DTS Gains European Foothold

Graham Nash and Frank Zappa will be DTS Entertainment's first artists to debut in Europe on DVD-Audio, thanks to an agreement between DTSE and Cadiz Music, Ltd., a distributor in Greenwich, England. DTS Entertainment is the entertainment division of Digital Theater Systems, Inc., based in Agoura Hills, CA.

Cadiz will oversee the distribution of DTSE music titles throughout Europe, according to a September 8 announcement. Cadiz will roll out the entire line of DTSE 5.1 music discs and DVD-Audio titles via a direct network of music distributors serving major European markets. The first DTSE releases available through Cadiz will be DVD-Audio releases of Graham Nash's Songs For Survivors and Frank Zappa's Halloween. Released in North America last year, Songs For Survivors is Nash's first solo recording in 15 years. This album's North American debut marked the first time a major artist chose to release a 5.1-channel surround DVD-Audio version prior to the traditional stereo CD release.

Zappa's Halloween was mixed into 5.1-channel surround sound by his son, Dweezil Zappa, working with Joe Travers. The "Advanced Resolution" DVD-Audio disc includes previously unreleased live recordings from Zappa's Palladium performances in New York City in 1978. Bonus material includes a clip of Zappa performing "Dancing Fool" from Saturday Night Live, a video of Zappa performing "Suicide Chump," a pre-show interview, and a libretto and discography. The release features DTS 96/24 surround tracks for DVD-Video players connected to 5.1 playback systems.

"We are very excited to be working with Cadiz Music and their network of distributors to make the DTS Entertainment catalog available throughout Europe," said DTS Entertainment vice president Jeff Skillen. "The combined experience and reputation of Cadiz and their distributors will certainly help us to increase the awareness and availability of our discs throughout the region."

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