MTV Taps Industry Tastemaker Nic Harcourt as First Music Supervisor in Residence Harcourt to Serve as Creative Consultant for Hype Music, MTV and Extreme Production Music's Recently Announced Creative Partnership

NEW YORK, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MTV, a division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA); (NYSE: VIA.B), today announced that Nic Harcourt will serve as the first Music Supervisor in Residence for the channel. Bringing a wealth of experience and pedigree for putting such artists as Coldplay, Dido and Norah Jones on the map, Harcourt will work closely with Joe Cuello, Senior Vice President of Creative Music Integration for MTV, to bring his music supervision skills to select MTV shows over the course of the coming year.

In addition, Harcourt will serve as a Creative Consultant for the newly announced Hype Music: a first-of-its kind hybrid music production and licensing partnership from MTV and Extreme Music that is fueled by the very best new and emerging independent talent. Harcourt will offer his keen ear and eye for talent to artists contracted directly with Hype to produce new music with vocals that will enjoy first look consideration for key placements across MTV Networks' programming and be licensed through Extreme's global client base of professional users.

"Nic Harcourt is synonymous with music discovery and we are excited to bring his wealth of music knowledge and experience into the dialogue that MTV has with our audience about music," said Cuello.  "As MTV's first 'Music Supervisor in Residence,' Nic will help shape the sound of MTV's programming as well as expand the scope of our relationships with emerging talent through Hype Production Music."

"Any new band knows that a play on one of Nic's shows really means something," said Russell Emanuel, Extreme Music CEO. "Hype is all about emerging talent, so when the opportunity arose to harness his uncanny ability to spot the next big thing, it was a no brainer."

Regarded as the ultimate "tastemaker" in music, Nic Harcourt has helped launch the careers of KT Tunstall, Ting Tings, Sigur Ros, Damien, Rice, Death Cab for Cutie, Franz Ferdinand, Interpol, Adele and countless others. He has been described by music writer Mark Weingarten as "the most influential DJ in America."

He is the former host of both Morning Becomes Eclectic and the syndicated show Sounds Eclectic. After 10 years as KCRW Music Director, Nic stepped down in 2008 to pursue other opportunities. Still a DJ at KCRW, Nic currently serves as the host of the award winning Guitar Center Sessions on DirecTV's 101 and n3D channels and works in Television and Film as a consultant and music supervisor.

His TV credits include: 90210, Queer as Folk, Life as We Know It, In Justice, What about Brian and Love Monkey (for which he was also a co-producer), as well as advertising campaigns for Mitsubishi Motors, Apple's iPod and KIA.  His movie credits include: Charlie St. Cloud, He's Just Not That Into You, Pride and Glory, Igby Goes Down, Gone Baby Gone and Dukes of Hazzard.

Nic also produced the Sounds Eclectic CD compilation series. Harcourt's first foray into literature was Music Lust, a book of "recommended listening for every mood, moment and reason."

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand.   With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people.  MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile.  MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture.  MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.

About Extreme Music:

World-renowned as the "Bad Boys of the Industry" Extreme, the Production Music Library arm of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, have made it their duty to change the face of library music. Since exploding onto the scene in 1997 these production music zeitgeists have consistently delivered an industry-quaking catalogue that leaves their competition sleeping with the lights on and establishes them as the undisputed masters in their field. Their unrivalled A-list packed roster famously boasts names such as Quincy Jones, Hans Zimmer, Snoop Dogg , Rodney Jerkins, Robbie Nevil, Junkie XL, Paul Oakenfold, Mark Mothersbaugh and Vince Clarke to name a few.  For more information, go to  www.extrememusic.com or www.hypemusic.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
For MTV:
Mariana Agathoklis
212.846.5755
[email protected]

For Extreme Music:
Joe Schneider/Jessica Erskine, Rogers & Cowan
310.854.8140/8129
[email protected]
[email protected]

SOURCE Extreme Music