mix and reach of the be st entertainment based experiences from around the world and across Africa o n a local level.

The Rockstar 4000 brand essence is aspiration! Though its core busin ess is music, live events, brand experiences, brand content, talent and music

management, Rockstar 4000 is an offering that extends beyond the function al levels of excellence in its delivery to connect emotionally with audience s through what matters to them most - Music! Lifestyle! Bands! Being part o f and living the life of. ROCKSTARS!

"We believe in, develop and drive best-of-breed teams of skilled individuals across Africa to deliver the best live music experiences on p ar with and beyond the best productions in the world - made in Africa," the release said. IODA, the Independent Online Distribution Alliance, is one of the industry-leading digital distribution companies for the global independen t music and video community. IODA provides comprehensive services to record labels, physical distributors, artists, and filmmakers, including license negotiations; me dia encoding and metadata management; royalty payment administration and reporting; and marketing and promotional support. Founded in 2003, IODA represents a rapidly expanding roster of more than two million music tracks and more than 5000 independent film and vid eo titles. IODA distributes its music and video catalogue to hundreds of digita l storefronts worldwide, including all major digital music services like iTunes=AE, Amazon MP3 and MySpace Music and mobile.

Source: GNA