Buy Tickets Now for the 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL Taking Place July 2, 3 and 4 in New Orleans!

Buy Tickets Now for the 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL Taking Place July 2, 3 and
4 in New Orleans!
SPECIAL WEEKEND TICKET PACKAGES AVAILABLE NOW THROUGH DECEMBER 18TH TO
COMMEMORATE ESSENCE MAGAZINE'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time to buy your tickets for the only
place to be July 4th weekend! Tickets go on sale today for the ESSENCE MUSIC
FESTIVAL, which returns to New Orleans July 2, 3 and 4, 2010. This year, the
ultimate destination for entertainment, empowerment, culture and community
celebrated its 15th anniversary with a record-breaking 428,000 attendees. Next
year, in honor of the 40th anniversary of ESSENCE Magazine, the annual weekend
of entertainment and inspiration promises to be better than ever, and will
feature special weekend ticket packages ranging from $159-$3000 to commemorate
the magazine's milestone year. The packages are as follows:

PLATINUM VIP FESTIVAL WEEKEND PACKAGE:
-- Party with Festival performers and celebrities
-- Center stage seating in first 10 rows on the Louisiana Superdome
floor
-- All-Access Pass to the Platinum VIP Club (next to the ESSENCE Main
Stage) featuring full buffet and complimentary bar service
-- VIP parking pass at the Louisiana Superdome
-- VIP seating at the Empowerment Seminars in the Convention Center
-- Complimentary commemorative 2010 Festival T-shirt
-- Complimentary one-year subscription to ESSENCE magazine

-- Automatic Festival updates with the Festival newsletter and mobile
text alerts

GOLD PLUS WEEKEND PACKAGE:
-- Get great center stage floor seats
-- Complimentary commemorative 2010 Festival T-shirt
-- Complimentary one-year subscription to ESSENCE magazine

-- Automatic Festival updates with the Festival newsletter and mobile
text alerts and more

GET $40 OFF WEEKEND TICKETS:
-- In celebration of ESSENCE magazine's 40th anniversary, ESSENCE is
offering $40 off weekend package tickets purchased in the next 40 days
(through December 18th) at the Plaza and Loge levels.

"The success of this year's ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL has been overwhelming, with
428,000 attendees this past Fourth of July weekend," said Michelle Ebanks,
president, Essence Communications Inc. "We are so grateful to our loyal
audience for their support in making this happen. That is why, in honor of the
40th anniversary of ESSENCE magazine, we are offering our special weekend
ticket packages for our most valued patrons. It is our way of saying thank you
for their years of unwavering dedication to the ESSENCE brand."

Ticket packages are available for a limited time, so order now! For additional
information about ticket sales, accommodations and the latest news about the
ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, visit www.essence.com.

With some of the biggest names in entertainment and the nation's most
influential speakers, artists, authors and leaders, the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL
is the nation's largest annual gathering of African-American music and
culture. What began in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th
Anniversary of ESSENCE magazine has now grown into one of the country's "Top
10 Leading Brand Events" by Advertising Age.

In its 15-year history, the ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL has featured an array of
performers including Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Destiny's
Child, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, John Legend,
Kanye West, The Isley Brothers, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Mary J. Blige,
The O'Jays, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Toni Braxton, Patti LaBelle and Yolanda
Adams.

The 2010 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL is executive produced by Essence Festivals LLC
and produced by Rehage Entertainment. Essence Festivals LLC is a division of
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI).

ABOUT ESSENCE COMMUNICATIONS INC.:
Essence Communications Inc. (ECI) is the number one media and communications
company dedicated to African-American women. With a multi-platform presence
in publishing, live events, and online, the Essence brand is "Where Black
Women Come First". The company's flagship publication, ESSENCE magazine, is
the preeminent lifestyle magazine for African-American women; generating brand
extensions such as the Essence Music Festival, Women Who Are Shaping the World
Leadership Summit, Window on Our Women (WOW I, II & III) and Smart Beauty I,
II & III consumer insights, the Essence Book Club, Essence.com, and ventures
in digital media (mobile, television and VOD) via Essence Studios. For 39
years, ESSENCE magazine, which has a readership of 8.5 million, has been the
leading source of cutting-edge information relating to every area of
African-American women's lives.

Additional information about ECI and ESSENCE is available at essence.com.

SOURCE Essence Communications Inc.

Dana Baxter, +1-212-522-1634, dbaxter@essence.com, or Sheila Harris,
+1-212-522-1089, sharris@essence.com, both of ESSENCE