Tuesday, June 09, 2009

ATLANTIC RECORDS CELEBRATES BLACK MUSIC MONTH

For more than 60 years, Atlantic Records has been home to the most innovative, compelling, and enduring artists in African-American music, spanning soul and R&B, jazz and hip-hop. To commemorate this month’s 30th anniversary of “Black Music Month,” Atlantic has launched a dynamic online promotional campaign, dubbed “Atlantic IS Black Music.”

“Atlantic IS Black Music” will see a video content link running all month long on the Atlantic Records homepage, located at www.atlanticrecords.com. A stunning array of current Atlantic Records Group artists will be featured, including superstars like T.I., Estelle, and Cee-Lo, alongside rising new talents such as Laura Izibor, Trey Songz, B.o.B., Maino, Pleasure P, Young Steff, Sophia Fresh, and Janelle Monae. The “Atlantic IS Black Music” video content will be updated daily throughout June.

In addition, Interactive One, the #1 African-American digital platform, super-serving more than 10 million monthly users, has partnered with Atlantic Records to celebrate the label’s many accomplishments and impact on Black Music over the past 60 years. Interactive One will provide its vast online community with the ability to engage and share in the celebration at partnering sites including BlackPlanet.com, TheUrbanDaily.com, NewsOne.com, and HelloBeautiful.com. Each week Interactive One members will receive special Atlantic Records gift packs and other prizes – please visit http://www.blackplanet.com/atlanticrecords/ for details.

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When the music industry first united in 1979 to create the annual Black Music Month celebration, Atlantic Records already had a long tradition in presenting African-American artistry. In fact, it was exactly 60 years ago that the label scored its first major hit with Stick McGhee’s 1949 smash, “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee.” From there, Atlantic became the preeminent R&B label of the 1950s, boasting a roster which included the likes of Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, the Clovers, the Drifters, LaVern Baker, and the Coasters.

Atlantic’s influence on the course of black music certainly didn’t stop there. The label pioneered the soul revolution with such stars as Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, and Booker T. & the MGs. Jazz was represented by such influential luminaries as John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Atlantic continued to lead the way with Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, the Spinners, Chic, Sister Sledge, Levert, and many more.

Today, with artists ranging from hip-hop superstars like T.I., Lupe Fiasco, and Flo Rida, R&B icons like Musiq Soulchild and Toni Braxton, and new soul men and women like Trey Songz, Estelle, and Laura Izibor, Atlantic’s incredible legacy continues on into a new generation.

For additional information, please visit: www.atlanticrecords.com/atlanticisblackmusic and

http://www.blackplanet.com/atlanticrecords/

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ABOUT INTERACTIVE ONE

Interactive One has over 15 million members and reaches over 10 million Black Americans each month. With approximately 8 billion annual page views on its suite of sites, the Company has become the definitive social network for Black America through BlackPlanet, as well as a number of leading content sites. These sites include: NewsOne (www.NewsOne.com), which provides up to the minute, comprehensive coverage of newsworthy events relevant to African Americans across the country and the world through syndicated news, original news reports, local content and opinion blogs from some of the most provocative minds in Black America; TheUrbanDaily www.TheUrbanDaily.com), which serves as the eyes and ears for African Americans looking for a one-stop, comprehensive destination for entertainment news, information, gossip and opinion and original celebrity interviews; HelloBeautiful (www.HelloBeautiful.com), which celebrates the lives and style of African American women with a dynamic daily mix of fashion, beauty, entertainment and relationship content; and Elev8 (www.Elev8.com) which is a personal empowerment website dedicated to uplifting and enriching the lives of African Americans by offering services, tools, information and community.



Interactive One was launched by Radio One in the last year to complement Radio One’s existing portfolio of media companies targeting the African American community. Since its launch, Interactive One has quickly become the #1 online platform for the African American community. Interactive One is powered by the mission to create an online community that engages and positively impacts the lives of African Americans.

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