Thumbplay News

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.”
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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.

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