Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape: Successful Launch for Free Music Download

STUTTGART, Germany, August 4 --

- Over 500,000 downloads in four weeks

- Second compilation now available at www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape

- Internet project supports up-and-coming musicians

Mixed Tape, Mercedes-Benz's free music download, is enjoying great popularity. In the first four weeks following their release, the songs at www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape were downloaded more than half a million times. The first compilation from the automobile manufacturer, Mixed Tape 01, provided an appealing assortment of songs in MP3 format for free. Now Mixed Tape 02, with 15 great new songs, is available online.

"Mercedes-Benz sets standards with fascinating and innovative automobiles, but that's not all. We are now also offering customers and other interested parties pioneering new media services as well - ones that complement Mercedes-Benz perfectly," said Lothar Korn, head of Global Advertising for Mercedes-Benz cars at DaimlerChrysler AG. "The overwhelming interest in Mixed Tape shows that high-quality entertainment captures the spirit of our mobile society." Mercedes-Benz's aim with the new music platform is to encourage talented young artists. Up-and-coming musicians can submit their songs online via www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape to be judged by the Mixed Tape music editorial staff. So far, many German and international artists have taken advantage of this opportunity. Every musician whose song manages to make it into the group of finalists is featured online.

The latest version, Mixed Tape 02, is the second in a series of four compilations for 2004. The new online album offers an extraordinary mixture of international artists, hailing from Vienna to Detroit. Musically, it runs the gamut from hip-hop and ballads to cool jazz and urban pop. This latest compilation features an exclusive preview song from Hungarian singer Erik Sumo, who will be releasing his solo debut, 'My Rocky Mountain', in the autumn. Listeners may choose all the songs on Mixed Tape 02 or select individual titles. The songs can be retrieved either via data streaming or by download and may be legally burnt onto CD-ROM or recorded onto an MP3 player.

What's more, www.mercedes-benz.com/mixedtape offers numerous additional functions, such as a cover and title generator. Users can download and print the current cover for their personal Mercedes-Benz audio CD and the selected titles. They can also send the cover motif or a link to the selected piece of music to others via an e-card. Volume control and convenient user-friendly operating modes for the audio player ensure optimal sound results on the Internet. An e-mail newsletter gives interested users information about the music featured in the next edition of Mixed Tape.