Napster Announces 2005 Supercross/Motocross Team Sponsorship
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8, 2004 -- Today Napster(R), a division of Roxio , announced it has teamed with Factory Connection Racing, Inc., in an innovative new partnership that will combine the world's biggest brand in digital music with one of the country's premier Supercross and Motocross teams. To launch the alliance, Napster has become an associate sponsor of Factory Connection Racing's Amsoil/Chaparral/Honda Team for the 2005 Supercross and Motocross seasons. The sponsorship will kick-off in Las Vegas, NV Friday, October 8th at US Open in the MGM Grand Arena.
"We are very excited about the opportunities a relationship between a leader in the digital music world and our race team can yield," said Jeff Majkrzak, team co-owner of Factory Connection Racing. "As soon as The Familie brought us the opportunity with Napster, we knew it was a unique chance to partner with a brand that fits perfectly with our sport, our team and our fans."
Supercross and Motocross is considered the next NASCAR and has surged in popularity over the past several years. With six top riders on the circuit, Factory Connection Racing, Inc. will have significant opportunities to represent the Napster brand and expose fans to the Napster service during the 16-stop Supercross tour and the 12-stop Motocross tour.
Riding for the 2005 season in the 250 class will be top rider, Kevin Windham and two time Motocross and US Open Champion, Mike LaRocco. They will be joined by the powerhouse team of 125 class riders: Josh Grant, Billy Laninovich, Joaquim Rodrigues and Tommy Hahn who will all race aboard the Honda CR 250F.
"We feel that Supercross/Motocross is a cornerstone of action sports and we recognize that its enthusiastic fans have a passion for music and entertainment that makes them perfect potential Napster subscribers," said Brad Duea, Napster's president. "Aligning with a team consisting of six of the circuit's best riders will give Napster great visibility at these electrifying and increasingly popular sporting events."
While Napster is signing on as an associate sponsor for the 2005 season, the team's official name will remain Amsoil/Chaparral/Honda Racing. Factory Connection Racing is the official 125 team for American Honda Racing and is one of the premier satellite race teams in the U.S. Based out of Corona, CA, the team will be entering its ninth season of racing.
About Napster
Napster(R), the world's biggest brand in digital music, is a subscription service that enables fans to access the world's largest and most diverse online collection of music and experience the largest number of features. Napster subscribers have more ways to discover, share and acquire new music and old favorites with community features like the ability to email tracks to friends and browse other members' collections. Subscribers to Napster can listen to full-length songs from every major record label and hundreds of independents on demand. Napster also offers Napster Light, a "lighter" version of the service for those who just want to purchase songs and albums a la carte. Napster is a division of Roxio, Inc., , the Digital Media Company, provider of the best-selling digital media software in the world. Napster is headquartered in Los Angeles.
About The Familie, LLC
Recognized as the leading action sports agency, The Familie, a division of Wasserman Media Group, offers an array of services that include athlete management, public relations, creative services, event marketing, licensing, trend research, promotions, and consulting.
Copyright (C) 2004 Napster, LLC All rights reserved. Roxio, the Roxio tagline, Napster and Napster Light are trademarks or registered trademarks of Roxio, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks used are owned by their respective owners.
Napster Contacts: Dana M. Harris Napster +1-310-281-5073 dana.harris@napster.com Factory Connection Racing Contact: Cristina Kown The Familie, LLC +1-760-602-6200 bobw@thefamilie.com