Thumbplay News

Monday, September 8, 2008

Thumbplay launches Open Marketplace for Mobile Content

Through Thumbplay Open, Anyone Can Package and Sell Digital Media, Reach 230 Million+ Mobile Customers Across All Major Carriers

NEW YORK – September 8, 2008 – Thumbplay® (http://www.thumbplay.com/), the #1 mobile entertainment destination in the U.S.*, has launched the Beta version of Thumbplay Open (open.thumbplay.com). Through Thumbplay Open, independent content owners can effortlessly upload, manage and sell digital content to an audience of more than 230 million mobile customers in the U.S. The service is live now and was announced today.

Thumbplay Open serves two distinct communities. First, independent music and visual artists now have the ability to generate income by packaging and selling their own digital media to millions of mobile customers. Second, site publishers and application developers can sell mobile downloads from any Web site, application or widget. In both cases, users generate income from every new subscriber that comes into the Thumbplay service, $5 - $8 per new subscriber. The service will expand to include games, mobile applications, videos and full-track downloads.

ARTISTS: The process for independent artists to begin making money from their content is just three steps and takes only minutes. After uploading their content, artists can see their unique artist page appear on the Thumbplay Web and WAP sites within minutes. Their content is then available for sale to the millions of visitors to Thumbplay’s sites and through Thumbplay’s 300+ partner sites. The company’s major partners include Clear Channel Radio, AOL and MSN Mobile, as well as iLike.com. All content delivery occurs over-the-air to more than 2,000 unique handset profiles across all major U.S. carriers.

Artists are also given access to a number of promotional tools, such as customized widget creation. They can hand-select content, personal images and even preferred colors and buttons for their widgets, reaching millions of new fans through social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, blogs and Web sites. For offline promotion, artists have the ability to promote their content through the Thumbplay GET program. GET allows fans to text “GET,” plus the artist’ name (e.g., “GET TAY ZONDAY”), to 84862 (THUMB) and download the content directly to their phone.

Best of all, fans receive all the benefits of Thumbplay’s impeccable customer service while enjoying a purchasing experience they know and trust. There are no limits to the amount of content an artist can contribute.

Artists who participated in early Alpha testing of Thumbplay Open have experienced notable success. One example includes the internet phenom Tay Zonday. Within a few months, Zonday’s earnings from the program topped $10,000.

DEVELOPERS AND SITE PUBLISHERS: Web site developers and publishers now have the opportunity to add mobile downloads to any site, application or widget. They can access APIs and feeds for rich integration, while increasing their page views and return visits. Unique tracking parameters for URLs and API keys can be accessed in less than five minutes and generate additional revenue on a same-day basis.

"Thumbplay’s rich tradition of innovation continues with this very significant Beta launch," said Are Traasdahl, CEO and founder of Thumbplay. "With Thumbplay Open, we’re now seeing a true realization of the promise of the Web and mobile for distribution of digital content. Even in Beta, it is so easy to use that I am confident it will be the standard-bearer for developers and content creators everywhere. We’ve taken care of everything on the technology side and created a platform that allows users to do what they do best -- create and market."

Thumbplay respects and honors the rights of copyright owners. Accordingly, Thumbplay utilizes best-in-class methods available to prevent copyright infringement, such as the state-of-the-art Audible Magic®. Additionally, Thumbplay is fully compliant with all Digital Millennium Copyright Act takedown procedures.

Featuring music, videos, games and more, Thumbplay’s extensive and ever-growing entertainment library currently consists of more than 100,000 pieces of licensed content. Their award-winning direct-to-consumer service is accessible on more than 2,000 devices among every major carrier in the U.S.

The company has maintained and grown its leadership position in the industry by providing its consumers with the best possible customer experience, including live, “24/7/365” customer service and a commitment to delivering the largest catalog of entertainment possible. Thumbplay’s “locker” service also allows users to automatically back-up and store purchased items.

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, Inc. is defining the mobile entertainment experience for U.S. consumers. As the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination, Thumbplay gives consumers access to the broadest and deepest catalog in the industry, spanning audio, video and gaming content from the leading music labels and artists, game publishers and media companies. Its innovative delivery and marketing platform makes it easy for users to discover, manage, store and share mobile content online and on their wireless devices.

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-release