SEATTLE & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VH1 Classic and CreateSpace, an Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) company, today announced the exclusive DVD release of Metal Evolution, the biggest and most comprehensive documentary series ever made on the genesis of heavy metal and hard rock, via Amazon.com and shop.vh1.com on March 27. Metal Evolution is VH1 Classic’s top-rated 2012 series to date. The three-disc set, featuring all 11 episodes of the show hosted by noted metal aficionado, anthropologist and filmmaker Sam Dunn, crisscrosses the globe to bring viewers along on an intense journey through the genre’s musical history, spanning more than four decades. Special features include an informative interview with Dunn from VH1 Classic’s That Metal Show. The episodes are also available now digitally on Amazon Instant Video.
“We are very excited to bring VH1’s powerful and comprehensive documentary series to music lovers and devoted metal fans on DVD and digitally for the first time ever,” said Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon. “Amazon’s CreateSpace on Demand service makes it easy for networks like VH1 Classic to make the content that fans want readily available quickly and cost-effectively.”
“Metal Evolution has been a breakthrough television series for VH1 Classic, a perfect fit for our audience of classic music experts. The series highlights the passion and intelligence on the part of the creators, performers, and fans of metal music – a genre often overlooked by critics. Our partners at Banger Films created a fascinating series with emotion, humor, and lots of really, really awesome music,” said Ben Zurier, EVP VH1 Programming Strategy.
Dunn and his partner, filmmaker Scot McFayden, based Metal Evolution on the groundbreaking and much-debated 26 sub-genre “Heavy Metal Family Tree" that details the music’s fascinating and complex lineage. Using this genealogical chart as a road map, each episode unleashes the very essence of metal – beginning with Pre-Metal, traveling through Early Metal, New Wave, Glam, Thrash, Grunge, Nu Metal, Shock Rock and Power Metal, and arriving at the Progressive Rock of today as the explosive series finale. Along the way, Dunn interviews more than 300 of metal’s most revered artists, producers and experts, including Alice Cooper, James Hetfield, Slash, Iggy Pop, Vince Neil, Dave Mustaine, Michael Anthony and Yngwie Malmsteen, as well as a pantheon of other rock idols. From the streets of Birmingham, England to the bars of Sunset Strip, from Germany’s raucous festivals to soccer stadium concerts in Santiago, Chile, the filmmakers leave no stone unturned as they explore the pioneers of British and American hard rock along with the metal luminaries that rock on today.
Amazon’s CreateSpace on Demand service is the perfect way for major networks such as VH1 Classic, as well as leading studios, to bring their most sought-after current content and catalog titles to DVD. Titles never go out-of-stock and are always available to fans because they are manufactured only in response to customer demand. In addition, content can be distributed through Amazon.com and other channels, including Amazon Instant Video, a digital video service providing more than 120,000 titles, including new release movies, TV shows the day after they air, as well as contemporary and classic videos in SD and HD.
For more information about Amazon’s CreateSpace on Demand service, visit www.createspace.com. For more information on Amazon Instant Video, visit www.amazon.com/aiv.
About VH1 Classic
Launched in May 2000, VH1 Classic is a 24-hour network that present videos, concerts and music specials all day long, featuring the best of rock, soul and pop artists from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s including The Beatles, The Stones, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Stevie Wonder, The Police, Madonna and many more. Learn more at VH1Classic.com.
About CreateSpace
CreateSpace seeks to be the world’s easiest and most comprehensive independent publishing platform for writers, filmmakers and musicians. The company is the leading provider of independent publishing tools that enable content creators to produce, polish, publish and distribute their work to customers around the world. CreateSpace offers industry-leading royalty rates, broad distribution to thousands of sales channels, an engaged peer community and complete creative control while content creators continue to own the rights to their books. CreateSpace is also a leader in manufacture on-demand for Books, CDs and DVDs maintaining “in-stock” availability for titles without inventory risk. CreateSpace is a brand of On-Demand Publishing LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN).
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. The new latest generation Kindle is the lightest, most compact Kindle ever and features the same 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper even in bright sunlight. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier than ever to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes – still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display. Kindle Touch 3G is the top of the line e-reader and offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch, with the unparalleled added convenience of free 3G. Kindle Fire is the Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games and web browsing with all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync, Amazon Silk (Amazon’s new revolutionary cloud-accelerated web browser), vibrant color touch screen, and powerful dual-core processor.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.