AUCKLAND, New Zealand, December 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• rara.com streaming music service to launch across New Zealand
• Ad-free access to >10 million tracks from just $1.99 per month in New Zealand
• HP to pre-load rara.com on HP PCs in New Zealand
• Grammy award winning Imogen Heap named first Associate Editor of rara.com
• rara.com secures licensing from Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Warner Music Group
• rara.com now live in 17 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the USA
• rara.com expected to launch in 6 more countries across the world this week
• rara.com releases consumer research showing 70% of consumers do not "do" digital music today

rara.com, a revolutionary new digital music service designed specifically for the mass market who still use CDs and want an easier way to adopt digital music, launches across New Zealand today, less than 24 hours after launching across the USA, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. Canada, Mexico and four other territories in the Asia Pacific region are expected to launch later this week.

To enable as many consumers as possible to experience the joys of rara.com, consumers will be able to gain instant access to rara.com and a catalogue of over 10 million tracks ad-free from just $1.99, for the first three months.

The new service will also be pre-loaded on the vast majority of New Zealand HP PCs and also available on Android, iOS and other platforms.

Imogen Heap, who will sit on the new service's Music Advisory Board as an Associate Editor, said, "I'm really excited to be an associate editor for rara.com. As an artist in this transitional music business phase I believe that rara.com is heading sharply in the right direction. I've travelled the world this year and have realised that even if fans want to pay for artists' work consuming it legally online can often be very difficult. rara.com is a super easy service for everyone to use and I love the information on tracks and artists that rara.com gives you. This is just the beginning for rara.com and it's a great start."

"Uniquely, you can experience access to all the music you want, ad-free, for less than the price of a single track," said Tim Hadley, rara.com Director. "Whether you're into Gaga or Elgar, rara.com is a new kind of streaming music service which makes accessing the music you love online easier and more delightful than ever; type rara.com into your web browser and you have a world of music at your fingertips."  

The new service was developed following ICM Research* commissioned by rara.com which shows at least 70% of consumers have not bought a digital music track in the past six months, and that 60% have never experienced any form of digital music.

rara.com reaches this market by utilising a simple and beautiful user interface, which removes the need to navigate or manage lists of digital media files, through a standard web browser.

rara.com also features a wide selection of expertly curated music channels to suit your every mood at the touch of a button making playing music online with rara.com as easy as switching on your radio or CD player.

rara.com users can also share music through Facebook and other social networks.

rara.com has secured international licensing agreements with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group.  Publishers and collection societies have also licensed the service internationally with Omnifone creating a catalogue of over 10 million tracks for rara.com users to enjoy.

"rara.com has delivered a music service that taps into an entirely new type of music consumer," said Rob Wells, President of Global Digital Business for Universal Music Group. "Instead of competing with existing digital music services, it's designed for the mass market of consumers who have yet to do digital music at all."

"We are pleased to be partnering with rara.com on the launch of their new music service," said Michael Paull, Executive Vice President, Global Digital Business, Sony Music Entertainment. "Growing the audience for digital music around the world requires services that resonate with the mass market. rara.com has been designed with broad consumer appeal in mind with a simple interface that provides a great music experience and accessibility across a range of devices."

"rara.com is a great new way for a whole new audience of fans to find, listen to and share music online, building deeper connections with the artists they love and discovering a world of new music as well," said Mark Piibe, Executive Vice President - Global Business Development at EMI Music.  

"The intuitive and thoughtfully designed interface combined with the curated channels makes rara.com a service that will be accessible and appealing to a wide audience and, potentially, an entry point for many people just starting the transition to digital music." said Stephen Bryan, Executive Vice President of Digital Strategy and Business Development, Warner Music Group.

rara.com is powered by global cloud music service provider Omnifone. "Omnifone is proud to be behind this global digital music service," said Omnifone CEO Jeff Hughes, "rara.com's unique service is a great example of how a company can utilise Omnifone's MusicStation Platform and unique global licensing services to bring a truly innovative service to market."

rara.com's global footprint will more than double by the end of 2012.

Notes to editors:

*ICM Research: Sample 1000 adults.

Unique introductory pricing

Access to rara.com in New Zealand costs just $1.99 per month for the first 3 months followed by a flat fee of $7.99 per month for online access (web), with mobile access to rara.com on Android smartphones (web + mobile) just $2.99 per month for the first 3 months then $13.99 per month.

Users are free to unsubscribe from the service at any time.

About rara media group

rara.com, announced today, is the new global digital music service designed for the mass-market. rara.com parent rara media group limited is a private company, headquartered in London with offices throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific and in North America. Licensed globally by all of the major labels; Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group, rara.com is partnered with digital music service provider Omnifone.

About Omnifone

Omnifone is the leading independent provider of cloud music services for consumer electronics vendors, ISPs, consumer brands, automotive and mobile companies globally including Sony, Sony Ericsson, RIM and rara.com. With services licensed in 23 markets and a global catalogue of over 12m licensed tracks, Omnifone has the widest global reach of any cloud music service provider able to develop, license and run white label cloud music services across virtually all connected device platforms including TVs, games consoles (in-home and portable), set-top boxes, home cinema systems, Blu-ray players, picture frames, cars, mobiles, PCs, tablets and web browsers.  For further information visit http://www.omnifone.com

About Universal Music Group

Universal Music Group is the world's leading music company with wholly owned record operations or licensees in 59 territories. Its businesses also include Universal Music Publishing Group, the industry's leading global music publishing operation.

Universal Music Group's record labels include A&M/Octone, Decca, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammophon, Disa, Emarcy, Fonovisa, Geffen Records, Interscope Records, Island Records, Lost Highway Records, Machete Music, MCA Nashville, Mercury Nashville, Mercury Records, Polydor Records, Motown, Universal Music Latino, Universal Republic and Verve Music Group as well as a multitude of record labels owned or distributed by its record company subsidiaries around the world. UMG's catalog is marketed through two distinct divisions, Universal Music Enterprises (in the U.S.) and Universal Strategic Marketing (outside the U.S.). Universal Music Group also includes Global Digital Business, its new media and technologies division; Bravado, its merchandising company; and Twenty-First Artists, its full service management division.

Universal Music Group is a fully owned subsidiary of Vivendi (Euronext: VIV).

About Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including American Recordings, Arista Nashville, Arista Records, Battery Records, Beach Street Records, BNA Records, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records, Flicker Records, J Records, Jive Records, LaFace Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS, Polo Grounds, RCA Records, RCA Nashville, RCA Red Seal, RCA Victor, Reunion Records, Roc Nation, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Verity Gospel Music Group, and Volcano Entertainment. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

About Warner Music Group

With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry including Asylum, Atlantic, Cordless, East West, Elektra, Nonesuch, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros. and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world's leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.

About EMI Music

EMI Music is one of the world's leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone, Virgin Classics and Virgin Records.

SOURCE rara