The Sputnik7 network has been acquired by Audiotube, LLC, a video-on-demand portal from  from Palm Entertainment Properties LLC. Users now have the chance of accessing the first on-demand audio/video web site, sputnik7.com, and the first DRM free online indie music catalogue, Epitonic.com.  

Awards such as  the Invision Award of Excellence in Entertainment, the Gold Invision for Best Entertainment Streaming Media Site, the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and the Webby Award have been granted to Sputnik7.com, which was founded as a partnership between Chris Blackwell and Les Garland.

Audiotube's online success will grow due to this acquisition, since  Sputnik7's search engine ranking and traffic will be capitalized. The communities will be linked, which will help grow the company's network. A large extent of indie music record labels will be available at Audiotube, offering thus a large catalogue of indie music. This is due to the fact that  Sputnik7 and Epitonic are important brands in the indie world.

Scott deMercado, Audiotube's CEO, stated that: "The acquisition could not have come at a better time as audiotubes "indie" music section is breaking new ground to revolutionize the way in which an aspiring artist can gain recognition. By providing a single site where users can look at what's hot in the charts -- as well as what's up and coming -- both consumers and the labels will have a one-stop community to find new talent."

These web sites will be a part of the next generation platform of Audiotube. The users will haver the opportunity of setting up and joining groups and networks, where they will have the possibility of meeting other music lovers, of trading playlists and sharing opinions about music. The next generation of brandable channels will have an amazing possibility to be customized, so that indie music labels can market and promote their media in a totally new way.

Karsten Becker, Audiotube's CTO, stated that: "The Web site is based on an open platform, and we are working on easy-access portals for everything from smart phones to the next generation of connected video appliances. It is our intention to provide the end user with choice and the labels with maximum exposure.”

Chris Blackwell, Founder of Island Records, and Les Garland, Founder/Originator of both MTV: Music Television and VH1, co-founded Sputnik7.com (www.sputnik7.com ) in 1998. Credited as the world's first real-time audio/video Internet entertainment experience, Sputnik7.com is a broadcast network offering a sophisticated mix of independent music, film, and anime programming via interactive Video Stations, Audio Stations, Videos on Demand, and Digital Downloads.

Epitonic (www.epitonic.com), launched in 1999, is an essential source for cutting-edge independent music across several genres from both signed and unsigned artists. Among its main features are MP3 song downloads, radio streams, and many full album streams available through Windows Media Player. Over 400 independent labels were gathered by Epitonic, providing thus an amazing ly wide range of artists, styles and genres.
 
Chris Blackwell is the owner of Palm Pictures (www.palmpictures.com), a US based Entertainment Company. Palm Pictures produces, acquires and distributes innovative music and film projects with a particular focus on the DVD format. Palm puts emphasis on projects like music documentaries, art house & foreign cinema, and music videos. Palm Pictures' entertainment properties include a film division, a music label, sputnik7.com, epitonic.com, Art house Films and RES Media Group, publisher of RES magazine.

Audiotube Ltd. was founded in January 2007 as an online video management, promotion and distribution service. Audiotube's online platform combines the demand for music videos with the universal reach of the Internet to satisfy customer demands for high-quality music delivery and community interaction.

For more information, please visit http://audiotube.com