NPR Debuts 'At Home In The World' Compilation of World Music

5/19/2003

From: Laura Gross of National Public Radio, 202-513-2304 or lgross@npr.org

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- NPR has released its second "I heard it on NPR" compilation CD, At Home in the World, a 13-song collection of music by artists from around the globe. The album features musicians from Malian guitarist Ali Farka Toure (collaborating with Ry Cooder) and Benin-born singer Angelique Kidjo (performing with jazz chanteuse Cassandra Wilson) to Afro-pop artists Orchestra Baobab and Youssou N'Dour and the new Brazilian supergroup Tribalistas, comprising Marisa Monte, Arnaldo Antunes and Carlinhos Brown.

At Home In the World is the second release in the "I heard it on NPR" series, following the 2002 release Jazz for Blue Nights. The musical selections on these discs are by artists whose music has been featured during NPR news and music programs. The series mixes older instrumental and vocal material with new music by artists who are beginning to make waves in the global music community. NPR produces the series in partnership with Daedalus Books and Music, a consumer catalog with an audience that overlaps significantly with the NPR audience, and EMI Jazz and Classics.

At Home in the World and Jazz for Blue Nights are available for sale at the NPR Shop, "http://shop.npr.org" (888-NPR-DISC), through Daedalus Books & Music, "http://www.salemusic.com" (800-395-2665) and through other selected retail outlets.

Inspired by the intense interest NPR listeners have shown in the music featured on NPR programs, along with the growing sense that people 35 and older are largely ignored by traditional music distributors, NPR launched the "I heard it on NPR" series to offer collections of new, unusual and classic music featured on NPR.

Over the years, NPR news and music programming has been at the vanguard of offering insightful interviews with musicians who appeal to adult listeners. NPR's newsmagazines, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, which are the second and third most listened-to radio programs in the U.S., and their weekend equivalents reach a combined 18.4 million listeners a week. With a majority audience of people older than 35, NPR has an influence over adult music buyers that has been documented by music sellers across the country as well as The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. A January 2002 Billboard story about the importance to record labels of reaching the over-25 audience said that most music executives interviewed for the story see "NPR as the crucial destination for reaching older consumers."

Research also demonstrates that older adults are buying more music. Based on a units-shipped survey, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) found that between 1991 and 2000, the fastest-growing group of music consumers was the over-45 age group. That demographic community more than doubled its purchasing power, from 11.8 percent to 23.8 percent of total record sales. The RIAA survey found that consumers 35 and older accounted for 44 percent of all record sales in 2000. The producers of the "I heard it on NPR" CD series are responding to this trend.

"With the 'I heard it on NPR' series, each CD is genre-specific and is geared towards the over-35 listener with discerning taste," said EMI Jazz and Classics Director of Market Development, Nell Mulderry . "The NPR endorsement is significant because NPR is considered a valuable resource for cultural programming and current events, and it provides a forum for the nation's adult listeners. The role of EMI Jazz & Classics-home to Angel/EMI Classics, Blue Note and Manhattan Records-is to deliver choice repertoire from its own and third party labels that reflects the broad range of content that NPR presents. 'I heard it on NPR' will continue as a collaborative effort to respond to market demands and the enthusiasm of NPR listeners eager to source out new music generally not heard on commercial radio stations."

--- The track list of At Home in the World:

1. Bebel Gilberto "August Day Song" 2. Bebo Valdes "Lamento Cubano" 3. Orchestra Baobab "Werente Serigne" 4. Tribalistas "Ja Sei Namorar" 5. Lila Downs "Mi Corazon Me Recuerda" 6. Edith Piaf "L'accordeoniste" 7. Paolo Conte "Via Con Me" 8. Amalia Rodrigues "Nem As Paredes Confesso" 9. Ali Farka Toure/Ry Cooder "Diaraby" 10. Youssou N'Dour "Mbeggeel Noonu La" 11. Ravi Shankar "Vandanaa Trayee" 12. Ladysmith Black Mambazo "Homeless" 13. Cassandra Wilson/Angelique Kidjo "Voodoo Reprise"

------ About NPR NPR is renowned for journalistic excellence and standard-setting news and entertainment programming. A privately supported, non-profit, membership organization, NPR serves a growing audience of nearly 21 million Americans each week via more than 730 public radio stations. International partners in cable, satellite and short-wave services make NPR programming accessible anywhere in the world. With original online content and audio streaming, npr.org offers hourly newscasts, special features and seven years of archived audio and information. NPR's several hundred awards include a 2000 National Medal of Arts.

About EMI Jazz and Classics EMI Jazz & Classics is home to Angel, Blue Note and Manhattan Records, and serves as the adult music division of EMI Music North America. This label group is a recording and repertoire company which signs, develops and markets a select roster of world-renowned jazz, classical and crossover artists. EMI Jazz & Classics is also the marketing company for UK-based EMI Classics, Virgin Classics and Hemisphere--record labels which draw on artists and repertoire from EMI-affiliates throughout the world. For more information contact Nell Mulderry at 212-786-8654 or nell.mulderry@capitolrecords.com.

About Daedalus Books and Music Since 1980 Daedalus Books and Music has been the premier source for bibliophiles and independent listeners looking for quality books and music at bargain prices. Daedalus mails over seven million catalogs a year to consumers interested in expanding their book and music libraries, and has just introduced a new Web site featuring thousands of titles in all genres at discounted prices: http://www.daedalusbooks.com. For more information, contact Helaine Harris at 410-309-2700 or hharris@daedalusbooks.com