Thumbplay News
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Thumbplay Supports Adobe "Strobe"
Today, Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: ADBE) announced the global media companies, content delivery networks (CDNs), publishers and advertising networks which are embracing Adobe’s open framework for building custom media players – Thumbplay among them. Code-named “Strobe”, the new framework will help establish an industry standard for media players and offers production-ready components to streamline the development process, reducing the time content publishers spend creating playback technologies. Click HERE to see the Adobe announcement.
Remarked Thumbplay’s Chris Phenner (EVP, Business Development):
“Thumbplay relies on the Flash Platform™ for our web site’s audio and video samples, for widgets that Thumbplay OPEN provides to artists to sell mobile content, and for the Flash Lite titles we sell – Thumbplay is living the Open Screen Project’s strategy every day. Strobe is a great framework that we plan to leverage to help sites monetize and extend their embedded video players to include mobile features.”
Remarked Thumbplay’s Chris Phenner (EVP, Business Development):
“Thumbplay relies on the Flash Platform™ for our web site’s audio and video samples, for widgets that Thumbplay OPEN provides to artists to sell mobile content, and for the Flash Lite titles we sell – Thumbplay is living the Open Screen Project’s strategy every day. Strobe is a great framework that we plan to leverage to help sites monetize and extend their embedded video players to include mobile features.”
Labels: press, press-release
posted by S. Lietz at 7:47 AM
Monday, May 11, 2009
Billboard: ON EVERY SITE A RINGTONE
ON EVERY SITE A RINGTONE
A New Service Extends the Reach Of A Faltering Mobile Music Format
By Anthony Bruno for BILLBOARD
May 11, 2009
Ringtone Sales are dropping sharply but record labels and mobile content providers are doing everything they can to shore up sales.
Several mobile carriers have begun offering a make-your-own-ringtone service from provider mSpot. Labels like Warner Music Group have explored bundling ringtones with full-song download sales. And services like Myxer have even tried ad-supported ringtones.
Now, The mobile content provider Thumbplay has quietly unveiled a new service called OPEN Pro that allows labels to sell ringtones almost anywhere online without striking deals with each wireless operator. OPEN Pro is an extension of a tool Thumbplay launched in September that allows unsigned artists to sell ringtones by uploading their content to the Thumbplay system.
“It helps labels and artists’ managers sell mobile content from the Web sites they manage,” says Thumbplay director of business development Mike Park. “It’s basically a way for them to keep track of sales for all their labels, drill down into specific artists and track performance.”
Even when ringtone sales were still growing, the format faced two key distribution bottlenecks. The vast majority of sales came through mobile operators, which maintain complete control over which artists get prime placement on their crowded mobile entertainment menus. That inevitably leads to a focus on chart-topping artists, at the expense of others.
Bypassing the carriers and selling directly to fans brought its own set of challenges, most important of which was that ringtones have to be formatted for each mobile handset and mobile network.
Thumbplay is breaking through these logjams. It has agreements to deliver ringtones to each mobile operator and has the ability to determine the proper format based on the user’s phone. It also has partnerships with music sites like AOL, MTV, Clear Channel Online, MSN and iLike, so that tracks listed on these sites carry a “buy ringtone” link from Thumbplay.
The new OPEN system allows labels to add that same buy link to any service that doesn’t already have a deal with Thumbplay, including the artist’s own Web site, Twitter and MySpace Page. It also includes a widget creation tool that gives fans the ability to sell their favorite artist’s ringtones from their own blogs and social-networking profiles. Labels can use the OPEN content management and data reporting systems to track ringtone sales across a variety of sites. Thumbplay hopes to add mobile full-track downloads to the OPEN Pro program in a few months.
Thumbplay takes a cut of each sale. And while it sells a la carte ringtones, its primary business model is signing up fans to a monthly $10 subscription plan through which users get credits that can be redeemed for ringtones, games and other mobile content. Labels get the same amount per ringtone whether it’s sold a la carte or downloaded through a subscription.
To enlist the help of labels in growing its subscriber base, the OPEN Pro service pays labels a bounty for each new Thumbplay subscriber acquired through their artists’ widgets.
A&M/Octone tested the service late last year with a campaign for Hollywood Undead. Ringtones for developing artists usually get little attention on carrier-controlled ringtone menus, so Rome Thomas, head of sales and artist development at the label, was looking for a “back door” of sorts to the mobile market. Using Thumbplay’s widget to drive sales from the artist’s site, as well as other social network outlets, was exactly what he needed.
“Thumbplay gives me the opportunity to make an amount of mobile revenue via all of our Web surfaces,” he says. “I’m always looking at how to be more competitive on the mobile side.”
As a result, the campaign saw an 8% conversion rate of those clicking through to the “buy ringtone” link and completing a purchase, about four times the average.
But Thomas says the bounty for new subscribers has proved to be the more interesting opportunity.
“The bounty income was more compelling than the per-unit sales of an a la carte product,” he says. “We’re making a significant, very high dollar amount per acquisition, and we’re also being paid on the back end for each piece of content sold. This affiliate fee was higher than any other affiliate fee that I’ve ever seen from any of our online retailers.”
To date, ringtone sales have focused on mining more revenue out of radio hits. If programs like Thumbplay take off, the faltering format my find some relief in the long tail.
Labels: press
posted by S. Lietz at 12:11 PM
NEW YORK - MAY 11, 2009 - Thumbplay, the #1 mobile entertainment destination in the U.S., today launched Thumbplay OPEN Pro (http://open.thumbplay.com), a first-of-its-kind online marketing tool that makes it effortless for music labels, artist managers and media companies to sell their digital content to millions of mobile customers. By using the tools within the Thumbplay OPEN Pro service, which are free and available for the first time anywhere, content owners have access to more than 230 million mobile customers in the U.S.
From just one interface, users can now manage online and mobile marketing campaigns for multiple artists across multiple websites and they have access to detailed traffic and sales reporting. Moreover, within Thumbplay’s OPEN Pro service, the company has introduced the new Widgetron™ widget maker, an automated tool that allows users to create widgets with custom sizes, colors and playlists with a click of a button. Content owners generate income two ways: content sales and customer referrals.
Thumbplay built OPEN Pro in collaboration with several of its partners to ensure that the service addressed their needs. In particular, Universal’s A&M/Octone Records beta-tested the Widgetron for the Hollywood Undead release “Swan Songs,” which has famously built much of its considerable steam online.
Rome Thomas, Head of Sales & Artist Development for A&M/Octone said: "Wherever a Hollywood Undead fan exists online, we’re there with a number of promotional and commercial offers for the band's growing worldwide community. Thumbplay's OPEN Pro customized widget has given us a channel to better merchandise Hollywood Undead mobile, creating sizeable revenue and adapting our strategy for a number of other A&M/Octone artist mobile campaigns."
Added Are Traasdahl, CEO and Founder of Thumbplay: “With Thumbplay OPEN Pro, we’ve taken Thumbplay’s greatest expertise -- reaching hundreds of millions of mobile customers who are hungry for great entertainment -- and we’ve put it in the hands of every marketing team out there. It is not only extremely easy to use; it saves time, generates money, and ensures that fans have broad and instant access to the content they love. It’s the ultimate Thumbplay win-win.”
-- more --
Page Two of Two: Thumbplay OPEN Pro Launched
Thumbplay OPEN Pro features include:
Dynamic Landing Pages – Add purchase links to websites, emails, Twitter and social profiles in less than five minutes. Create customized pages for every band and every song.
Widgetron™ Widget Maker – Create and manage multiple widgets from a single dashboard; customize playlists, colors, sizes and purchase options, including a-la-carte.
Thumbplay API – Build custom, rich experiences into websites and mobile apps.
Reporting Console – Track and compare every click on purchase links, widgets and campaigns with detailed, daily reports.
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,500 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of mobile entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
ABOUT THUMBPLAY
Thumbplay’s award-winning, direct-to-consumer service features licensed content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment catalog is integrated into Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile sites, as well as iLike.com, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV recently tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site. The recently-launched Thumbplay OPEN provides artists, music labels, developers and Web site publishers the tools to package and sell their own digital media to millions of mobile customers. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital. More information can be found at http://www.thumbplay.com/ or at m.thumbplay.com from a mobile phone.
# # #
From just one interface, users can now manage online and mobile marketing campaigns for multiple artists across multiple websites and they have access to detailed traffic and sales reporting. Moreover, within Thumbplay’s OPEN Pro service, the company has introduced the new Widgetron™ widget maker, an automated tool that allows users to create widgets with custom sizes, colors and playlists with a click of a button. Content owners generate income two ways: content sales and customer referrals.
Thumbplay built OPEN Pro in collaboration with several of its partners to ensure that the service addressed their needs. In particular, Universal’s A&M/Octone Records beta-tested the Widgetron for the Hollywood Undead release “Swan Songs,” which has famously built much of its considerable steam online.
Rome Thomas, Head of Sales & Artist Development for A&M/Octone said: "Wherever a Hollywood Undead fan exists online, we’re there with a number of promotional and commercial offers for the band's growing worldwide community. Thumbplay's OPEN Pro customized widget has given us a channel to better merchandise Hollywood Undead mobile, creating sizeable revenue and adapting our strategy for a number of other A&M/Octone artist mobile campaigns."
Added Are Traasdahl, CEO and Founder of Thumbplay: “With Thumbplay OPEN Pro, we’ve taken Thumbplay’s greatest expertise -- reaching hundreds of millions of mobile customers who are hungry for great entertainment -- and we’ve put it in the hands of every marketing team out there. It is not only extremely easy to use; it saves time, generates money, and ensures that fans have broad and instant access to the content they love. It’s the ultimate Thumbplay win-win.”
-- more --
Page Two of Two: Thumbplay OPEN Pro Launched
Thumbplay OPEN Pro features include:
Dynamic Landing Pages – Add purchase links to websites, emails, Twitter and social profiles in less than five minutes. Create customized pages for every band and every song.
Widgetron™ Widget Maker – Create and manage multiple widgets from a single dashboard; customize playlists, colors, sizes and purchase options, including a-la-carte.
Thumbplay API – Build custom, rich experiences into websites and mobile apps.
Reporting Console – Track and compare every click on purchase links, widgets and campaigns with detailed, daily reports.
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,500 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of mobile entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
ABOUT THUMBPLAY
Thumbplay’s award-winning, direct-to-consumer service features licensed content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment catalog is integrated into Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile sites, as well as iLike.com, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV recently tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site. The recently-launched Thumbplay OPEN provides artists, music labels, developers and Web site publishers the tools to package and sell their own digital media to millions of mobile customers. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital. More information can be found at http://www.thumbplay.com/ or at m.thumbplay.com from a mobile phone.
# # #
Labels: press, press-release
posted by S. Lietz at 7:33 AM
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Spice Things Up With Music From Thumbplay For Cinco De Mayo
-- Festive Mobile Content Brings a Fiesta to Your Phone --
NEW YORK – APRIL 30 – Thumbplay, the #1 mobile entertainment destination in the U.S., is celebrating Cinco de Mayo with a broad selection of party content on this festive holiday. Make your mobile phone the life of the fiesta with downloadable MP3s, graphics, videos and more.
Check out some of the spicy party MP3s and Mexican pride graphics
on Thumbplay.com – the hotspot for all Cinco de Mayo mobile content. It’s a fiesta for your phone! ¡Viva el Cinco de Mayo!
MP3s to get the party started:
- “Quiereme Mas” – Patrulla 81
- “Te Presumo” – Banda El Recodo
- “El Sonidito” – Hechizeros Band
- “Falsetto” – The-Dream
Top Regional Tones:
- “Dame Tu Amor” – Alacranes Musical
- “Fue Su Amor” – Alacranes Musical
- “El Corrido Del Katch” – El Compa Chuy
Fun Tones:
Music Videos:
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,500 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
# # #
Labels: press, press-release
posted by S. Lietz at 10:50 AM
Monday, March 23, 2009
Thumbplay Names Thomas Tracey Vice President, Product
NEW YORK -- March 23, 2009 -- Thumbplay (www.thumbplay.com), the #1 mobile entertainment destination in the U.S., today announced the appointment of Thomas Tracey as Vice President, Product. He reports directly to Evan Schwartz, Thumbplay’s co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer.
Tracey will spearhead the development and introduction of new products, particularly in the area of advanced media such as MP3s and videos. He will also ensure the continued delivery of best-in-class mobile entertainment services for smartphones and mobile devices. Tracey joins Thumbplay from Vindigo, where, as director of product development, he managed a portfolio of cross-carrier and cross-handset mobile applications including MapQuest Mobile, The New York Times, NBC Weather, Vindigo City Guide, MovieGoer and Plaxo.
“Thomas is an accomplished addition to Thumbplay, home to the industry’s best and most innovative team of professionals,” said Are Traasdahl, CEO and Founder of Thumbplay. “He will play an important role as we continue to evolve our products while simultaneously preserving the exceptional entertainment experience our customers have come to expect.”
Tracey will leverage his deep experience in web and mobile product development to further enhance the Thumbplay customer experience across all platforms. Prior to his time at Vindigo, he spent six years in various product development and sales positions with Yesmail, an InfoUSA company, where he was responsible for the strategy, development and support of Yesmail’s online marketing products and services.
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,500 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
About Thumbplay
Thumbplay’s award-winning, direct-to-consumer service features licensed content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment catalog is integrated into Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile sites, as well as iLike.com, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site. Thumbplay OPEN provides independent music and visual artists, application developers and Web site publishers the opportunity to package and sell their own digital media to millions of mobile customers (open.thumbplay.com).
Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital. More information can be found at www.thumbplay.com or at m.thumbplay.com from a mobile phone.
Tracey will spearhead the development and introduction of new products, particularly in the area of advanced media such as MP3s and videos. He will also ensure the continued delivery of best-in-class mobile entertainment services for smartphones and mobile devices. Tracey joins Thumbplay from Vindigo, where, as director of product development, he managed a portfolio of cross-carrier and cross-handset mobile applications including MapQuest Mobile, The New York Times, NBC Weather, Vindigo City Guide, MovieGoer and Plaxo.
“Thomas is an accomplished addition to Thumbplay, home to the industry’s best and most innovative team of professionals,” said Are Traasdahl, CEO and Founder of Thumbplay. “He will play an important role as we continue to evolve our products while simultaneously preserving the exceptional entertainment experience our customers have come to expect.”
Tracey will leverage his deep experience in web and mobile product development to further enhance the Thumbplay customer experience across all platforms. Prior to his time at Vindigo, he spent six years in various product development and sales positions with Yesmail, an InfoUSA company, where he was responsible for the strategy, development and support of Yesmail’s online marketing products and services.
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,500 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
About Thumbplay
Thumbplay’s award-winning, direct-to-consumer service features licensed content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment catalog is integrated into Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile sites, as well as iLike.com, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site. Thumbplay OPEN provides independent music and visual artists, application developers and Web site publishers the opportunity to package and sell their own digital media to millions of mobile customers (open.thumbplay.com).
Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital. More information can be found at www.thumbplay.com or at m.thumbplay.com from a mobile phone.
###
Labels: press-release
posted by S. Lietz at 8:12 AM
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
ARTISTdirect Partners With Thumbplay For Mobile Content Downloads
-- Arrangement Brings Together Two Major Music and Entertainment Ventures --
NEW YORK -- March 17, 2009 -- Thumbplay (www.thumbplay.com), the #1 mobile entertainment destination in the U.S., and ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc. (www.artistdirect.com), the premiere online resource for music and entertainment news and information, announced today their partnership to offer ARTISTdirect.com visitors direct access to Thumbplay’s extensive catalog of mobile content. Links to mobile content, powered by Thumbplay.com, are now available on hundreds of thousands of artist pages throughout the ARTISTdirect site.
With one of the web’s deepest and broadest catalogues of content, covering every genre of music and film, ARTISTdirect.com has established itself among the top online destinations for 24/7 in-depth coverage of entertainment. ARTISTdirect features one of the largest selections of free music content that ranges from over 10,000 music videos and 7 million albums, tracks and samples to millions of artist pages, as well as news that includes behind-the-scenes interviews, reviews and exclusive artist content with everyone from 50 Cent to Bruce Springsteen.
As the 5th largest Entertainment - Music network property on the Internet according to comScore, the ARTISTdirect Network attracts more than 12 million unique visitors per month. ARTISTdirect’s user demographic is characterized as young, net-savvy and extremely mobile--a highly desirable segment among national advertisers.
“This partnership with Thumbplay gives our visitors and fans access to the best and latest mobile content available,” said Dimitri Villard, CEO of ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc. and its parent, ARTISTdirect, Inc. “Thumbplay has been at the forefront of providing first class content and we’re delighted to be in business with them.”
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,000 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
About ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Artist Direct Internet Group (“ADID”) controls some of the Internet’s leading consumer music and entertainment information properties. Its flagship website www.ARTISTdirect.com is the premier destination for all things related to music and film and their artists. Through its rich, multimedia repository of contextually relevant information and entertainment, the company creates deep connections between artists and fans that deliver benefits to both the entertainment consumer and the entertainment industry. ARTISTdirect.com receives over 3 million unique visitors per month while the ARTISTdirect Network, a family of related Web sites, draws more than 12.4 million monthly unique visitors. Featuring the latest hit videos, streams, free downloads, breaking news, in-depth interviews with musicians, actors, filmmakers and film score composers, a huge data base filled with biographies and discographies plus hard-to-find information, as well as CDs, concert and movie tickets for purchase, ARTISTdirect.com is the ultimate resource for anyone with an appetite for finding new and interesting content about their favorite artists and their music and films. ADIG’s other properties include the legendary Ultimate Band List, www.UBL.com, one of the web’s first music properties.
About Artist Direct, Inc.
ARTISTdirect, Inc. (OTC BB ARTD – NEWS) is a publicly-held holding company with two operating subsidiaries: ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc. operates one of the largest destination sites on the Internet for music and motion picture news, information and streaming music. ADIG also operates an ad network that is currently ranked 5 in comScore’s ranking of music sites. MediaDefender, Inc. provides intellectual property protection and business information services to major motion picture studios, record labels, television networks, gaming companies and software publishers and Internet marketing services to advertising agencies and other clients.
About Thumbplay
Thumbplay’s award-winning, direct-to-consumer service features licensed content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment catalog is integrated into Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile sites, as well as iLike.com, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV recently tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site.
The recently-launched Thumbplay Open provides independent music and visual artists, application developers and Web site publishers the opportunity to package and sell their own digital media to millions of mobile customers (open.thumbplay.com).
Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital. More information can be found at www.thumbplay.com or at m.thumbplay.com from a mobile phone.
NEW YORK -- March 17, 2009 -- Thumbplay (www.thumbplay.com), the #1 mobile entertainment destination in the U.S., and ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc. (www.artistdirect.com), the premiere online resource for music and entertainment news and information, announced today their partnership to offer ARTISTdirect.com visitors direct access to Thumbplay’s extensive catalog of mobile content. Links to mobile content, powered by Thumbplay.com, are now available on hundreds of thousands of artist pages throughout the ARTISTdirect site.
With one of the web’s deepest and broadest catalogues of content, covering every genre of music and film, ARTISTdirect.com has established itself among the top online destinations for 24/7 in-depth coverage of entertainment. ARTISTdirect features one of the largest selections of free music content that ranges from over 10,000 music videos and 7 million albums, tracks and samples to millions of artist pages, as well as news that includes behind-the-scenes interviews, reviews and exclusive artist content with everyone from 50 Cent to Bruce Springsteen.
As the 5th largest Entertainment - Music network property on the Internet according to comScore, the ARTISTdirect Network attracts more than 12 million unique visitors per month. ARTISTdirect’s user demographic is characterized as young, net-savvy and extremely mobile--a highly desirable segment among national advertisers.
“This partnership with Thumbplay gives our visitors and fans access to the best and latest mobile content available,” said Dimitri Villard, CEO of ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc. and its parent, ARTISTdirect, Inc. “Thumbplay has been at the forefront of providing first class content and we’re delighted to be in business with them.”
Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library is accessible on more than 2,000 mobile phones among every major carrier in the U.S., reaching more than 230 million U.S. wireless subscribers. The company has maintained and grown its leadership position by delivering an optimal user experience, which includes its live, “24/7/365,” customer service and an unparalleled catalog of entertainment options. Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
About ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Artist Direct Internet Group (“ADID”) controls some of the Internet’s leading consumer music and entertainment information properties. Its flagship website www.ARTISTdirect.com is the premier destination for all things related to music and film and their artists. Through its rich, multimedia repository of contextually relevant information and entertainment, the company creates deep connections between artists and fans that deliver benefits to both the entertainment consumer and the entertainment industry. ARTISTdirect.com receives over 3 million unique visitors per month while the ARTISTdirect Network, a family of related Web sites, draws more than 12.4 million monthly unique visitors. Featuring the latest hit videos, streams, free downloads, breaking news, in-depth interviews with musicians, actors, filmmakers and film score composers, a huge data base filled with biographies and discographies plus hard-to-find information, as well as CDs, concert and movie tickets for purchase, ARTISTdirect.com is the ultimate resource for anyone with an appetite for finding new and interesting content about their favorite artists and their music and films. ADIG’s other properties include the legendary Ultimate Band List, www.UBL.com, one of the web’s first music properties.
About Artist Direct, Inc.
ARTISTdirect, Inc. (OTC BB ARTD – NEWS) is a publicly-held holding company with two operating subsidiaries: ARTISTdirect Internet Group, Inc. operates one of the largest destination sites on the Internet for music and motion picture news, information and streaming music. ADIG also operates an ad network that is currently ranked 5 in comScore’s ranking of music sites. MediaDefender, Inc. provides intellectual property protection and business information services to major motion picture studios, record labels, television networks, gaming companies and software publishers and Internet marketing services to advertising agencies and other clients.
About Thumbplay
Thumbplay’s award-winning, direct-to-consumer service features licensed content from some of the world’s largest entertainment companies, including EMI Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Pictures Television, as well as several independent labels and artists and video game companies. Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment catalog is integrated into Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile sites, as well as iLike.com, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Moreover, based on Thumbplay’s reputation for exceptional customer care and technological innovation, MTV recently tapped the company to power personalization content for the music giant’s mobile content site.
The recently-launched Thumbplay Open provides independent music and visual artists, application developers and Web site publishers the opportunity to package and sell their own digital media to millions of mobile customers (open.thumbplay.com).
Each month, Thumbplay.com gets more than five million unique visitors and its mobile (WAP) site (m.thumbplay.com) receives more than 12 million page views, making it one of the most popular mobile Web sites.
Headquartered in New York City, Thumbplay was founded in September 2004 by Are Traasdahl and Evan Schwartz. It is backed by Bain Capital Ventures, SoftBank Capital, i-Hatch Ventures, Redwood Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Meritech, Brookside Capital Partners and Cross Creek Capital. More information can be found at www.thumbplay.com or at m.thumbplay.com from a mobile phone.
Labels: press-release
posted by S. Lietz at 3:49 PM
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Media at your Thumbtips
This Web site is the one-stop destination for your cell phone. From ringtones and videos to wallpapers and games to MP3s, there is a lot to choose from to customize a cell phone.What sets it apart:There are a host of sites offering digital music downloads, but what differentiates Thumbplay is its comprehensive collection of songs. "We have deals with every major record company, independent labels and artists, as well as game and video content providers," said Susan Lietz, vice president for Corporate Communications of Thumbplay. "And specifically, our selection of full-songs, games and videos is really great - so whatever your tastes are, we've got something for you.
"The site includes Aggie fight songs in the music library, and during the election season the site offered Obama ringtones and videos. It is pretty much up to the imagination to what digital music and videos can be found.Thumbplay has great coverage and works with major mobile carrier services. It reaches out to more than 2,500 models, so in all probability your phone will be covered.
"The moment you enter your mobile number, our service 'recognizes' what type it is and provides specific recommendations for the best media for your handset," Leitz said.The customer service on the Web site is top-notch and available at all times. What's great about the customer service is that instead of being greeted by voice recording machines, you get to speak with real people no matter when you call. Customer service is not restricted to phones; it is accessible by text messages.
One feature of Thumbplay is if you are an independent artist or you invented a ringtone, you can sell it on "Thumbplay Open" and get paid for your work. Signing up is free, and the application provides a platform for amateur artists to sell their work. You can also sell mobile applications you developed on Thumbplay.Another function of the site is the "locker." This automatically stores purchases from Thumbplay on your computer. In case you change your phone or lose it, you always retain all your Thumbplay entertainment.
Price:
Thumbplay does not have individual prices for each service.
Instead, you sign up for an account subscription for $9.99 a month. You earn credits, which you can use for any of the services. New subscribers get bonus credits. For example, a subscription will give you 10 credits a month, an MP3 purchase gives you two credits and a ringtone comes for one credit. This gives you a lot of flexibility in choice and lets you browse the huge range of offered entertainment. The flipside of this subscription is if you want only one song, you end up paying more. Subscriptions can be cancelled anytime.
Conclusion:
Thumbplay is an awesome site for people wanting more applications on their phone. Thumbplay.com is one of the best mobile entertainment sites on the Internet and won an award for "Best Mobile Infotainment Portal" for News/Entertainment in Visiongain's 2008 Mobile Entertainment Awards and Conference in London.
Labels: press
posted by S. Lietz at 8:58 AM
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