Prince Sets Precedent With One-of-a-Kind Television Special Airing One Night Simultaneously On Five Viacom Music Channels

MTV Networks, BET and Columbia Records today announced that, for the first time in history, MTV, MTV2, VH1, VHI Classic and BET will broadcast a single program on the same night, at the same time -- a ground breaking, 30 minute television special featuring performances and interviews with 2004 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Prince. The special will be road blocked across all of the participating music channels, and will air on Wednesday, April 28th, from 9:00 PM to 9:30 PM (ET). Check local listings in your time zone for more information. Four of the participating networks will air the special under the title Prince: The Art of Musicology, while BET has dubbed their special Music and Words by Prince.

Recorded before a live audience at New York City's Webster Hall, the one of a kind television event features brilliant performances of material from Prince's eagerly awaited new release Musicology, including the critically acclaimed title track and the powerful "Dear Mr. Man." Also included is an historic acoustic solo performance of a medley of deep classics from Prince's catalog.

Prince's most recent album, Musicology, was released through NPG Records/Columbia Records on April 20th, 2004.

Prince commented, "The support for Musicology is wonderful. We're pleased to broadcast the Musicology special throughout the Viacom music channels. It is great to see audiences around the country embracing music again."

"This historic broadcast, going out simultaneously over the five most influential music networks, is a tribute to the music and artistry of one of the most singular talents of our time," commented Will Botwin, President, Columbia Records Group. "With a fast-paced combination of brilliant performances and compelling interviews this show will be remembered as one of the most special entertainment events of the year."

"I love Prince. Our viewers love Prince and we are so excited to give them the chance to see some of his incredible new live performances on all of our music channels," said Judy McGrath, president of the MTV Networks Music Group. "We share a long musical legacy with Prince and it makes perfect sense to celebrate his new release with a simulcast across our networks."

"BET viewers have waited with great anticipation the return of Prince to the music scene," said BET President and Chief Operating Officer Debra Lee. "Prince has always had a home on BET, going back to some of his earliest releases. We can think of no better place to punctuate his return to the music charts than on BET in a unique show hosted by our own head of music programming, Stephen Hill, which features not only Prince's performances, but also some insight into his musical genius."

Prince kicked off 2004 with a stunning opening per4mance at the 46th Grammy Awards with multiple-award-winner Beyonce and his spectacular induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and launched the phenomenally successful "Musicology" concert tour in March of this year. Prince is regarded by fans and critics alike as a monumental force and influence in popular culture. During the '80s, Prince emerged as one of the most singular talents in the history of music, releasing a series of ground breaking albums that both defined and captured the spirit of the times. A multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, songwriter, Oscar winning composer, multi-Grammy winning artist, Prince has sold more than 100 million records and is fearless in his pursuit of artistic challenges. He is constantly experimenting with different sounds, textures and genres, and continues to confound audiences with an extensive and varied body of work.

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Yvette Noel-Schure of Columbia Records, Media, +1-212-833-4483,
yvette_noel-schure@sonymusic.com; or Ronnie Lippin of The Lippin Group,
+1-323-965-1990, ronnie@lippingroup.com, for Columbia Records; or Jeanine
Smartt of MTV Networks, +1-212-846-7437, jeanine.smartt@mtvstaff.com; or Marcy
Polanco of BET, +1-212-975-3327, marcy.polanco@bet.net

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/