Astral Awards $100,000 to MusiCounts to Finance Music Programs in 71 Schools
Across the Country

MONTREAL, Oct 6 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Radio is proud to partner with MusiCounts, the music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), which announced today that 71 schools from all provinces across Canada will be receiving Band Aid Grants.

During the 2010-2011 school year, grants totalling $560,000 will be distributed to these schools for purchasing musical instruments and providing thousands of students with the opportunity to develop their talent and fulfil their full musical potential. This year, Astral awarded the sum of $100,000 to MusiCounts to finance Band Aid.

"The Canadian music industry and its artists are recognized internationally for their immense talent. Such a reputation is first and foremost the result of programs such as Band Aid that allow tomorrow's greatest talents to discover music or develop their passion", says Claude Laflamme, Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Astral Radio. "That's the reason Astral Radio is a proud partner of MusiCounts since 2007 and thus contributes to the development of the musical talent of young Canadians."

Recipients of the Band Aid grants are public schools in need of funds to ensure the sustainability of their music education programs. Selected by the MusiCounts Committee, these schools are located in all provinces across Canada. For a complete list of the schools receiving the 2010-2011 Band Aid grants, go to the MusiCounts website at www.musicounts.ca.

Astral Radio is a member of the Astral family. Astral Media Inc. (TSX: Astral is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several media properties—pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties—among the most popular in the country. Year after year, Astral's pay and specialty television, radio stations, and The Harold Greenberg Fund have together awarded over 170 million dollars to the development and purchase of local programs and original productions, as well as supporting our musical talent. To learn more about Astral and its contribution to culture, go to astral.com.

MusiCounts, Canada's music education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), is helping to keep music alive in schools across Canada. MusiCounts' mission is to ensure that children in Canada have access to a comprehensive music program through their school. MusiCounts includes Band Aid musical instrument grants, the MusiCounts Teacher of the Year Award, Scholarships and other music education initiatives. For more information, please visit: www.musicounts.ca

For further information:

Hugues Mousseau
Manager, Corporate Communications
Astral Media Inc.
514 939-5000
[email protected]