Sony DADC announced the availability of its key2audioä audio CD copy control solution at Germany-based replicator Sonopress. The new license agreement marks another important milestone in the successful launch of key2audio in Europe. "We are excited that Sonopress can now offer key2audioä mastering and replication services to BMG Entertainment as well as to their third party customers," says Johannes Stegfellner, Sales & Marketing Director, Sony DADC Virtual Factory. "key2audioä features market-leading compatibility with consumer electronic playback devices as well as effective prevention of home CD-R burning, helping record labels to safeguard their creative work against unauthorised copying."

Hermann Heemeyer, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing Europe at Sonopress, said "One of our chief priorities is to help combat unauthorized reproduction of content, and at the same time satisfy consumer quality expectations. That's why we're happy to offer this key2audioä technology to our customers."

Worldwide sales of blank CD-R discs have skyrocketed, growing more than 250 % in the last two years. According to GFK, Germany, more discs were burned in Germany in 2001 than were legitimately sold in stores. This unprecedented growth of mass copying has coincided with a dramatic slump in legitimate record sales in the world's major markets.

key2audioä prevents CD-Audio playback on computer drives, which in turn blocks copying onto CD-R media and Internet distribution. For consumers wishing to listen to music on their computers, Sony DADC offers key2audio4PCä, a music download and streaming solution that also provides record labels with valuable online promotion opportunities. key2audioä was developed at Sony DADC's Virtual Factory, in Salzburg, Austria which focuses on copy control technology, digital asset management and E-commerce solutions as well as CD/DVD authoring. key2audio™ mastering and replication are available at authorised CD manufacturing plants worldwide.