Thumbplay News

NEW YORK – November 20, 2008 – Thumbplay OPEN, which launched in Beta in September 2008, already has thousands of developers and independent artists on board. Today, the company announced the launch of the Thumbplay OPEN online reporting system as well as a “Top 10 Charts” API.

Through the fully-automated Thumbplay OPEN service, anyone – from bloggers, bands and beat makers, to Web developers, marketers and business development executives – can sell digital content to the more than 230 million mobile customers in the U.S. Both independent artists and site publishers/Web developers generate income through OPEN, ranging from $5 - $8 per new Thumbplay subscriber. Artists also receive 50 cents each time their content is downloaded.

Thumbplay OPEN’s new marketing dashboard allows all members to track every click, subscription referral and content download from their Web sites, widgets and social profiles. OPEN developers can now employ Thumbplay’s dynamic landing pages (click HERE for sample landing page), and they can access detailed click-through tracking information, allowing them to test and measure the impact of online marketing campaigns.
In addition to the online reporting system, the service now also offers a “Top 10 Charts” API for developers. This provides an automated way to showcase the “Top 10” music, graphics, videos and games directly from any Web site, mobile site, widget or mobile application.

“It is very gratifying to see the enthusiastic support of our OPEN service by so many developers, business partners and independent artists,” said Are Traasdahl, CEO and Founder of Thumbplay. “I believe the enhancements we launched today make it an even greater service.

In particular, the daily reporting tools provide a great way for all OPEN members to assess their marketing efforts, vital in today’s competitive business climate. And, by being fully-automated, we are able to effortlessly continue to expand our offerings and meet the growing demand for the service.”

HOW THUMBPLAY OPEN WORKS:
ARTISTS – In just minutes, independent music and visual artists can begin selling their content. There is no charge to the artists for the service and artists retain all rights to their content. After uploading music and images, artists can see their unique artist page appear on the Thumbplay Web and mobile sites.

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. Click HERE to see the artist’s demo video. For more information, send a blank e-mail to: artists@thumbplay.com.

DEVELOPERS AND SITE PUBLISHERS -- Web site developers and publishers are able to add mobile downloads to any site, application or widget. They can access the Thumbplay API for rich Web and mobile integrations, 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. For more information, please send a blank e-mail to devs@thumbplay.com.

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.

Labels: press-release