freefiona

Press Release 1/28/05 10:59 PM (22:59) Eastern Standard Time
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Free Fiona Protesters Crowd Outside Sony Building, Singing, Chanting,
and Making Headlines with "Big Apple"

Protesters from the Free Fiona Apple Campaign, wearing matching red hats, gathered today at the Sony/BMG Music headquarters at 550 Madison Avenue in Manhattan to protest the witholding of Fiona Apple's third album, "Extraordinary Machine." The album, completed in May of 2003, has been shelved due to the "lack of an obvious single," according to the album's producer, Jon Brion.

Protestors traveled from as far away as Europe to attend.

Approximately 45 protesters crowded the narrow sidewalk, chanting, singing, and giving away stickers and red hats to passers-by. With a wind chill of -12 degrees Fahrenheit (-24 Celsius), fans braved the freezing weather for over three hours to show their support. Reporters from the New York Times, Rolling Stone, SPIN, and others also dared the cold, taking pictures and interviewing campaign managers and fans.

The official campaign website, www.freefiona.com, surreptitiously announced a "surprise" for the protest. A 7-feet tall (2.1 meter) apple facsimile loomed over the crowd, as campaigners encouraged passers-by to sign their names. Stickers reading "I Signed the Big Apple" were given away, along with red hats for the signatories.

Why red hats? "Andrew Lack's office is on the 32nd floor," said Free Fiona founder Dave Muscato, "and one of the tracks on Fiona's new album is [allegedly] titled "Red, Red, Red." We want him to look out his window this afternoon and see the sidewalk crowded with red hats - just to show how serious we are about supporting our favorite singer."

"In an age of apathy, it's refreshing to know that people still care enough to stand out in the freezing cold to show what they believe in," said Ross Archibald, European Regional Campaign Manager, who flew to New York from Scotland for the protest.

For the latest news on the campaign, to participate in the Free Fiona Discussion Forum, or to sign the petition, visit the campaign website at www.freefiona.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Dave Muscato
Founder, Free Fiona!
dave@freefiona.com
Email for cell number
http://www.freefiona.com

###
--------------------------------------------------
Press Release 1/25/05
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Free Fiona Apple Campaign kicks off "Apple Week," Thousands of Apples Mailed to Sony Music CEO Andrew Lack as a Symbol of Support

Yesterday, in protest of the shelving of Fiona Apple's third album, "Extraordinary Machine," thousands of fans from around the globe mailed fake apples to the office of Andrew Lack, CEO of Sony/BMG Music. The apples will arrive throughout this week.

The campaign is also gathering signatures in an online petition, which will be presented in person to Mr. Lack on Friday, January 28th at his New York City office. The petition currently sports more than 22,000 names.

A live protest is planned for 11:00 AM this Friday outside the Sony building on Madison Avenue in New York City. Hundreds of fans will gather, singing along to Fiona's previous hits, reading limericks and chanting for the release of the album. The campaign has raised over $3,000 in donations so far, and according to the campaign website, www.freefiona.com, a "special surprise" is planned for this Friday as well.

The campaign has already been covered by more than 30 international news sources, including the Associated Press, MTV News, Rolling Stone, BillBoard, Howard Stern, Corriere della Sera (Italy's leading daily newspaper), the New York Times, the Miami Herald, the Boston Globe, and others.

For the latest news on the campaign, to participate in the Free Fiona Discussion Forum, or to sign the petition, visit the campaign website at www.freefiona.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Dave Muscato
Founder, Free Fiona!
Email for cell number
http://www.freefiona.com

###
---------------------------------------
PRESS RELEASE WRITTEN DECEMBER 1st, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Fiona Apple's New Album Deemed "Not Commercial Enough" by Sony Music executives, Shelved Indefinitely

International "Free Fiona!" campaign under way

In protest, thousands of Fiona Apple fans from around the world plan to mail apples to Sony Music headquarters in New York City as a symbol of their support for the singer.

Fiona Apple's third album, "Extraordinary Machine," has been complete since May of 2003, but Sony/BMG Music has decided not to release it to the public because it lacks, in the words of the album's producer Jon Brion, "an obvious single."

The campaign, "Free Fiona!" (www.freefiona.com) calls for the mailing of thousands of apples (plastic and real) to Andrew Lack, CEO of Sony Music, at his office in New York City. Fans as far away as New Zealand and Siberia are participating in the campaign.

Apple's "Tidal" (1996) and "When the Pawn..." (2000) were both certified Platinum by the RIAA, but her third album, "Extraordinary Machine," was deemed too experimental for audiences by Sony executives and consequently will not be released.

The campaign, less than two weeks old, has already received attention from MTV News
and Corriere della Sera (Italy's leading daily newspaper), among others.

Andrew Lack, ex-president of NBC, replaced longtime Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola in an effort to pull the company from its recent revenue slump. In the age of illegal digital downloading, CD sales have dropped sharply, and Lack was the answer. But Lack has no prior music industry experience, and the result was a shift in company focus to pop and hip-hop artists that are traditionally better sellers, a move no doubt with the bottom line in mind.

While Sony shareholders are no longer sweating, Fiona Apple fans are fuming. "Sony has a responsibility to its shareholders, but it also has a very important responsibility to the art of music itself," says Dave Muscato, founder of freefiona.com. "They should focus on the real problem - file sharing - and not some short-sighted and very harmful way to raise profits."

Muscato, a musician from Missouri USA, understands the sacrifices involved in producing art in favor of money, and his own band is active in the fight against illegal file sharing. But according to Muscato, "the major labels have a very real advantage over indies in industry influence and distribution power, but Sony and the other majors are abusing that power. It's not right, and they know it. And sooner or later, they're going to pay for it in sales. People are tired of being force-fed pop music."

Although Sony/BMG Music is a subsidiary of Sony, Inc, many fans are boycotting all Sony products until a release date is announced.

As one fan, Andrew Serduletz, stated on the official Free Fiona petition, "I hope Sony comes to their senses and realizes that one of the biggest reasons people aren't buying as many records is that most of the music being sold these days is pitiful. It's about time record companies start releasing and promoting the records of artists that are actually talented and creative. It just might catch on."

The website, freefiona.com, has had over 2.5 million visits since it went active six weeks ago. The petition is available there (with over 17,000 signatures), as well as updates and a discussion forum about the campaign for fans. The campaign has received well over $2,000 in donations to the cause as well.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Dave Muscato
Founder, Free Fiona!
Email for cell number
http://www.freefiona.com

###