VELOCITY Broadcasting and Big Machine Label Group to Host Worldwide Album Launch Party and High-Definition Concert Event for GRAMMY® Nominee Jewel

PITTSBURGH, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- This spring, fans of GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Jewel can place themselves at the center of an evolution in entertainment, a new model that will help define how artists bring their music to the marketplace.  FIRST SPIN, the private performance platform of Pittsburgh-based VELOCITY Broadcasting®, the largest global, private High-Definition broadcasting network; and Big Machine Label Group will launch Jewel's new album "Sweet and Wild" via a live, High-Definition broadcast event on Monday, June 7, 2010.  The ticketed, interactive concert will give fans across the country the opportunity to hear Jewel perform songs from her new album even before it is officially released to the public on Tuesday, June 8.  Fans can see and hear the concert in VELOCITY HD Digital Suites^TM located in some of the nation's top clubs and restaurants – Morton's The Steakhouse, Maggiano's Little Italy and the private clubs of ClubCorp.  The concert will also be broadcast in select movie theaters in more than 75 cities across the United States and Australia.

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"FIRST SPIN from VELOCITY Broadcasting is like nothing else available to recording artists and their fans right now.  It is revolutionizing the way fans experience music, giving them unprecedented access to their favorite performers," said Philip Elias, president and CEO of VELOCITY Broadcasting.  "At Jewel's FIRST SPIN concert on June 7, the audience will truly become part of the program.  They can select what songs they want Jewel to perform, ask her questions live on the air, and can feature themselves live on the air through the use of HD cameras that will be distributed for fans to use at each venue.  This is the world's largest album release party, and we're excited to partner with Jewel and Big Machine Label Group to let fans across the country be part of the party."  

Additionally, the VELOCITY FIRST SPIN concert featuring Jewel will provide a live, backstage perspective and an intimate look at how Jewel prepared for the concert.  Twenty High-Definition cameras broadcasting in 1080i HD and 7.2 surround-sound will give fans a live, stunning, up-close look behind the music with Jewel.  Immediately following the performance, attendees can receive an autographed "Sweet and Wild" album prior to its release to the public.  A three-time GRAMMY nominee, Jewel will also perform hits from her previous best-selling albums, and the concert will include an opening performance by country duo Steel Magnolia, whose hit song, "Keep on Lovin' You" is a Top 5 hit at Country radio.

"The music industry is constantly looking for ways to create connections between artists and their fans.  The bottom line is that fans want an intimate experience when they see their favorite artists perform, and VELOCITY Broadcasting's FIRST SPIN is at the forefront of creating these personal connections," said Scott Borchetta, president and CEO of Big Machine Label Group and The Valory Music Co., Jewel's record label.  "We're pleased to be launching Jewel's new album through FIRST SPIN.  It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Jewel's fans, especially since they will be able to interact with her in a way that has not been possible before."

For more information or to purchase tickets for the VELOCITY FIRST SPIN concert featuring Jewel, log onto www.VelocityBoxOffice.com.  Ticket prices for events at Morton's The Steakhouse, Maggiano's Little Italy and ClubCorp's private club locations will include dinner.  Ticket packages will be available with an option to receive an autographed copy of Jewel's album "Sweet and Wild."

PLEASE NOTE:  Media that wish to secure a ticket to the performance at one of the worldwide locations can contact Jennifer Schmitt at 412-642-7700 or [email protected] or Elizabeth Bacheson at 412-642-7700 or [email protected].      

About FIRST SPIN

FIRST SPIN is the private performance platform of VELOCITY Broadcasting, the largest global, private High-Definition broadcasting network.  FIRST SPIN is designed as a launch pad for recording artists, record labels and fashion houses to showcase the "Next Big Thing" to highly targeted audiences before the rest of the world has a chance to blink.  FIRST SPIN is produced as a live, interactive, High-Definition program.

About VELOCITY Broadcasting

VELOCITY Broadcasting is the largest global, private High-Definition broadcasting network, and specializes in producing and delivering custom television programming live via satellite to invitation-only audiences at VELOCITY HD Digital Suites located in private clubs, restaurants and hotels in the top 200 markets across the world.  Since 2005, VELOCITY has produced powerful HD broadcasts that have reached more than 140,000 key decision-makers with critical information across a wide range of topics while eliminating more than half of a billion pounds of climate-changing gases caused by air travel.  For more information, visit www.velocitybroadcasting.com.

About Big Machine

Scott Borchetta founded independent label Big Machine Records in September 2005 and serves as its President/CEO. In its first year, Big Machine scored its first #1 single (Jack Ingram's "Wherever You Are"), placed five singles in the Country Top 30, received a nomination for Record Label of the Year, and placed all three of the label's three new artist releases in the Top 10 Most-Played New Artists of 2006 (as monitored by Mediabase and reported by USA Today and Country Aircheck).

Big Machine's signature artist, Taylor Swift (the CMA and AP's reigning Entertainer of the Year and the American Music Awards' 2009 Artist of the Year), was the best-selling all-genre artist of 2008 and her current album, Fearless, repeated her success when it became 2009's highest-selling album of the year across all genres.  Fearless - the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music and American Music Awards' 2009 Country Album of the Year - has spent more weeks at #1 atop the Billboard Top Album chart than any other album in the last 10 years with an astounding 11 weeks at #1.  Taylor  re-wrote the record books when her worldwide smash single "Love Story" became the first ever Country crossover single to hit #1 on the Billboard and USA Today Top 40 airplay charts. Her follow-up single, "You Belong With Me," repeated the same feat.

Big Machine Records, was Billboard's #1 Top Country Album Imprint of 2009, decorating it as the highest-selling record label group on Music Row.  In 2009, Big Machine partnered with Universal Republic to create Republic Nashville. The Big Machine Label Group's current artist roster includes Taylor Swift, Reba McEntire, Jewel, Trisha Yearwood, Jack Ingram, Jimmy Wayne, Billboard's "New Country Artist of 2009" Justin Moore, Steel Magnolia, Jaron And The Long Road To Love, Melissa Peterman, Edens Edge, The Band Perry, Fast Ryde, Shel, Eli Young Band and Sunny Sweeney.  

In four years, Big Machine Records artists have received six Country Music Association Awards, six American Music Awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards, four CMT Music Awards, three Teen Choice Awards, one MTV Video Music Award as well as 13 GRAMMY Nominations and five People's Choice Award Nominations.

About Jewel

Jewel is an acclaimed American singer, songwriter, actress, poet, painter, philanthropist and daughter to an Alaskan cowboy singer-songwriter.  Growing up on a remote ranch in Alaska, Jewel endured poverty and teen homelessness on the road to the triumph of international stardom.  The three-time Grammy nominee has enjoyed career longevity rare among her generation of artists and has sold 27 million albums worldwide. Her debut album, Pieces of You, became one of the best selling debut albums of all time. Last year, singer/songwriter Jewel released her first country record, Perfectly Clear, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.   She most recently released her first-ever independent album, Lullaby and will release her country follow up album, Sweet & Wild on June 8^th 2010.  Jewel lives on a working ranch in Stephenville, Texas with her husband, World Champion bull-riding superstar, Ty Murray. For more information, please visit www.jeweljk.com.

About Steel Magnolia

CMT's Can You Duet?  Season 2 winners Steel Magnolia (Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones) captivated America with their dynamic harmonies and musicianship that is one part Country and two parts Southern Soul.  Their win landed them a record deal with Big Machine Records – the home of Taylor Swift.  Since their win, Steel Magnolia's debut single, "Keep On Lovin' You," has skyrocketed into the Top 5 on the Billboard Country Songs Chart and landed on the Valentine's Day Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.  The duo are multiple 2010 CMT Music Award nominees and also earned two 2010 Academy of Country Music Award nominations.  Steel Magnolia join Brad Paisley's "H20 World Tour" next week and the duo's debut album will be released in Fall 2010.

Steel Magnolia earned two 2010 Academy of Country Music Award Nominations for Top New Vocal Duo AND Top Vocal Duo of the Year.  They are also dual first-round nominees for the 2010 CMT Music Awards for Duo Video of the Year and USA Weekends' Breakthrough Video of the Year.   The pair have been featured nationally on Lopez Tonight, CBS Early Show, Better TV and as one of Country Weekly's "Who to Watch in 2010," People Country's "Fan Wanted," and one of the TOP 5 new Country artists that fans are "Most Excited About in 2010," according to a current GAC-TV poll.  The duo were chosen as Clear Channel's "NEW! Featured Artist" for February and were recently featured as "Fresh Catch" artists on the nationally-syndicated After Midnite.   The duo's five-song digital EP entitled, STEEL MAGNOLIA EP, was released earlier this year ahead of their highly-anticipated full-length Big Machine Records debut will be in stores on September 21. For more information on Steel Magnolia visit: www.bigmachinerecords.com/steelmagnolia or www.myspace.com/steelmagnoliamusic

About the Valory Music Co.

The Valory Music Co., the sister label to Big Machine Records, was established in November 2007 with an initial artist roster that included multi-platinum recording artist Jewel as well as Country Soul singer Jimmy Wayne and newcomer Southern Country stylist Justin Moore.  The Valory Music Co. celebrated its first #1 album with Jewel's Perfectly Clear, only seven months after opening its doors.  The label celebrated its first #1 single three months later when Jimmy Wayne's "Do You Believe Me Now," spent three weeks atop the Country singles charts. Newcomer Justin Moore's poignant anthem, "Small Town USA," reached #1 a few months later.  In November 2008, The Valory Music Co. signed multimedia superstar Reba McEntire, who saw her first album on the label debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and spend two consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. Since then, Reba has enjoyed the biggest chart hit of her illustrious 30+ year career when the second single from her new album, spent a historic four weeks at #1.  The Valory Music Co. possesses an exclusive, in-house promotion branding team while utilizing existing Big Machine Records backroom service and is distributed by UMGD.

SOURCE VELOCITY Broadcasting