Sales Soar for Warner Home Video’s “Woodstock 40th Anniversary” DVD

(August 6, 2009 – Burbank, CA) - Even four decades later, Woodstock -- the landmark music event featuring the greatest all-time rock ‘n’ roll performers -- continues to resonate with America. This summer, Woodstock commemorative events abound, the media is loving it and so are consumers. A key lynch pin in the phenomenon is Warner Home Video’s new remastered Blu-ray 40th Anniversary “Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music Director’s Cut Ultimate Collector’s Edition” of the legendary Oscar®-winning documentary that has been topping the home entertainment charts since its debut nearly two months ago. Thanks in large part to 18 never-before-seen performances -- two hours of rare footage -- the title has become one the most successful concert films ever to be sold on DVD. 300,000 units have shipped since the June 9 release and more than 50% flew off the shelves (virtual or otherwise) in the first 60 days. “We knew that Woodstock held a special place in the psyche of our country, and we’re delighted to see that translate into sales. With the plentiful amount of Woodstock-related events going on and the superb media coverage we’re sure that awareness will continue to grow and carry us through the holiday season when we can expect another big spike in sales,” said Jeff Baker, WHV Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog. The UCE’s success is also due, in large part, to the amount of attention and glowing reception from the media. Coverage embracing both the ‘60s, the Festival and the DVD is everywhere, both nationally and in major media markets. Major coverage across a spectrum of media has included CNN, Fox News, Dateline, ABC’s Good Morning America, The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly,(“A” review) Time Magazine (Pick of the Week), Playboy (4 out of 4 ‘Bunnies’), Parade (Parade Pick), USA Today (4 out of 4 stars) and Rolling Stone (6 pieces in 3 months). Helping to keep the awareness going, many events are still to happen: • August 1 – October 31 -- The Newseum, Washington DC celebrates the 40th anniversary with “Woodstock at 40: The Rise of Music Journalism.” The exhibition features rarely seen images from a trio of photojournalists who covered the event, as well as other examples of media coverage, Woodstock memorabilia and artifacts. • August 15 -- The Heroes of Woodstock –The nationwide tour put together by Gen-X Entertainment, is conveniently set to appear at the Bethel Center for the Arts on August 15, exactly 40 years after the original Festival. Acts like Canned Heat, Jefferson Starship, Ten Years After, Melanie, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Country Joe McDonald revive the spirit of Woodstock in epic fashion. • August 15 -- Woodstock 40th Anniversary Concert on the National Mall - Throughout the weekend, Paul Green Schools of Rock Music across the nation will hold special concerts to celebrate the 40th anniversary. In these events the youth of the 2000's will demonstrate that the rock and roll torch of the 1960s has been firmly passed to a new generation. • August 12-16 -- Boston Celebrates Woodstock includes theatrical screening at the Regent Theatre in Arlington MA plus performances by Richie Havens and Jocko of Sha Na Na in concert. • August 18 -- Rhino Records is releasing “Woodstock – 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm” in a six-CD boxed set. • August 21 – Dallas Museum of Art is having a one-night screening of “Woodstock 3 Days of Peace & Music Director’s Cut 40th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition” at their Late Night Summer Block Party series. The screening is part of their Woodstock promotion which will also feature the Rhino 6-CD Box set as well as the new film, “Taking Woodstock” (description below). 3,000 are expected to attend. • August 21-23 -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Cleveland OH) welcomes music fans for a weekend of events devoted to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. • August 28 – “Taking Woodstock,” director Ang Lee's film, hits theaters. The film is based on the memoirs of Elliot Tiber, who played an unlikely role in helping the festival come to fruition. • October 25 -- West Fest – San Francisco’s celebration of Woodstock 1969 is called West Fest. Set to be held in Golden Gate Park, the festival will focus on the roots of the original festival including peace, love, spirituality, music, and art. Presented by 2b1 Multimedia in association with Artie Kornfeld. • “The Road to Woodstock” Harper Collins recently published the book written by Festival producer Michael Lang with Holly George-Warren, a revealing memoir of how the festival came to be. About the Blu-ray/DVD The spectacular new limited, numbered Blu-ray and DVD “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” contains three hours of enhanced content that includes two hours of bonus performances. With its rare footage -- some of it newly-discovered, some only seen in part and some never seen at all -- the UCE is making its own history. The 18 new performances as never before seen from 13 groups include Joan Baez, Country Joe McDonald, Santana, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker and five (Paul Butterfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter and Mountain) who played at Woodstock but never appeared in any film version. A third hour of bonus material also on the UCE includes a featurette gallery showcasing interviews with Martin Scorsese, producer Michael Lang, director Michael Wadleigh, Hugh Hefner, Eddie Kramer (the concert’s original chief on-site engineer and producer-engineer for Jimi Hendrix) and others who chronicle the making of the festival and the film. Included are such segments as “3 Days in a Truck,” “No Rain! No Rain!” and “Living Up To Idealism.” Additionally, exclusive to Blu-ray a Customize Your Own Woodstock Playlist from the 18 bonus performances and other special features like “Media Center,” “My WB Commentary” and “Live Community Screening.” The UCE is packaged in a unique giftbox, numbered as part of a limited run with an array of collectibles that include a 60+ page reprint of a Life magazine commemorative issue, a lucite lenticular display of vintage festival photos, festival memorabilia and an iron-on patch with the classic dove and guitar Woodstock emblem. About Woodstock and the Film Woodstock alumni David Crosby noted, “Woodstock was more than just a concert; it was an event. It was a time for our generation to speak up and let everyone know we had a voice. Whether you were there or are discovering the film for the first time, it still holds up 40 years later and now will speak to a whole new generation.” The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held at Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York on a sometimes rain-soaked weekend from August 15 to August 18, 1969. Half a million people of all colors, shapes, sizes, ages and genders attended this historical event. They came by car, by truck, a few even by helicopter, but the majority walked to what turned out to be the most famous festival in history, an event that was hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the “50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Created by promoter Michael Lang with Artie Kornfeld, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, 32 legendary musical acts appeared which, in addition to those mentioned above, included Crosby, Stills and Nash, Santana, Joan Baez, The Band, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Country Joe McDonald and The Fish, Richie Havens, Jefferson Airplane, John Sebastian and Sly & The Family Stone. Said Michael Lang, “It’s gratifying to me that Woodstock remains so relevant today as does the great work that documented it. Artie and Joel join me in congratulating Warner Home Video for putting together this brand new and exciting look at our event and for unearthing more of the historic performances that electrified us all at the time.” Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature (and nominated for Best Editing and Best Sound), “Woodstock” was produced by Bob Maurice and directed by Michael Wadleigh, who assembled an outstanding crew that included young filmmakers at the start of their careers Academy Award® winners: director Martin Scorsese (“The Departed”) and editor Thelma Schoonmaker (“The Aviator”). About Warner Home Video With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment. About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment/videogames, direct-to-DVD production, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. WBHEG is responsible for the global distribution of content through DVD, electronic sell-through and VOD, and delivery of theatrical content to wireless and online channels, and is also a significant worldwide publisher for both internal and third party videogame titles. # # #