RAP LEGEND CHUCK D's RAPSTATION.COM ALIGNS WITH REALNETWORKS Real.com Take 5

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 1999
Press Contact: Jolyn Matsumuro
(323) 653-4330

RAP LEGEND CHUCK D's RAPSTATION.COM ALIGNS WITH REALNETWORKS Real.com Take 5

Businesses Team Up To Provide Today's Best Rap Music To Consumers

RealPlayer 7 with ChuckD in Take 5 feature
Los Angeles, CA - Chuck D, founder of seminal rap group Public Enemy and leading proponent of MP3 technology and new music download technology, announces a new agreement between Rapstation (www.rapstation.com), a definitive, full-service website for rap music and the global Hip Hop community, and RealNetworks via their new programming service, Real.com Take5. Launching today, RealPlayer 7 is the next-generation media player, providing consumers with a gateway to instant audio and video programming on the Internet. Real.com Take5 is a "best of the web" daily news and entertainment showcase from RealNetworks that can be accessed only via RealPlayer7.

The agreement will provide an opportunity for consumers to quickly and easily find the best in rap music through Rapstation's site. Accessible through RealPlayer 7, rap fans can connect with Real.com Take5, be offered highlights of the best new music the web has to offer, listen to a sample, and then go directly to the Rapstation site for more.

"We are delighted to be working with Chuck D and Rapstation and to have the chance to provide Rapstation's rap and Hip Hop music content on the Internet through Real.com Take5," said Mark Hall, vice president, Media Publishing, RealNetworks, Inc. "Chuck D's contributions to the global Hip Hop community are legendary and we look forward to working together on many other projects going forward."

In its first five weeks of being, Rapstation.com has not only joined with RealNetworks for their launch of the newest version of RealPlayer 7 with Real.com Take5, but the site has also exclusively offered the new single from multi-platinum artist Coolio for MP3 download, and sponsored Public Enemy's North American tour. Rapstation has also entered into a strategic alliance with House of Blues Digital. The joint venture is producing an online pay-per-view rap concert series, featuring artists such as Wyclef Jean, Public Enemy and De La Soul.

Rapstation.com features several different site areas specifically chosen by Chuck D, each of which will echo Rapstation's objective as being a open forum for enlightenment, entertainment and empowerment for Hip Hop fans around the world. Chuck's commitment to the musical genre and outspoken support for the Internet and MP3 technology prompted him to create this vital outlet for Hip Hop culture.

Rapstation.com includes:

Inside The Rhyme	Celebrity interviews featuring hip hop's biggest names and personalities including Puff Daddy, Mary J Blige, Everlast, The Roots and Michael Franti
On the Real	A regular political commentary by Chuck D covering a wide range of topics
Rapstation TV	Exclusive music videos and "Rock Da Houze" programming, with graphics by Image That Productions
Rapstation Radio	Streaming Internet radio
Digital Affairs	An opportunity for aspiring artists to gain insight on how to enter and succeed in the emerging digital music industry. Unsigned artists are encouraged to send in their CD demos to: MP3 Jamz @ Rapstation.com, 16 W. 19th Street, New York, NY, 10011.
MP3s	Upload, download, trade and discover the latest MP3s

"Rapstation is opening new levels of access and communication," says Chuck D. "We will break down the wall of silence and provide a forum where people can share and speak about their concerns. And we want to provide artists with valuable information about the record industry and how this new technology can enable you to connect with a rap and Hip Hop audience that is underserved. The revolution has started."

Rapstation.com was founded by Chuck D, and is a Creamwerks Multimedia venture.

RealNetworks continues to maintain a strong leadership share of the streaming media market. As of October 1999, there are more than 85 million unique users of RealPlayer and more than 85% of all streaming media Web pages on the Internet use industry leading RealAudio, RealVideo, RealFlash, RealText or RealPix, and more than 350,000 hours of live RealAudio and RealVideo programming are available each week (Source: Hotbot).

The Real.com Network provides an innovative variety of products which connect RealPlayer viewers to the programming they want, while also showcasing the best programming on the Internet. The Real.com Network features newly launched "best of the web" services including: Real.com Take5; Channels; Live Stations; the new Real.com Message Service, delivering headline updates to viewers' desktops; RealJukebox; and RealPlayer 7, available for immediate free download at http://www.real.com.