14 DAY TRIAL // ShoZu Inc. has announced its agreement with Atlantic Records that will make aggressive use of the mobile channel to advance the label's street market efforts. According to the agreement, several select brands will be equipped with ShoZu enabled camera phones that will allow the one-click uploading of photos or video clips for distribution to artists and fan sites.
The performing artists equipped with Shozu-enabled mobile phones will be able to capture and upload backstage proceedings, rehearsals, warm-ups and various other content that will help them keep in touch with their fans. The content can be posted on either the artist's websites or on fan sites, sent to MySpace pages, posted on blogs, forwarded to YouTube and more. The artists will also be able to receive fans' comments and reply to them from their handsets that are using ShoZu's two-way messaging capabilities.
"Camera phones open up broad new opportunities to connect performers and fans, from uploading and downloading of promotional content to mobile advertising that can sell music, ringtones, wallpaper and concert tickets from the handset, but the main barrier to date has been ease of use," said Jen Grenz, Global Partner Marketing Director for ShoZu. "This agreement with Atlantic Records showcases the benefits of our technology and paves the way for establishing ShoZu as the mobile-enabling provider of choice for the music industry."
The agreement with Atlantic Records is a follow-up to the label's success in using ShoZu-enabled phones to send footage of the New Year's Eve concert to YouTube.
"The New Year's Eve Countdown was a milestone in mobile music promotion, but it was a one-time event. This agreement will enable our artists to share video and photos with their fans in a unique and more urgent way. In addition to providing bands the opportunity to deliver a steady stream of content to both phones and other online sources, it provides a framework for community," said Livia Tortella, General Manager and EVP of Marketing and Creative Media, Atlantic Records.