The Webby Awards, the leading international honours for Web sites, yesterday nominated FREEMUSE for a Webby Award in the category of Best Music Web site of 2002.

Hailed by The Wall Street Journal as a celebration of "sites that pave important paths to the Internet's next phase," The Webby Awards are determined by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences - a diverse, 350-person organization whose membership film director Francis Ford Coppola, musicians David Bowie and Beck, cyberguru Esther Dyson, CEO of Real Networks Rob Glaser, Chef Julia Child, and Electronic Frontier Foundation Founder John Perry Barlow.

"The Webby Awards showcase the best of what the Internet has to offer in terms of innovation, creativity and originality," said Maya Draisin, Executive Director of The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences: "FREEMUSE's nomination for a Webby Award is a testament to its great contributions in pushing the Internet envelope."

The Sixth Annual Webby Awards will take place this year on Tuesday, June 18, 2002 at San Francisco's Legion of Honour.

"It is a great honour for FREEMUSE to be nominated for a Webby Award," said Marie Korpe, Executive Director. "This nomination puts us among the best of the best on the 'Net".

About the FREEMUSE website
www.freemuse.org is just over a year old and is already the world’s most extensive website on music censorship worldwide. All material collated by Freemuse, our own research and reports (PDF-files) are published online for public access for free. The extensive website provides updated news, case stories from several countries, interviews (sound-and video clips) with artists who have been censored or has a say on music censorship. The website is being frequently used by international media, students, universities, activists and music lovers.

About The Webby Awards
The Webby Awards is the leading international honour for consumer Web sites and individual achievement in technology and creativity. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences selects the nominees, winners, and presents the awards event. Sponsors for The Sixth Annual Webby Awards include SBC, International Data Group (IDG), Getty Images, The Creative Group and Elias Arts. Balloting is audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers. In partnership with Nielsen//NetRatings, the Webby Awards has three new awards, where sites will be honoured based on traffic to sites using Nielsen//NetRatings Internet audience measurement data.

About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences
The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive media. The Academy's goal is to assemble a brilliant panel of leading new media experts, visionaries, journalists, and luminaries to propel the Internet and Interactive Technology into the future. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 350 members such as film director Francis Ford Coppola, musician Bjork, Chairman of Miramax Talk Media Tina Brown, cyberguru Esther Dyson, creator of "The Simpsons" Matt Groening, Public Radio International Personality Ira Glass, and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison. Members also include writers and editors from publications such as The New York Times, Wired, Forbes, Details, Fast Company, Elle, The Los Angeles Times, Vibe, and WallPaper.