Licensing Program to Celebrate 80th Anniversary

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – May 6, 2009 – Act III Licensing announced today it is working in conjunction with the Ray Charles Marketing Group as the exclusive merchandise licensing agency for the Ray Charles Foundation. “Ray Charles is a legendary figure whose appeal is timeless,” said Elliot Steinberg, partner at Act III Licensing.

During a career that spanned fifty-eight years, Ray Charles won 17 Grammy Awards and is the only artist to record a Grammy Award winning song in all five Grammy era decades. Chart Hits such as “Georgia On My Mind” (US#1), “Hit the Road Jack” (US#1), “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (US#1), “What’d I Say” (US#6) and “Unchain My Heart” (US#9) helped him transition to pop success. Ray Charles’ last recorded album, “Genius Loves Company” earned an unprecedented 8 Grammy Awards in 2005 including Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Record of the Year.

In celebration of his 80th Anniversary, the program will include Ray Charles’ name and likeness and hundreds of never before seen photographs available for licensing. Anniversary highlights include:

• Brand new digitally re-mastered album “Genius – The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection.”

• Grand opening of Ray Charles Memorial Library.

• Yes Indeed! - the first Ray Charles photography book published in a limited-edition of 2,500 copies.

• Special DVD Release of Ray’s Greatest Television Performances

“We are thrilled to be working with the team at Act III Licensing,” stated Tony Gumina, president of the Ray Charles Marketing Group. “After observing how Act III has creatively licensed other musical icons, we are excited about the future of this program,” Gumina added.

Act III Licensing will be featuring Ray Charles at the upcoming Licensing Expo, June 2-4, 2009 in Las Vegas, Booth #2449.