Enrollment in Amazon.com's Associates program surpasses 100,000 members with music sites such as Spin, Vibe, and Spinner.com
SEATTLE, WA -- August 3, 1998 -- Leading online retailer Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), today announced that enrollment in its Associates program has exceeded the 100,000-member milestone, solidifying it as the most widely embraced program of its kind. Amazon.com pioneered the concept of syndicated selling in July 1996, enabling Web-site owners to participate in e-commerce by recommending books, music, and other products to be purchased at Amazon.com. In return, Amazon.com Associates earn referral fees on their referred sales and they enhance the value of their sites with additional book and music content. Since the launch of Amazon.com's music store, premier music sites such as Spin, Vibe, and Spinner.com have become Associates, demonstrating the program's appeal to all facets of the music industry.
Reba McEntire's Web site, TheDoors.com, and Mojo Records (the Cherry Poppin' Daddies' label) are among the growing list of artist sites, fan sites, and label sites becoming Associates. Vibe, Spin, and other online music magazines benefit from the richness of Amazon.com's editorial content. Concert promoters, orchestras and event halls, radio stations, and broadcast talk-show sites such as Art Bell.com extend the reach and application of Amazon.com's Associates program. Sites with specialty music reviews and music software such as Spinner.com have also selected Amazon.com as their music-retailing source.
"By linking our 100,000-title playlist to Amazon.com's enormous music catalog, we've created a simple and fun way for our visitors to discover and purchase their next favorite CD," said Josh Felser, president of Spinner.com, the pioneering online music service. "The scope of Amazon.com's editorial content as well as the ease and simplicity of their program made Amazon.com our music retailer of choice."
"Amazon.com's Associates program is the only major syndicated selling network in existence that enables participants to sell books, CDs, DVDs, and sheet music--giving them the potential to earn more than they could with any other program," said David Risher, Amazon.com senior vice president. "The real winners, though, are the visitors to Associate Web sites who no longer have to keep track of multiple passwords, user IDs, and orders. With our cross-product program, visitors to Associate sites can purchase several titles across multiple product lines from a single source."
Any Web site can benefit by becoming an Amazon.com Associate. The program offers the biggest selection of CDs, books, and other products; competitive prices; and world-class customer service. Amazon.com's selection and deep editorial content, including customer reviews, author and artist interviews, cover art, and music clips, enable customers to make informed purchases.
For more information about the Amazon.com Associates program or to join, visit www.amazon.com/associates.
About Spinner.com
Spinner.com (formerly TheDJ.com) is the premier Internet music service, delivering more than 100,000 digitized songs in more than 100 highly specialized music channels. Covering the genres of Rock, Oldies, Themes, TopHits, MoodFood, Classical, Jazz & Blues, Urban & Dance, Country & Folk, and World & New Age, Spinner.com reaches more than 2 million listeners worldwide.
Based in Silicon Valley, Spinner.com couples the power of the Internet with advanced digital audio technology to raise entertainment to a new octave. The Spinner.com music players--the Web-based Spinner and the stand-alone Internet application Spinner Plus--display song information as music is played, while providing dynamic links that enable online purchases and real-time listener feedback. The strength of these features has fostered partnerships with industry leaders including Real Networks, Amazon.com, @Home Network, GameSpot, LAUNCH Media, and the Ultimate Band List (UBL) as well as more than 100 record labels. Visit Spinner.com at www.spinner.com.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc., offers more than 3 million book, music, and other titles, plus easy-to-use search and browse features, secure credit card payment, personalized recommendations, and direct shipping. Amazon.com has virtually unlimited online shelf space to offer customers a vast selection easily accessed through an efficient search-and-retrieval interface as well as streamlined ordering through 1-Click (TM) technology. Amazon.com pioneered the concept of syndicated selling on the Internet and has more than 100,000 members in its Associates Program, including AOL.com, Yahoo!, Netscape, Excite, the AltaVista Search Service, the @Home Network, and iVillage.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, Amazon.com's limited operating history, the unpredictability of its future revenues, and risks associated with capacity constraints, management of growth, and new business opportunities. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997, and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 1998, both filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Amazon.com and 1-Click are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.