Users Can Stream, Download and Purchase Digital Music and Create Custom CDs Using Liquid Player Plus Software

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Plextor Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance CD-related equipment and software, and Liquid Audio, Inc. have teamed up to provide CD-R/RW users an easy way to access secure digital music and burn their own music CDs. Plextor has selected Liquid(TM) Player Plus software to custom-brand and bundle with its PlexWriter CD-R/RW drives. Plextor is also utilizing the Liquid(TM) Store to facilitate the secure distribution and sale of audio content on the Plextor Web site. This gives Plextor users access to more than 150,000 digital downloads -- the largest selection of secure digital music available today.

Music fans that purchase Plextor CD-R/RW drives can use Liquid Player Plus software to stream, download, purchase and playback secure, CD-quality music files. Users can also rip music from personal audio CDs and export music to their CD-R/RW drive to create custom CDs. Liquid Audio's software uses Gracenote's CDDB music recognition technology to enable fans to retrieve related album/artist information for imported music. Liquid Player Plus software supports leading audio codecs and formats, so users can access the broadest range of music on the Internet from one convenient application.

``A majority of Plextor customers use their CD-R/RW disk drives to create compilation CDs and want a complete solution that includes digital music delivery software,'' stated Howard Wing, vice president, Sales and Marketing for Plextor. ``Combining Plextor CD-R/RW drives with Liquid Player Plus software and the Liquid Store not only gives our customers access to their favorite digital music, but also allows them to 'burn discs' at the same time. I believe our association with Liquid Audio provides the perfect solution and will be widely accepted by our current and future customers.''

``Liquid Audio's digital delivery solution enables consumers to access and export digital music while providing the music industry with the security and flexibility it requires,'' said Paul Melnychuck, vice president of Sales and Business Development at Liquid Audio, Inc. ``Using Liquid Audio's extensive music catalog and digital delivery services and consumer software, Plextor can quickly and easily provide a large collection of downloadable music to their customers.''

Plextor Corp. is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance CD-related equipment for professional use in business and networked environments. Since opening its headquarters in Silicon Valley in 1990, Plextor has introduced numerous generations of award-winning optical storage products, including CD-ROM, CD-Recordable, and CD-ReWritable drives. Plextor's product line is supported by customized software applications such as CD-ResQ and Plextor Manager 2000.

Plextor is privately owned by Shinano Kenshi Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of advanced technology hardware and precision electronic equipment headquartered in Japan. Shinano Kenshi is best known for its expertise in manufacturing motors.

Liquid Audio, Inc. is a leading provider of software and services for the digital delivery of music over the Internet. The Liquid Audio solution gives musicians, record labels, Web sites and music retailers the ability to publish, syndicate and securely sell recorded music online with copy protection and copyright management. Using the Liquid(TM) Player software, available for free download at www.liquidaudio.com, music fans can preview and purchase downloadable music from the more than 1,000 affiliate Web sites in the Liquid(TM) Music Network. Traded on Nasdaq under the symbol LQID, Liquid Audio is located in Redwood City, California.