PR Newswire
Thursday, May 05, 2005

Stevie Wonder Makes Historic Breakthrough For Blind and Low Vision Music Fans

CAPTION: Music icon Stevie Wonder, with a career spanning more than 4 decades on Motown Records prepares to release his much anticipated album "A Time To Love".  (PRNewsFoto)

'So What The Fuss' First Descriptive Music Video

    LOS ANGELES, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Stevie Wonder once again is making
music history by implementing a landmark music video innovation for his new
song "So What The Fuss."  For the first time in music history, the new clip
will contain a second, descriptive audio track, recorded by hip hop star Busta
Rhymes, to be made accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.  Two
versions of the video will be released; The first will be a traditional music
video, serviced to music channels; and the second version will be accompanied
with the ground breaking video description technique, which airs on all SAP-
accessible Television channels.
    (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050505/NYTH167 )
    On Monday, May 9 in Los Angeles, Stevie Wonder will present both versions
of the video, directed by Paul Hunter (Snoop Dogg, Will Smith) and allow his
fans to experience the first music video description process for themselves.
"Until now music videos have been very one dimensional for those who are blind
or with low vision," says Wonder.  "Now all music video fans will be able to
apply their vision to my video thanks to the descriptive technique and of
course, a great narration by Busta Rhymes.  For me, the entire concept is
indicative of what happens when you go beyond the status quo and open yourself
up to what's possible."
    On Wednesday, May 11, Yahoo! Music will have the on-line premiere of both
versions of the video, bringing this new description technique to the music
community on the web.
    Linda Idoni, West Coast Director of Operations for the Media Access Group
of WGBH, the Boston Public Television Station that pioneered the video
description technology and wrote the narration for the video, says that
Wonder's interest in video description enhances awareness about the technical
capabilities now available to the visually impaired.  "Until now, a visually
impaired music fan would be missing out on key elements of music videos.  For
Stevie Wonder to embrace the description process enables a lot of passionate
music fans to enjoy the song in a whole other medium."
    Wonder, a longtime fan of the charismatic Busta Rhymes, enlisted the
effusive hip hop star to perform the video narration in Wonder's L.A.
recording studio.  According to sources who attended the historic session,
Rhymes infused the audio description of the music clip with characteristic
flair, more than adequately describing the raucous scenario that erupts in the
clip for "So What The Fuss," set in an apartment and surrounding neighborhood
where Wonder and company's infectious performance of the song takes place.
    "Stevie Wonder is an American icon," says Rhymes.  "Without him, most of
us never would have picked up a microphone.  Only Stevie could come up with a
way to let fans that have never seen a video take part in the whole vibe.  It
was a great project to work on from start to finish."
    Stevie is currently working on cutting-edge technology that will make
music descriptive videos more accessible throughout the country, and
alternately, throughout the world.
    "So What The Fuss" is the first single from Stevie Wonder's soon to be
released album, A Time To Love.


SOURCE Universal Motown
Web Site: http://www.universalrecords.com
Photo Notes: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050505/NYTH167 AP Archive:
http://photoarchive.ap.org PRN Photo Desk,
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