Cingular's Mobile Music Studio on MySpace is a free, truly original
platform that lets emerging artists create and market their personalized
wireless content
Australian Indie Garage Rock Darlings, Shifter, to be First Band to Benefit
from Partnership
LAS VEGAS, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- If music truly is the universal
language, then millions of music hopefuls are sure to be talking about the
new Cingular Mobile Music Studio available exclusively on MySpace.
Announced today at CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2006, Cingular's Mobile
Music Studio is a first-of-its-kind platform that offers hundreds of
thousands of unsigned artists and bands on MySpace the tools needed to turn
their self-produced music into ringtones.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060406/CLTH064)
As the leading lifestyle portal and social networking community,
MySpace has more than one million bands and artists using the site to
connect and engage with fans. Together with InfoSpace Inc. (Nasdaq: INSP),
a long-time Cingular partner and a leading provider of mobile content,
Cingular's Mobile Music Studio will help these artists generate even more
exposure and excitement for their music. The Mobile Music Studio is just
one more example of Cingular's leadership in the convergence of wireless
and music.
"Music resonates so powerfully with our young customers, which is why
we are thrilled to offer them exclusive wireless access to the original
tones generated from MySpace artists," said David Garver, executive
director, marketing, Cingular Wireless. "The Mobile Music Studio offers
incredible exposure for these emerging artists, who already have a MySpace
following, by making it possible to have their original music turned into a
ringtone and potentially have it played on the wireless handsets of
millions of Cingular customers nationwide."
"The discovery of emerging artists by our users and the ability for
bands to reach committed fans has always been integral to the MySpace
experience. Now, with more than 68 million members and more than one
million bands, we are exploring new ways for them to connect. The Mobile
Music Studio allows this to happen in a way that seamlessly blends the
online and offline experience -- we're thrilled to be part of the program,"
said Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace.
How the Mobile Music Studio Works
Currently, the Mobile Music Studio is being trialed by approximately 75
unsigned MySpace bands and artists. Through Cingular's Mobile Music Studio,
located on a dedicated page on MySpace, these unsigned artists will first
be guided through the licensing and production process led by InfoSpace.
"All bands and artists have access to web distribution, especially with
communities like MySpace," said Stephen Davis, InfoSpace President of
Mobile and Online Media. "What is most significant about this announcement
is that Cingular's Mobile Music studio on MySpace provides the natural
extension to mobile for some of the best musicians to further showcase
their talents."
Once all licensing has been completed, the artists will then be able to
upload a short track of their original song, via an audio file, at which
time the music content is screened to ensure content is indeed original and
appropriate. Upon successful review, the audio file is converted by
InfoSpace into a 30-second ringtone. The artists will then be provided a
link so their tones can be posted for audio preview and sold on their
existing MySpace profile pages. Additionally, Cingular will give these
unsigned artists the opportunity to market their ringtone on MySpace. These
exclusive ringtones will only be available for download by Cingular
customers on Cingular phones.
Mobile Music Studio in Action
The first unsigned band to participate in the Mobile Music Studio trial
is Shifter, an up-and-coming rock band from Australia currently breaking in
to the U.S. marketplace. Currently using their MySpace profile page to
promote their five-song CD, titled "Shifter," the band hopes to extend its
fan reach by leveraging Cingular's Mobile Music Studio.
"This is a huge opportunity for us, and we're really excited to be the
first MySpace artist actually using Cingular's Mobile Music Studio to
create a ringtone of our song, 'Butter,'" said Michael Nason, lead singer
of Shifter. "It's just really cool to think about millions of people
potentially purchasing and downloading your music as a ringtone. We're
always looking for new, creative ways to get more exposure for our music,
particularly in the U.S. Releasing a ringtone through Cingular and MySpace
is a great way to make this happen."
Digital content from Shifter's self titled debut CD is available now on
Boar Records/spinArt Records.
Cingular, MySpace and InfoSpace expect to roll out the Mobile Music
Studio nationally later this spring. For more information, visit
http://www.myspace.com/cingularstudio
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States,
serving 54.1 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T
Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., (NYSE: T), and BellSouth
Corporation (NYSE: BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in
the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile
community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third
generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely
available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet
Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer
Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused
monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at
http://www.cingular.com. Get Cingular Wireless press releases e- mailed to
you automatically. Sign up at http://cingular.mediaroom.com.
About MySpace.com
MySpace is the premier lifestyle portal for connecting with friends and
discovering popular culture. By integrating web profiles, blogs, instant
messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries,
classified listings, events, groups, college communities and user forums,
MySpace has created a connected community. As the second ranked web domain
in terms of page views*, MySpace.com is the most widely-used and highly
regarded site of its kind. With more than 68 million members, MySpace is
committed to providing the highest quality user experience and will
continue to innovate with new features that allow its users to express
their creativity and share their lives, both online and off.
* Among the top 2000 domains. comScore Media Metrix, February 2006. For
more information on comScore Networks, please go to
http://www.comscore.com.
About InfoSpace
InfoSpace, Inc. (Nasdaq: INSP) drives mobile media innovation. With one
of the world's largest mobile content libraries, InfoSpace makes it easy
for consumers to discover, personalize and enjoy their on-the-go
experiences. The company uses its superior discovery, merchandising and
technology capabilities to help facilitate the delivery of original and
licensed content across hundreds of mobile devices and through multiple
channels. InfoSpace also mobilizes brands and creates programming and
revenue opportunities for mobile operators. The company's products and
services have extensive reach in North America and Europe through carriers
such as Cingular Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and
Virgin Mobile; in partnership with world-class brands such as Cablevision
and Fox News; and through online Web sites such as Dogpile (Dogpile.com),
which showcase the company's leading metasearch technology and key
advertising partnerships with companies like Google, Yahoo!, Verizon
SuperPages and Yellowpages.com. More information can be found at
http://www.infospaceinc.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements regarding Cingular's
Mobile Music Studio on MySpace. These forward-looking statements are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those projected. These statements are not
guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks,
uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Factors that
could affect InfoSpace's actual results include the scope and timing of
market acceptance of the features of Cingular's Mobile Music Studio on
MySpace. A more detailed description of certain factors that could affect
actual results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in
InfoSpace's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on
Form 10-Q as filed from time to time, in the section entitled "Factors
Affecting Our Operating Results, Business Prospects and Market Price of
Stock." Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
release. InfoSpace undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-
looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances
after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events.
SOURCE Cingular Wireless
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