Thumbplay 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. 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.
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 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