Platform enables fans to sing along and record at home

7th October, 2009: PureSolo, the developer of the online music store which lets people record personal versions of well-known tracks to own, keep and share, has partnered with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) to develop The X Factor branded karaoke for the official website at http://xfactor.itv.com/2009 which will allow fans to record themselves singing along at home.

The service will deliver an immersive brand experience online, allowing fans to do their own preparations, recordings and performances from within the comfort of their own homes.

Powered by PureSolo’s recording software and supported by a catalogue of thousands of backing tracks, fans will be able to download and record their own versions of the songs performed by The X Factor contestants to keep, re-record and share with others. The PureSolo platform will offer free recording software and licensed downloadable tracks, complete with lyrics or sheet music, and a professional backing track. Each karaoke track will cost £0.99 to download.

Robert Marsh, VP Interactive and Telephony, FME UK, commented, "The X Factor is a brand that people truly want to engage with and PureSolo has delivered a fantastic online karaoke platform to enable this interaction."

Initially, the website will offer tracks performed in previous seasons and from the series 6 auditions. Once the live shows start, backing tracks of the songs used in the programme will be made available as the show is airing. The karaoke function will also offer built-in sharing facilities enabling users to burn tracks to a CD, download and store on MP3 players, e-mail to friends, and upload to a dedicated karaoke community for fans of the programme. A special ring-tone feature is also planned.

PureSolo chief executive David Kaplan says, "We are thrilled to be working with FME to provide an easy and simple home studio recording facility which fits perfectly with The X Factor philosophy of engaging its audience. While PureSolo aims to provide an educational resource and a platform for aspiring musicians and singers, part of our strategy is also to partner with businesses that have music engaged audiences, and this deal is completely in line with our vision for the company."

The X Factor has won multiple BAFTA Awards and audiences peaked at a record-breaking 14.1 million during the last series making it one of the UK’s highest rated entertainment shows. The programme is produced by talkbackTHAMES, the UK production company owned by FremantleMedia, and Syco TV Production for ITV.

The official website was developed by the interactive team at FME along with talkbackTHAMES. It was nominated for a BAFTA television award in 2007 and this year won the Broadcast Digital Award for Best Multi-Platform Project.

The Sims on Stage is closing its doors on the 31st March 2009, meaning its members will not only need to start searching for alternative sites but they will also lose all of their recorded songs. Sims members can now ensure that this never happens again by visiting PureSolo.com - the only site that allows users to actually own their versions of popular songs.

The Sims on Stage allowed its members to stream backing tracks with a record functionality so that users could record their own versions of popular songs. The recordings were then stored on profile pages where other members could also listen. However, with the Sims on Stage closure, any recordings will be permanently lost in the internet ether.

A search of the actual Sims online forum reveals feelings of anger and frustration from many members, who are annoyed that, after years of custom, they are going to lose all of their recordings. Many have stated that they would even be prepared to pay for a subscription to keep the Sims going. But with the closing date looming ever closer, where will all the current members go for their wholly-owned karaoke fix?

Here are 5 reasons why “Karaoke 2.0” outfit PureSolo tops Sims on Stage and is well positioned to offer its customers more:

Burn Your Songs to CD
At PureSolo not only can you record yourself singing over the top of your favourite songs, you can also burn your recordings to a CD. Currently, no other online karaoke provider can offer this service.

Upload to Your ipod
With PureSolo, you can take your recordings wherever you go, just by uploading them to your ipod.

Mix Your Track
PureSolo offers more creativity to its users with an easy-to-use set of basic mixing tools. Users don’t have to mix their tracks but if they want a more polished sound, they can adjust the levels and add varying levels of reverb.

Email To Your Friends
PureSolo allows users to email their recordings right from within the PureSolo Player. Now you can share recordings with friends & family at the click of a button.

Get the Sheet Music & Guitar Tab
Whilst PureSolo has its own dedicated karaoke area, there is also an area for musicians, where members can download sheet music or guitar tab and record themselves playing along with the accompanying music. This means that any karaoke singers who also play an instrument can get everything they need in one place

PureSolo is pleased to announce it is featured in the latest e-bulletin from the Arts Council England initiative ‘Take it away’, designed to help more people get involved in learning and playing music. The bulletin is circulated to around 10,000 individuals all with an interest in music and includes articles and offers about new and exciting projects in the field of music making.

Musical instruments are often expensive, particularly pianos, percussion and brass instruments, which can be challenging for anyone interested in funding a musical interest. Take it away allows individuals to apply for a loan of up to £2,000 for the purchase of any kind of musical instrument, and pay it back in nine monthly instalments, completely interest-free.

We at PureSolo believe that once you have your instrument, there’s no more effective way to learn and improve than to play along with the pros - and it's even better when you get feedback from friends on how you're playing. Using the PureSolo Player you can view sheet music, lyrics or guitar tab on screen, and record yourself playing over high quality professional backing tracks of your favourite songs or pieces. You can practice and record as many times as you like and share the finished product with your friends, band or orchestra members and music teachers via email, CD and/or by uploading to the PureSolo online community or Facebook.

CEO and co-founder David Kaplan says: ”We are excited to be a featured project in the latest Take it away e-bulletin. We see evidence, backed up by a recent Ofsted report, that recording your music is an important element of musical progression. Plus, of course, to share your music is the ultimate joy.”

About PureSolo:
The PureSolo Player is a free downloadable application that lets musicians of all abilities create their own tracks from the comfort of their home or workplace. The free software makes it simple for anyone to view sheet music, lyrics or guitar tab on screen and then play, practice and digitally record their instruments or voice over high quality backing tracks featuring professional studio musicians. The PureSolo Player can be downloaded FREE at www.puresolo.com .

About Take it away:
Take it away is an Arts Council England initiative that offers an interest free loan (0% APR) between £100 and £2000 for people to buy musical instruments, supporting musical equipment and tuition, through a network of participating retailers across England. The loan is repayable in 10 parts, made up of a minimum 10 per cent deposit and nine monthly installments. The scheme is open to all UK residents over the age of 18.

The Take it away scheme is operated by ArtCo Trading Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of Arts Council England) in conjunction with the Musical Instrument Finance Company (MIFCO). www.takeitaway.org.uk

See the Pure Solo feature here:
www.artscouncil.org.uk/takeitaway/stories/pure-solo.php

About Arts Council England:
Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people's lives.

As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.

Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2008 and 2011, the Arts Council will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government, and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery, to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

With the launch of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra last month, the internet looks set to revolutionise how musicians can collaborate together.

In response, Pure Solo has made many of the audition pieces suggested by YouTube available as a free download in their PureSolo Player.

The PureSolo Player is a downloadable application that is available for free at www.puresolo.com . Here, musicians can browse a library of over 10,000 professional backing tracks arranged for a wide choice of artists , genres and instruments.

Each track typically costs 99p, with more intricate classical pieces costing up to £1.99. However, pieces for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra are free for the duration of the audition period.

"I was intrigued when I heard about YouTube’s Orchestra and saw many parallels with what they’re trying to achieve and our own goals and aims for PureSolo. We want to support this idea as much as possible and have decided to make YouTube’s suggested audition pieces available for free. I hope that any musicians thinking of auditioning will find the tracks we have created especially for them useful when it comes to preparing for their final submissions." John Thirkell, Managing Director.

To claim their free audition backing tracks, YouTube applicants can download the free PureSolo Player at www.puresolo.com . After the download has completed, users simply open the application and filter tracks by selecting their instrument and hitting the YouTube button.

Missed the chance to do your best Elvis imion at the office Christmas party? Fed up with the financial doom and gloom and fancy spreading a bit of festive cheer? Well help is at hand today because new visitors to www.puresolo.com can record their own fun, musical and personal Christmas greeting to share with friends, family and colleagues – for Free!

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without some heart-warming carols and songs about Santa, snow and sleigh-bells; and this year carols and karaoke aren’t just for parties.

PureSolo.com lets you create a musical, user-generated alternative to greetings cards by recording your own festive performance over traditional and contemporary professional Christmas tracks – just like having your own mini-recording studio.

Whether you’re a classical chorist, karaoke queen or just fancy having some festive fun with a little help from a musical instrument and a group of friends, PureSolo.com offers a choice of over 70 Christmas themed tracks that you can play or sing against to your heart’s content.

The choice from a wide range of tracks includes:

Traditional carols such as “Away in a Manger” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”

Kitsch favourites “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and “Last Christmas”

Contemporary classics like “All I Want for Christmas is You”.

The PureSolo Player is free to download and first-time users of the new software are given a complimentary credit to buy one track – your Christmas single is free.

Your own Christmas single can be shared throughout the world via email or through the PureSolo social network, so you’ll be doing your bit for the environment as well.

David Kaplan, co-founder and CEO of PureSolo said: “People may not be digging deep into their pockets for the office Christmas party this year, but this doesn’t mean the festive spirit can’t be captured and shared in other ways. Nothing unites people over the festive season more powerfully than music and we all have a favourite song that puts us in the party mood, whether it’s a good old classic carol or a sleigh-bell filled glam rock tune from the 70s.

Recording your own Christmas greeting at PureSolo.com is a fun, inexpensive alternative to the traditional Christmas card and a great way to send something you’ve created yourself to someone you love, as a bit of festive cheer”.

Tracks are available to download through the PureSolo Player and are priced from £0.99 to £1.99. Once downloaded, a track can be used and re-used an unlimited number of times and can be burned to CD or emailed through the PureSolo Player. Each user receives one free download of their choice when they register to help them on their way.

The PureSolo Player is available as a free download at www.puresolo.com .

Experience your own virtual recording studio at PureSolo.com

Whether you’re a budding rock-star, an aspiring classical concert performer or karaoke fan, today is good news for musicians everywhere. From today, anyone can record their instruments or voice on over 10,000 professional backing tracks, for their own personal enjoyment or to share with others, by downloading the new PureSolo Player at www.puresolo.com .

The PureSolo Player lets musicians of all abilities, from new learners to experienced maestros, create their own tracks from the comfort of their home or workplace. PureSolo’s smart, free software makes it simple for all members of the family to view sheet music or lyrics on screen, play, practice and digitally record their instruments or voice over high quality backing tracks featuring professional studio musicians.

PureSolo is just like having your own recording studio. All you need to do is plug a microphone into your computer and play. You can choose from a catalogue of over 10,000 downloadable backing tracks covering genres as wide-ranging as classical, jazz, pop, rock, country, folk, soul and funk.

The slick, easy to navigate software makes it easy to playback and re-record tracks, while the unique functionality of the digital sheet music’s automatic page turns allows musicians to focus on their playing, uninterrupted.

PureSolo also makes it easy for musicians to share their musical masterpieces with friends, teachers or talent scouts via email or burning to CD. User generated music and content can also be uploaded to the PureSolo social network, where they can connect with like-minded musicians and get their friends to rate their tracks.

The PureSolo Player can be used again and again – even when you can’t be online. It’s safe and legal too, since it provides exclusively-crafted backing tracks and digital sheet music through licensed deals with the music’s original publishers.

John Thirkell, co-Founder and COO at PureSolo.com, said: “For many music enthusiasts, the joy of hearing themselves performing with professional accompanists on a piece they know and love gives them complete satisfaction in their learning. The ability to share their take on a favourite track gives users the chance to say “that’s me you’re hearing” to friends, family, potential band members, or even a record company.”

Tracks are available to download through the PureSolo Player and are priced from £0.99 to £1.99. Once downloaded, a track can be used and re-used an unlimited number of times and can be burned to CD or emailed through the PureSolo Player. Each user receives one free download of their choice when they register to help them on their way.

The PureSolo Player is available as a free download from today at www.puresolo.com .