NEW YORK & LONDON, Jan 08, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Orchard (NASDAQ: ORCD: 3.49, +0.24, +7.38%), a global leader in digital music and entertainment, and Jamdown Limited, today announced an exclusive worldwide digital license agreement for the masters catalogue of Jamdown Recordings/Jamdown UK, the record label arm of the Jamdown / Abood Group of companies.

The deal features Jamdown artists Smujji, MBC, Ward 21, Suncycle and FYA, as well as the first new studio album in almost twenty years from the legendary trombonist Rico Rodriguez. An early release will be "Soundclash Round 1", the first volume of a concept series featuring "musical battles" between major Jamaican artists and producers including Skatta, Arrows, South Rakkas, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Sean Paul and Elephant Man. With an established history of hits over the past two decades, the catalogue boasts titles from the top names from Jamaica - both past & present - as well as international urban crossover titles.

Commenting on the deal, Othman Mukhlis, Jamdown's CEO said, "This cooperation enables us to exploit our fast growing catalogue in many new areas. This way we are able to strengthen our position as an independent label in the urban and dancehall sector while ensuring the best exploitation and visibility for our projects. The music industry has been going through radical changes recently and we see this as a key strategic deal to ensure our continued growth as an indie presence."

Jamdown joins Greensleeves, Shanachie, Ariwa and Reggae Sunsplash, to make The Orchard's reggae and dancehall catalogue one of the most comprehensive one-stop sources for digital retailers, mobile operators, consumer brands, and synchronization licensing partners.

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