ASCAP Celebrates 10th Year Producing the Sundance Film Festival Music Café

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - January 7, 2008) - The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is pleased to announce the artist line-up for the Music Café at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The "Music Café produced by ASCAP" is located at The Star Bar (268 Main Street) and will be open to Festival credential holders from January 18 - 26, 2008. Performances will take place each day starting at 2:30 p.m.

The "Music Café produced by ASCAP" continues to be one of the most popular draws at the Festival. It is dedicated to showcasing the exceptional talent of new, emerging and established songwriters and artists, including solo acts and major bands, and is a place where independent filmmakers can meet and interact with film composers and songwriters to encourage collaboration between these two creative communities.

"As part of ASCAP's continuing efforts to focus attention on the role of music in film, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to present the Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival for the 10th year," said Music Café producer Loretta Muñoz, ASCAP Assistant Vice President. "In producing this series, first at the Elks Building and now at The Star Bar, we create a beautiful and unique opportunity for our songwriters and composers -- whether emerging, well-known or icons -- to share the same stage and champion their music to the Festival's filmmakers.

For its 10th anniversary line-up, ASCAP will present another exciting and dynamic mix of songwriters and artists from across the musical spectrum and around the world. This year's featured performers include: AM; Eef Barzelay; Jessie Baylin; Ben's Brother; Paddy Casey; Quincy Coleman; Will Dailey; DAM, Abeer, PR and Mahmoud Shalabi from the film "SLINGSHOT HIP HOP"; Gavin DeGraw; Brett Dennen; Eskimo Joe; Everest; Tim Finn; Missy Higgins; Josh Hisle and Special Guests; Jesca Hoop; Sondre Lerche, Adam Levy; Meiko; Ingrid Michaelson; Pat Monahan of Train; Motion City Soundtrack; Peter & Gordon; John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls; Dusty Rhodes and the River Band; ROAN; Johnny Lloyd Rollins; Sea Wolf; Patti Smith; Charlotte Sometimes; Butch Walker; and "WALK HARD" songwriters Mike Viola and Dan Bern.

For the complete schedule, bios and photos of the performing artists, visit ASCAP's website at www.ascap.com/sundance2008.

Music in Film

The 2008 Festival includes several films that prominently feature the music of ASCAP members and Music Café performers. Some highlights include:

CSNY DÉJÀ VU (Director: Bernard Shakey; Screenwriters: Neil Young, Mike Cerre) -- The war in Iraq is the backdrop as the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young "Freedom of Speech Tour" crisscrosses North America. Echoes of Vietnam-era anti-war sentiment abound as the band connects with today's audiences. Cast: David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Mike Cerre, Stephen Colbert.

PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE (Director and Screenwriter: Steven Sebring) -- An intimate portrait of Patti Smith that mirrors the essence of the artist herself.

SLINGSHOT HIP HOP (Director: Jackie Reem Salloum) -- The voice of a new generation rocks and rhymes as Palestinian rappers form alternative voices of resistance within the Israeli-Palestinian struggle.

U2 3D (Directors: Catherine Owens, Mark Pellington) -- A 3-D presentation of U2's global "Vertigo" tour. Shot at seven different shows, this production employs the greatest number of 3-D cameras ever used for a single project.

Celebrating a Decade of Music

2008 marks the 10th anniversary of ASCAP producing the Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival. Over the years, ASCAP has provided stellar programming, presenting artists associated with Festival films along with other legendary and cutting-edge artists. The "Music Café produced by ASCAP" was originally located at the Elks Building on Main Street, but due to its standing-room-only success, it was relocated to a bigger space at The Star Bar in 2003 where it continues to draw huge crowds. A complete listing of ASCAP's Sundance Music Café Artists (1999 to 2007) is available at www.ascap.com/sundance2008.

About Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival is the premier showcase for U.S. and international independent film. Held each January in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah, the Festival is a core program of Sundance Institute, a nonprofit cultural organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Presenting dramatic and documentary feature-length films in nine distinct categories and approximately 80 short films each year, the Sundance Film Festival has introduced American audiences to some of the most innovative films of the past two decades. Since 1984, the Festival program has evolved to include music, art, and dialogue. Beyond the streets of Park City, the official website of the Sundance Film Festival, http://www.sundance.org/festival shares the Festival experience with a global audience with short films, filmmaker interviews, video episodes, podcasts, photos, news stories, and more.

About ASCAP

Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 310,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 music rights organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com