Eddie Meeks Named MP3.com Artist of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (Top40 Charts/ CNET Networks) - MP3.com (www.mp3.com), an online music resource fueled by an active community of musicians and fans and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today announced hip-hop artist Eddie Meeks as the winner of the 'MP3.com Artist of the Year' award. Voted on by MP3.com's vocal, influential audience of music enthusiasts, the MP3.com Best of 2006 awards honor the year's most noteworthy achievements in music.

Meeks is one of the thousands of musicians that have gained valuable exposure for their music through MP3.com. 'I now have fans all over the world that would have never have heard my music without MP3.com,' says Eddie Meeks. 'Gaining exposure on MP3.com has helped me secure new bookers for more performances and winning this award will open even more doors for my music career.'

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Meeks has been a veteran of the Southern alternative rap scene for more than 10 years, getting his start in the mid nineties with his first single, 'Larger than Life.' He is also currently a member of the Atlanta-based group Prophetix. Meeks uses MP3.com to promote his solo career and has been gaining popularity among MP3.com's audience, who are always on the hunt for undiscovered artists.

'The MP3.com Artist of the Year awards program is just one of the ways we help up-and-coming artists build their fan base and gain key industry exposure,' said Kevin Crouse, MP3.com site director. 'Our goal at MP3.com is to not only offer independent artists the absolute best resources online for promoting and sharing their music, but to also expose the top emerging artists to our valuable community of passionate music fans.'

Nominees for the MP3.com Best of 2006 awards were selected by MP3.com's staff, and the winners were picked by the site's users. The awards also recognize the best (and worst) signed music artists of the year. Following is a sampling of the award categories and their winners. To view all the winners and finalists, go to: https://www.mp3.com/feature/2006bestworst/
MP3.com Artist of 2006: Eddie Meeks
Best Album of 2006: Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Up and Coming: Alice Smith
Best Video of 2006: "Here We Go Again" by OK Go