Washington, DC - The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today the launch of the “Songs Of The Century” program, an education initiative designed to teach America’s music and cultural heritage to our nation’s youngest citizens through an innovative cross-curricular teaching platform.

“The RIAA is thrilled to convey the history, range and depth of American music to our nation's young people,” said Hilary Rosen, president and CEO of the RIAA. “We think ‘Songs of the Century’ is a wonderful teaching tool, and the music chosen by voters represents the rich and multifaceted diversity that is our nation's cultural heritage."

"Songs of the Century demonstrates the value of public-private partnerships, a partnership that celebrates America's musical heritage and contributes to the education of our country's young people," said A.B. Spellman, Deputy Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

The pioneering “Songs Of The Century” curriculum features 365 classic American songs including “God Bless America,” “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” “This Land Is Your Land” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” The songs represent selections from every decade of the twentieth century, and cross every genre of music from folk and country to patriotic, pop, Broadway, Gospel, Musical, Jazz and film tunes. Official “Songs of the Century” ballots were sent to voters from all walks of life including government officials, teachers, music industry experts, media and students. Participants were asked to keep in mind the historical significance of not only the song, but also of the record and artist.

Teaming with the RIAA and NEA, Scholastic Inc. planned the curriculum in accordance with national education standards. It is designed for teachers and families to help students develop an appreciation for music, history and the arts and to promote cultural values.

The curriculum addresses core subjects including literature, mathematics and social studies through the evolution of American music from a social, cultural and technological perspective. Interactive lesson plans involve exercises in writing, math and history. Scholastic Inc. is distributing the materials free-of-charge to 9,500 fifth grade teachers nationwide, and will track the project’s implementation and usage. The teaching guide is also available as a file download at www.songs-of-the-century.com.

About AOL@SCHOOL:
AOL is hosting the Songs of the Century Website as well as promoting the content & curriculum through their AOL@SCHOOL service. AOL@SCHOOL is promoting the Songs of the Century Website on the Teacher Portal under "Teaching Resources by Grade Level." The link can be found under both Middle School and High School resources under the Social Studies category. AOL@SCHOOL is a free online learning service launched by America Online in May 2000. Designed to help schools make the interactive medium a more effective part of the classroom experience, AOL@SCHOOL provides safe, age-appropriate learning portals with easy to follow connections to online content selected by educational experts. Additional tech support is provided by SecureMedia, the leading provider of IP Broadband Media security systems, and Loudeye Technologies (Nasdaq: LOUD) which was chosen by the RIAA for its extensive digital music archive system. Loudeye donated advanced digital music services to the “Songs of the Century” program.

The AOL@SCHOOL software is available free to schools by calling 888-339-0767. The AOL@SCHOOL portals can also be accessed over the Internet at http://www.school.aol.com, so that students, teachers, administrators and parents can view the content included as part of this learning tool from home.

About RIAA:
The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Our mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members' creative and financial vitality. Our members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.

About Scholastic:
Scholastic (NMS: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. As a global children's publishing and media company serving the needs of parents, teachers, and children, Scholastic provides proprietary book and software distribution through school book clubs, school book fairs and to classrooms, as well as through the retail trade. Since 1920, Scholastic has created quality educational materials for schools and has expanded its reach to include the distribution of books, software, toys, online learning services and television programming directly to the home. Scholastic's Grolier division is the leading print and online publisher of children's reference materials and the leader in children's direct-to-home book clubs. Internationally, Scholastic operates wholly owned companies in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Scholastic web site www.scholastic.com is a leading provider of educational services online for parents, teachers and children.

For more information about the National Endowment for the Arts, please contact the NEA Office of Communications at 202-682-5570 or visit the NEA Web site at www.arts.gov. For more information about the Recording Industry Association of America, call 202-775-0101, or visit the RIAA Web site at www.riaa.com. For more information about AOL@SCHOOL visit their Web site at http://www.school.aol.com. For more information about Scholastic Inc., visit their Web site at www.scholastic.com.