New Wynton Marsalis Titles Added to SmartMusic

Compositions from Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning musician offer unique jazz practice tools

Minneapolis – October 8, 2009 – MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMUS) today announced that SmartMusic®, the music learning software for band, orchestra and voice, has added Wynton Marsalis Volume IV, a collection of 13 original jazz titles from Wynton Marsalis, in addition to the dozens of Marsalis titles already included in SmartMusic.

New repertoire includes: “Aural Oasis,” “For Wee Folks,” “Delfeayo’s Dilemma,” “J Mood,” “Melodique,” “Later,” “Doin’ (Y)Our Thing,” “These are Soulful Days,” “Naked Feet Running,” “The Cry of the Lonely,” “Big Butter,” “Gentleness” and “In the Heat of Battle.”

Students of all instruments can play Marsalis’ melodies, improvise over his chord changes and take advantage of all of SmartMusic’s powerful music practice tools. These titles also provide on-screen transcriptions of Wynton Marsalis’ rhythm section of bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Ali Jackson, and pianist Robert Rodriguez. Bass, drum and piano students can see exactly what world-class musicians play, hear it performed and practice along at any tempo, for a music lesson unlike any other.

“SmartMusic is revolutionizing music education.” stated Marsalis. “SmartMusic helps students develop the skills they need to improvise. As they master these skills, students become free to focus on listening to their fellow musicians, and thus are able to contribute appropriately to the democratic dialog that is the heart of jazz.”

“Wynton Marsalis is an inspiration,” added MakeMusic CEO Ron Raup. “His performances, recordings, compositions – and his dedication to music education and the arts – are nothing short of awe-inspiring, and remind us all to set our sights higher. Wynton Marsalis titles in the SmartMusic library provide students with a practical means to achieve the highest musical goals, and expanding on this repertoire represents very exciting additions to our comprehensive library.”

Search the library repertoire included with SmartMusic here. Follow MakeMusic activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and meet some of our employees on Flickr.

About MakeMusic, Inc. 
MakeMusic®, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. For more than 20 years, Finale® has been the industry standard in music notation software. It has transformed the process by which composers, arrangers, musicians, teachers, students and publishers create, edit, audition, print and publish musical scores. Additionally, MakeMusic is the creator of SmartMusic®, the complete practice tool for band, orchestra and voice and SmartMusic Gradebook™, the web-based student grading and records management system. Further information about the company can be found at www.makemusic.com.

About Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis is a jazz and classical trumpeter, composer, band leader, educator, and arts advocate. He is the winner of nine Grammy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, has produced over 60 records, and has sold more than 7 million records worldwide. Learn more at www.wyntonmarsalis.com.

Makemusic updates Finale NotePad and Finale Reader

Minneapolis – Oct 1, 2009 – MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMUS) announced today the simultaneous release of Finale NotePad® 2010 and an updated, free-of-charge Finale Reader™. Both music notation software packages support current operating systems and provide compatibility with files created with Finale® 2010, MakeMusic's world-standard music notation software program.

Finale NotePad 2010 represents the easiest and most affordable introduction to the world of music notation. Available as a download for $9.95, or purchased on disc for $19.95, NotePad lets anyone create, play, print, save and share music notation. Notes can be entered with a mouse, a MIDI keyboard, or by opening MIDI files. Music plays back with the nuance of Human Playback® and can be heard via the 128+ included sounds or through an external MIDI device. NotePad also fosters collaboration as it can edit, play, print and save files created with other Finale music notation products.

NotePad 2010 includes several new features:
· Improved Percussion Notation - NotePad simplifies the process of getting notes on percussion staves to look – and play back – exactly the way you want them to.
· Fully compatible with Finale 2010, PrintMusic 2010 and SongWriter 2010 files.
· Improved documentation, transparent selection handles and more.

The Finale Reader is a free download that can open, view, print and play files created by Finale and other MakeMusic products. In addition to full compatibility with files created by Finale 2010, PrintMusic 2010 and SongWriter 2010, this latest version of the Reader can also display colored note heads in files created with Finale.

"Finale NotePad and Finale Reader put the promise of Finale into everyone's hands," stated Ron Raup, MakeMusic’s CEO. "From music educators sharing Finale-created quizzes with students using the Reader, to composers and arrangers collaborating on edits to Finale scores with Finale NotePad, these two products let everyone participate in the world of music notation."

Learn more and download NotePad and Reader at www.finalemusic.com. Meet some MakeMusic employees on Flickr and follow their activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About MakeMusic, Inc. 

MakeMusic®, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. For more than 20 years, Finale® has been the industry standard in music notation software. It has transformed the process by which composers, arrangers, musicians, teachers, students and publishers create, edit, audition, print and publish musical scores. Additionally, MakeMusic is the creator of SmartMusic®, the complete practice tool for band, orchestra and voice and SmartMusic GradebookTM, the web-based student grading and records management system. Further information about the company can be found at www.makemusic.com.

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Titles Added to Smartmusic

Virtuosic jazz arrangements and recordings will inspire SmartMusic students

Minneapolis – MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMUS) today announced that SmartMusic®, the music learning software for band, orchestra and voice, now includes nearly two dozen new jazz ensemble titles from Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band including “Hunting Wabbits,” “The Jazz Police,” and “Swingin’ for the Fences.” Music is provided on-screen and actual recordings of the Big Phat Band are featured in the audio accompaniments.

In addition, each SmartMusic title will include a link to a video greeting from Gordon Goodwin and acclaimed trumpeter Wayne Bergeron, providing both general and specific comments on each Big Phat Band chart.

Gordon Goodwin is an Emmy- and Grammy-award winning musician, composer, arranger and bandleader. Gordon leads the Big Phat Band, an 18-piece jazz ensemble, which exclusively plays his arrangements and/or compositions, and records for the immergent record label. Despite its traditional big band instrumentation, the Big Phat Band produces a very contemporary sound with a strong emphasis on demonstrating the technical virtuosity of its membership, which includes many of the top instrumentalists of the Los Angeles studio scene.

“Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band represent wonderful partners for SmartMusic,” stated MakeMusic CEO Ron Raup. “Their music and recordings provide incredible inspiration to jazz musicians today, and when combined with SmartMusic they offer an incredible opportunity to learn from some of the world's top jazz performers. This combination allows jazz hobbyists, students and educators to set the bar high and exceed expectations.”

“immergent is pleased to partner with Gordon Goodwin, the Big Phat Band and MakeMusic on this important endeavor,” offered immergent CEO John Trickett. “I began my career in music playing trombone at the age of thirteen because my school had a music program. It is one of my strongest passions to support educational programs that provide the same opportunities that were afforded to me. The technology and systems of SmartMusic transcend anything that has been available in the past. Finally there are tools available that can take a chart and put personal practice into the context of performance.”

“I've not met a single person who wasn't blown away by SmartMusic,” added Gordon Goodwin. “Students, professionals, educators and even lay people are greatly impressed by this amazing innovation. In these tough times for music education and for our musical culture in general, Smart Music has come along in the nick of time!”

A list of recently added SmartMusic titles can be viewed here. Follow MakeMusic activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and meet some of our employees on Flickr.

About MakeMusic, Inc. 


MakeMusic®, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. For more than 20 years, Finale® has been the industry standard in music notation software. It has transformed the process by which composers, arrangers, musicians, teachers, students and publishers create, edit, audition, print and publish musical scores. Additionally, MakeMusic is the creator of SmartMusic®, the complete practice tool for band, orchestra and voice and SmartMusic GradebookTM, the web-based student grading and records management system. Further information about the company can be found at www.makemusic.com.

About Gordon Goodwin and the Big Phat Band

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band, an 18-piece jazz ensemble, celebrates and personifies the best of the big band tradition with a very contemporary and original sound. Through the writing genius of Grammy Award recipient Gordon Goodwin, SRO audiences have enjoyed one of the most craftsman-like, hard-swinging, large jazz ensembles comprised of L.A.’s finest musicians. Gordon’s witty and insightful arrangements propel the listener on a journey through a myriad of styles: Latin, blues, swing, classical, hard-hitting jazz, and much more. www.bigphatband.com

About immergent

immergent is a cutting-edge multimedia entertainment company run by people who love music and know how to make it happen. With exceptional artists and a highly skilled and creative team, immergent is at the forefront of developing content, generating consumer awareness and bringing entertainment to people via any delivery method that consumers want. For more information contact marketing@immergent.com.

Makemusic updates Songwriter & Printmusic

Popular low-cost music notation software packages

offer unprecedented features

Minneapolis - MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMUS) announced today the simultaneous release of Finale Songwriter® 2010 and Finale PrintMusic® 2010. Both music notation software packages include new features and provide compatibility with current operating systems and files created with Finale 2010, MakeMusic's flagship software package.

With a list price of $49.95, SongWriter lets songwriters, teachers, band and choir directors, church musicians, students and other musicians create publisher-quality sheet music with instrumentations of up to 8 staves. SongWriter includes tools that inspire creativity including Drum Groove and Band-in-a-Box Auto-Harmonizing. With SongWriter they can hear their music played back using hundreds of built-in sounds, share their music with others using the free downloadable Finale Reader™ and create .MP3 files for use on iPods and beyond. A powerful mixer, flexible chord input, easy percussion notation and more control over the printed page are just a few of the features added in this version.

PrintMusic has a list price of $99.95 and remains the world's best-selling music notation software. It includes all the features of SongWriter, and much more, including music scanning, MicNotator^® the ability to import/export graphics and a new handwritten font. PrintMusic users can arrange pieces of up to 24 staves and extract individual parts from the score. Features new to this version include automated rehearsal marks, flexible chord input, easy percussion notation and support for VST/AU instrument and effects plug-ins (sold separately), unleashing sonic possibilities unheard of in a notation product at this price point.

"SongWriter and PrintMusic represent incredible values in the world of music notation software," stated Ron Raup, MakeMusic’s CEO, "and these upgrades simply increase their advantage. Furthermore, the simultaneous release of both updates in early September means that retailers will have the latest version on their shelves in plenty of time for the holiday season."

Meet some of our employees on Flickr and follow our activities on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

About MakeMusic, Inc.
MakeMusic^®, Inc., a Minnesota corporation, is a world leader in music technology whose mission is to develop and market solutions that transform how music is composed, taught, learned and performed. For more than 20 years, Finale^® has been the industry standard in music notation software. It has transformed the process by which composers, arrangers, musicians, teachers, students and publishers create, edit, audition, print and publish musical scores. Additionally, MakeMusic is the creator of SmartMusic^®, the complete practice tool for band, orchestra and voice and SmartMusic Gradebook^TM, the web-based student grading and records management system. Further information about the company can be found at www.makemusic.com.