Thumbplay News

Thumbplay Wins 2008 Meffys "Off Deck Services" Award

2008-05-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Recognized as most effective direct-to-consumer service in the world

NEW YORK – May 9, 2008 – At the fifth annual Meffys awards gala held last night, Thumbplay®, the #1 mobile entertainment content service in the U.S.*, was named winner of the 2008 Meffys Award for "Off Deck Services." The award was accepted by Thumbplay’s CEO and founder, Are Traasdahl, at a special gala dinner in Cannes, France during the Mobile Entertainment Forum’s official annual event, Mobile Entertainment Market (MeM) 2008.

Now in their fifth year, the Meffys, which are held in association with Nokia, are judged by national media and leading trade journalists and analysts, and have developed a reputation as the industry’s most fiercely contested prizes. As the industry’s official benchmark for measuring success and rewarding innovative products and services that are entertaining consumers on the go, the Meffys recognize and honor the most influential mobile entertainment players from around the world. Over the years, the industry’s most coveted awards have recognized the global brands, dynamic start-ups and visionary individuals who have helped shape the mobile entertainment industry.

For the "Off Deck Services" category, judges were asked to look for services that created added value and choice for consumers. Criteria included those services which have extended choice for mobile consumers, proven high consumer awareness and adoption and demonstrated both the increasing success of the mobile entertainment industry and evidence of return usage by consumers. This award category was introduced this year in recognition of the industry’s efforts to offer consumers value for money and easy access to a wide choice of mobile entertainment.

"The global diversity of our competition in this category clearly proves that the global mobile entertainment industry is maturing," said Traasdahl. "In a year that saw a record number of entries representing 21 countries, we are most honored to be recognized as the most effective direct-to-consumer mobile entertainment service in the world for our efforts to keep U.S. consumers entertained."

"A focus on discoverability, interactivity, usability and affordability were the common strands shared by this year’s winners," said Rimma Perelmuter, MEF Executive Director. " Above all, the companies selected by the Meffys judges clearly focused on putting the consumer first; attracting and entertaining subscribers though a variety of appealing offerings including innovative new ad-supported, communities and subscription-based models."

With more than 80,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content under license, including ringtones, wallpapers, games, videos, voice tones and text-based services, Thumbplay has built a strong consumer following and gained broad recognition as a leader in the direct-to-consumer mobile content space. During the last quarter of 2007, Thumbplay announced deals to integrate its mobile entertainment content catalog into the Web and mobile portals of AOL and MSN Mobile, as well as iLike, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services.

Earlier this year, Thumbplay signed a digital distribution agreement to add content from Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s artists to Thumbplay’s already diverse mobile entertainment catalog, as well as to roll out mobile content stores on the Web sites for Entertainment Tonight, A&E Network, The History Channel and The Biography Channel, as well as more than 650 of Clear Channel Radio’s local music, news and sports stations throughout the U.S.

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Business Week - Bypassing Carriers for Mobile Content

2008-04-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Sales of ringtones and games through phone makers and the Web are way up, another sign service providers are losing their grip on the industry.

by Olga Kharif

(excerpt)
... the emergence of vendors such as Thumbplay is just the latest indication that wireless carriers are losing their grip on the industry. The field has gotten crowded in the past year with upstarts like Apple (AAPL), which gets a big slice of the monthly revenue charged by companies that carry its iPhone, and Google (GOOG), which came out with a system that makes it easier for indie developers to create and profit from tools, games, and other wireless applications. The Federal Communications Commission has done its part to foster competition by requiring winners of the most recent auction of wireless airwaves to open their networks to rivals' handsets and applications.

Thumbplay and other content providers are capitalizing on the proliferation of mobile browsers and handsets equipped with Wi-Fi connections. Carriers can no longer act as the sole gatekeepers that determine what services a customer can download onto a phone.

read entire article here

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bNetTV.com - bNet Interviews Thumbplay's Evan Schwartz at CTIA

2008-04-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

View bNet's interview with Evan Schwartz here.

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Clear Channel Radio Tunes Into Thumbplay To Offer Mobile Entertainment Content On Stations' Web Sites

2008-03-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Largest Radio Company Adds Mobile Content to Boost Local Sites

NEW YORK – March 24, 2008 – Thumbplay®, the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content service in the U.S. (Nielsen Mobile, Q3 and Q4 2007), today announced a relationship with Clear Channel Radio to roll out customized mobile content stores across more than 650 of its local music stations’ Web sites, plus several more news and sports stations, throughout 2008.

Thumbplay’s content is contextually featured in areas including the ‘Just Played’ box and ‘Top 20 On Demand’ lists on all participating local radio stations’ home pages. In addition, links to the mobile content store are found in the ‘Last 10 Played’ playlist on each site. This enables listeners who like songs heard on these stations to purchase them as ringtones for more than 2,000 supported handsets across all major U.S. wireless carriers.

Thumbplay’s mobile content stores have already launched on more than 100 stations’ Web sites across the country, including those in such large metropolitan markets as Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Boston, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Houston. Among the first stations to launch the new mobile content stores are KIIS-FM 102.7 (www.kiisfm.com), Los Angeles’ #1 hit music station (Contemporary Hit Radio), WJRR-FM Real Rock 101 (www.wjrr.com) in Orlando (Rock) and WGCI-FM 107.5 (www.wgci.com), Chicago’s #1 station for Hip-Hop and R&B (Urban).

As part of the integration, each radio station site will host a customized store featuring format-appropriate mobile content. Thumbplay also developed a customizable widget allowing DJs at each station to choose their favorite ringtones and update those selections themselves online.

“Many of our listeners first discover their favorite songs on radio,” said Larry Linietsky, Vice President of Business & Product Development for Clear Channel Online Music & Radio. “We can now connect the dots by delivering a broad selection of mobile content, including exclusive station-created ringtones and graphics, right to our listeners via our stations’ websites.”

“For radio stations, the discovery of relevant mobile content, whether ringtones or music videos, is a natural extension of the listener experience,” said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay’s CEO and founder. “Thumbplay gives radio stations and their personalities the ability to sell mobile content and to quickly tap into new revenue while requiring minimal resources for implementation.”

With more than 80,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content under license, including ringtones, wallpapers, games, videos, voice tones and text-based services, Thumbplay has built a strong consumer following and gained broad recognition as a leader in the direct-to-consumer mobile content space.

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 www.thumbplay.com.

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VC TechNews - Thumbplay gets a payday

2008-03-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

by Clifford Carlsen

Mobile content publisher Thumbplay Inc. said Monday, March 17, it picked up a pair of late-stage crossover investors and $18 million in expansion capital in a fifth investment round that brings total equity investment in the four-year-old company to $54 million.

New York-based Thumbplay landed Brookside Capital Inc. of Boston and Cross Creek Capital of Salt Lake City as lead investors in the deal, joining previous venture investors i-Hatch Ventures and Redwood Partners LLC, both of New York; Softbank Capital of Boston; Bain Capital Ventures of New York; Meritech Capital Partners of Palo Alto, Calif.; and New Enterprise Associates of Baltimore.

The transaction is aimed at firms specializing in deals positioned as mezzanine rounds prior to a public offering, and Thumbplay founder and CEO Are Traasdahl said the company put word out in mid-February that it was looking for money and had several term sheets to choose from before closing on Feb. 28.

Brookside is the private equity arm of Bain Capital, whose venture arm led Thumbplay's $10 million third round in October 2006. Cross Creek, which is the private equity affiliate of money management firm Wasatch Advisors, was introduced to the deal by NEA. Traasdahl would not disclose a valuation for the new investment, but said the round was oversubscribed and that it came at a healthy premium in pricing on the company's $17.5 million round led by Meritech and NEA in May 2007.

"We were specifically looking for public market investors and crossover funds, and there was a lot of excitement among investors that allowed us to close it in 10 days," Traasdahl said. "The high quality of our new investors is very significant, since both typically invest in companies which offer opportunities to realize substantial long-term capital appreciation."

Greg Bohlen, a managing director of Cross Creek, said the firm only invests in deals it expects will be the final round before an exit, though he said the firm is successful in that goal about half the time. But he said the firm was attracted by Thumbplay's revenue growth and potential to remain an independent company.

"The growth rate of the company is pure evidence they have a good model, and it looks like they could be a very good public company," Bohlen said. "It is clear that more and more stuff is being done on cell phones all the time, and becoming more attractive for multiple uses. We see them as being ubiquitous devices."

Eric Hippeau, a managing partner with SoftBank, said Thumbplay has evolved with the market while claiming the largest market share as a seller of multiple forms of mobile content, including games, ringtones, music, wallpapers, videos, voice tones and text-based services. The company was recently adjudged the market leader in non-carrier revenues by research firm A.C. Nielsen & Co. in its Mobile Content Storefront Revenue report covering the third and fourth quarters for 2007.

"They have grown tremendously and are clearly the market leader, and this is a classic expansion round from classic late-stage investors, Hippeau said. "They are twice the size of their nearest competitor, and what they are developing is continuing to grow as they build a catalog of licensed content and community of users."

Traasdahl said the company will continue to license content from third-party developers, as well as acquire content and partners, and he said the largest focus of the current funding will be on inorganic growth. He said the company will look at all manner of potential acquisitions, while noting that the most likely deals would be for publishers with similar business models operating in new geographic markets.

Traasdahl said the company is poised to take the Thumbplay brand global, and he said any overseas acquisitions likely would transition to operate under the Thumbplay name.

Thumbplay used no outside adviser for the new round, and the company had legal work on the deal from Christian Porwoll in the New York headquarters of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. Alan Bell of Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Salt Lake City represented investors.

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Thumbplay Raises $18 Million In New Funding

2008-03-16T21:14:00.000-07:00

Funding to Accelerate Growth, Extension of Product Offering and International Expansion

NEW YORK – March 17, 2008 – Thumbplay® (www.thumbplay.com), the #1 mobile entertainment content service in the U.S.*, today announced that it has raised $18 million in new capital through a Series E round that was led by Brookside Capital Partners, the public equity affiliate of Bain Capital, and Cross Creek Capital, a private equity affiliate of Wasatch Advisors.

"The high quality of our new investors is very significant, since both typically invest in companies which offer opportunities to realize substantial long-term capital appreciation," said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay's CEO and founder. "This is a testament to Thumbplay's ongoing success."

Thumbplay plans to use the new capital to expand its direct-to-consumer product offerings, in addition to further developing the tools it provides content owners, creators, publishers and brand marketers. The company also plans to accelerate its strategic growth plans and to expand internationally in 2008 to meet the growing demand for mobile entertainment content around the world, including the possibility of identifying potential acquisitions that will help advance its leadership position in the worldwide mobile content industry.

“Thumbplay’s unique off-deck model for selling a wide variety of mobile entertainment content to consumers has already proven to be very successful here in the U.S. and we’re now ready to extend the positive customer experience we already deliver to the millions of mobile consumers all around the world,” added Traasdahl.

With more than 80,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content under license, including ringtones, wallpapers, games, videos, voice tones and text-based services, Thumbplay has built a strong consumer following and gained broad recognition as a leader in the direct-to-consumer mobile content space.

During the last quarter of 2007, Thumbplay announced deals to integrate its mobile entertainment content catalog into the Web and mobile portals of AOL and MSN Mobile, as well as iLike, one of the Web’s leading social music discovery services. Earlier this year, Thumbplay signed a digital distribution agreement to add content from Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s artists to Thumbplay’s already diverse mobile entertainment content catalog.

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 www.thumbplay.com.

About Brookside Capital Partners & Bain Capital
Brookside Capital Partners is an investment fund affiliated with Bain Capital (http://www.baincapital.com), a leading global private investment firm with approximately $60 billion in assets under management. Formed in 1996, Brookside invests across a broad spectrum of industries including media and telecom, healthcare, consumer, industrial and financial services. Each investment is based on fundamental analysis of the company's business by professionals who are sector focused. Headquartered in Boston, Bain Capital has offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, London, and Munich.

About Wasatch Advisors®
Founded in 1975, Salt Lake City based Wasatch Advisors is an employee-owned investment adviser with roughly $7 billion under management. Wasatch Advisors is the investment adviser to Wasatch Funds®, a family of no-load mutual funds, as well as separately managed institutional and individual portfolios. Wasatch Advisors pursues a disciplined approach to investing, focused on bottom-up, fundamental analysis vetted through a uniquely collaborative Multiple Eyes™ process to leverage the knowledge and skill of the entire Wasatch Advisors research team.

About Cross Creek Capital®
Wasatch Advisors’ private equity affiliate, Cross Creek Capital, is a venture capital fund focused on late-stage private equity investments in what it believes are the best-of-breed public companies of the future. Wasatch Advisors’ experience in evaluating small public companies gives it unique insight into evaluating late-stage private companies. Cross Creek Capital leverages the knowledge and skill of the broader Wasatch Advisors research team in its investment decisions.

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Fierce Mobile Content - Thumbplay Inks Content Deal with Sony BMG

2008-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

Mobile entertainment portal Thumbplay announced a new digital distribution agreement with Sony BMG Music to add more than 7,000 pieces of content including ringtones, music videos, wallpapers, voice clips and mobile games. Sony BMG's artist roster includes Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé--Thumbplay will also issue an exclusive ringtone celebrating the 25th anniversary of the label's flagship catalog title, Michael Jackson's landmark Thriller. "The popular artists signed with Sony BMG's labels are a compelling addition to the Thumbplay catalog," said Thumbplay CEO and founder Are Traasdahl ...

read more

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Billboard.biz - Thumbplay Inks Distribution Deal With Sony BMG

2008-02-21T08:35:00.000-08:00

Mobile entertainment Web site Thumbplay has signed a distribution deal with Sony BMG Music Entertainment for ringtones, music videos and other mobile content from Sony artists.

The Sony deal, announced today (Feb. 21), will add 7,000 pieces of music-related content to Thumbplay’s library of more than 80,000 pieces of ringtones, wallpaper, games, videos, voice tones and other mobile content. Thumbplay already has distribution and licensing deals with EMI and Universal Music group.

“The popular artists signed with Sony BMG’s labels are a compelling addition to the Thumbplay catalog,” Thumbplay CEO/founder Are Traasdahl said. “This deal reinforces Thumbplay’s position as the leading U.S. provider of mobile content to consumers who are looking to discover and manage their personalized mobile entertainment experience.”

read more

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LA-Story.com - Tech Talk: Thumbplay & Sony Team Up for Killer Song Collections!

2008-02-21T08:26:00.000-08:00

They have inked a deal that allows Thumbplay the digital distribution rights to the Sony BMG Music library which gives Thumbplay an amazing advantage and a slew of new music to download to your mobile devices!

Thumbplay now has licensing & distribution deals with three of the four major recording lables: Sony, BMG, EMI & Universal Music Group. Thumbplay’s more than 4 million unique consumers will be able to access ringtones, music videos, wallpaper, voice clips and mobile games from SONY BMG’s extensive artist rosters, which include some of the greatest superstars of today, as well as some of the most important and influential recordings in history.

read more

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Thumbplay Adds Sony BMG Content - Mobile Entertainment

2008-02-21T08:24:00.000-08:00

New deal gives D2C specialist access to 7,000 pieces of licensed content.

It means Thumplay now has agreements in place with three of the four major labels (EMI and Universal are the other two).

Thumbplay is marking the deal by offering an exclusive Billie Jean ringtone to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's Thriller album.

read more
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CMJ.com - Thumbplay, Sony Strike Mobile Content Deal

2008-02-21T08:22:00.000-08:00

Mobile entertainment content company Thumbplay has teamed with record label giant Sony BMG Music Entertainment to offer more than 7,000 of Sony's releases for mobile device use. This new digital distribution agreement will allow Thumbplay to offer ringtones, music videos, wallpaper, voice clips and mobile games based on Sony's vast collection of current artists and back catalog hits.

"We had been circling each other for some time but never quite able to come to terms. I think our recent partnerships with AOL, MSN, iLike and other social & music discovery services presented a new and exciting sales channel," says Mitch Rotter, vice president of content acquisitions and merchandising. "I also think over the past six months or so Thumbplay has established ourself as the clear market leader and it made sense for Sony BMG to offer their content to our subscribers and it made sense for Thumbplay to forge ahead to offer that content."

read more

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RCR Wireless News - Thumbplay hitches agreement with Sony BMG

2008-02-21T07:58:00.000-08:00

Mobile entertainment firm Thumbplay Inc. will bulk up its content portfolio thanks to a new pact with Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

The New York-based, direct-to-consumer aggregator said it will add 7,000 goodies including ringtones, music videos, voice clips and mobile games from Sony BMG’s stable of artists. Sony BMG subsidiaries include Arista Records, Columbia Records, Epic Records and RCA Records, and the umbrella corporation boasts talent such as Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen.

read more

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Silicon Alley Insider - Thumbplay Signs Distribution Deal With Sony

2008-02-21T07:47:00.000-08:00

NY mobile content firm Thumbplay has inked a distribution deal with Sony BMG, including ringtones, music videos, wallpaper, mobile games, etc. To celebrate, the companies are promoting a Thumbplay-exclusive ringtone: The intro to Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

Thumbplay now has deals with three of the four major record labels: Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal Music Group.

View Here

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Thumbplay & Sony BMG Music Entertainment Ink New Mobile and Digital Distribution Deal

2008-02-21T06:21:00.000-08:00

Deal Makes Ringtones, Music Videos and More from Major Record LabelAvailable on More Than 2,000 Wireless Handsets and Devices

NEW YORK – February 21, 2008 – Thumbplay® (www.thumbplay.com), the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination in the U.S. (Nielsen Mobile, Q3 and Q4 2007), today announced it has signed a new digital distribution agreement with SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, one of the world's leading global music companies, to add more than 7,000 pieces of content from SONY BMG’s artists to Thumbplay’s already diverse mobile entertainment content catalog.

Through this relationship, Thumbplay’s more than 4 million unique consumers will be able to access ringtones, music videos, wallpaper, voice clips and mobile games from SONY BMG’s extensive artist rosters, which include some of the greatest superstars of today, as well as some of the most important and influential recordings in history.

“The popular artists signed with SONY BMG’s labels are a compelling addition to the Thumbplay catalog,” said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay’s CEO and founder. “This deal reinforces Thumbplay’s position as the leading U.S. provider of mobile content to consumers who are looking to discover and manage their personalized mobile entertainment experience.”

With more than 80,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content under license, including ringtones, wallpapers, games, videos, voice tones and text-based services, Thumbplay has built a strong consumer following and gained broad recognition as a leader in the direct-to-consumer mobile content space. During the last quarter of 2007, Thumbplay announced deals to integrate its mobile entertainment content catalog into the Web and mobile portals of AOL and MSN Mobile, as well as iLike and Qloud, two of the Web’s leading social music discovery services.

About SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is a global recorded music joint venture with a roster of current artists that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT is 50% owned by Bertelsmann A.G. and 50% owned by Sony Corporation of America.

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 and Meritech. More information can be found at www.thumbplay.com.

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NBC - Thumbplay on NBC

2008-02-12T12:24:00.000-08:00

Thumbplay got some live coverage a couple of days ago on Channel WRC-NBC in Washington, DC. Click the video clip to check it out!

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Thumbplay Selected by Alwayson as Onmedia Top 100 Winner

2008-01-22T16:52:00.000-08:00

Recognized for game-changing strategies in advertising, marketing, and promotion of mobile entertainment content to U.S. consumers

NEW YORK, January 22, 2008– Thumbplay® (www.thumbplay.com), the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination in the U.S. (Nielsen Mobile, Q3 2007), today announced that it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the OnMedia 100 winners. The OnMedia 100 signifies the top emerging technology companies that are creating new business opportunities in the creation of marketing tools, services, venues, and advertising, branding, and public relation campaigns. Thumbplay was specially selected as one of the top digital media, marketing, and advertising companies by the AlwaysOn editorial team and other industry experts spanning the globe, based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz.

Thumbplay and the other OnMedia 100 Top Private Companies will be honored at the OnMedia conference scheduled to occur on January 28-30, 2008 at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City. This two-and-a-half day executive event will feature technology CEOs from Silicon Valley leading presentations and high-level debates with the global advertising and media establishment, about disrupting user behavior and creating new opportunities in the worlds of media, advertising, marketing, branding, and public relations.

Fifty of the top CEOs from the OnMedia 100, including Thumbplay's CEO and founder, Are Traasdahl, will present their market strategies to a panel of industry experts in a "CEO Showcase."

"The OnMedia 100 winners have excelled in key strategic areas in the advertising, marketing, public relations, and promotion industry," said Tony Perkins, founder and CEO of AlwaysOn. "We congratulate them for their success in introducing new tools, services, and venues for marketers to have at their fingertips and for use to take their business to the next level in innovation."

The OnMedia 100 was selected from over hundreds of companies, nominated by a panel of industry experts in the online ad service, technology, community platform, mobile advertising, marketing, and Web analytic sectors from around the world.

With more than 75,000 pieces of mobile entertainment content under license, including ringtones, wallpapers, games, videos, voice tones and text-based services, Thumbplay has built a strong consumer following and gained broad recognition as a leader in the direct-to-consumer mobile content space. During the last quarter of 2007, Thumbplay announced deals to integrate its mobile entertainment content catalog into the Web and mobile portals of AOL and MSN Mobile, as well as iLike and Qloud, two of the Web's leading social music discovery services.

A full list of all the OnMedia 100 winners can be found on the AlwaysOn Web site at http://www.alwayson.goingon.com.

"We're pleased that Thumbplay's extremely successful model for the direct-to-consumer marketing of mobile entertainment content has been recognized by AlwaysOn," said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay's CEO and founder. "I share this award with the rest of our management team, which has leveraged its track record of building significant businesses in mobile, online, media and technology sectors to provide millions of U.S. consumers with the best available mobile entertainment content discovery experience."

About AlwaysOn
AlwaysOn ignited the open-media revolution in early 2003 by being the first media brand to launch a community blog network. In 2004, AlwaysOn continued to lead the industry in innovation by engaging its bloggers in a social network. AlwaysOn is also revolutionizing the media business by applying its open-media principles to its executive event series (OnMedia NYC, Venture Summit East and West, OnHollywood, The Broadband Digital, Stanford Summit, and GoingGreen) and quarterly print "blogozine". No other media brand has dared to create such open interaction with its readers and event participants.

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.

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Switched.com (AOL News) - Top Ringtone Downloads In 2008 (to Date)

2008-01-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

By Will Safer for Switched.com

The early results are in. No, not for the next presidential primary. It's Thumplay's list of the top mobile phone ringtone downloads thus far for 2008. At $2.99 a pop is it worth it to you? Give them a listen and decide for yourself.

read more

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Mobile Marketer - Off-deck market, ease-of-use will drive mobile content

2008-01-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

By Lauren Mooney for Mobile Marketer

The key to mobile content’s growth in 2008 lies in the consumer experience. WAP sites will have to mirror Web sites in their functionality and content offered on mobile should match online.

Evan Schwartz, chief marketing officer of Thumbplay, a leading mobile content provider, is gung-ho about the future of content consumed on the phone. Mobile Marketer’s Lauren Mooney interviewed Mr. Schwartz.

Excerpts:
What is the key trend in mobile content in 2008?

A shift to more sophisticated content-like video. Thumbplay is excited, especially with the new hand-sets out on the market. Also, expanded content, longer tail. The key to expanding the market is to make it simple.

read full PDF here (p. 40)

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New Communications Review - Thumbplay Brings Ringtones to Qloud

2008-01-06T08:46:00.000-08:00

by Cindy Davis for New Communications Review

Qloud, a social music service that allows users to listen to music inside of social networks, and Thumbplay, a mobile entertainment content destination company, recently announced a partnership to contextually feature Thumbplay's ringtones throughout each deployment of Qloud's My Music application. This deal will allow users across a range of social networks to discover, purchase and download ringtones to more than 2,000 supported and compatible mobile phones. "We selected Thumbplay as our first mobile entertainment content provider, as it delivers a broad and deep catalog of content that will enable Qloud My Music users to extend their enthusiasm about the social music experience to their cell phones," said Mike Lewis, co-founder of Qloud. "Thumbplay's ability to offer ringtones regardless of users' wireless carrier or mobile phone is consistent with our commitment to connecting consumers with music wherever they want it."

read more

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Branding Unbound - Resolutiontones: Ringtones To Help Keep All Those New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

By Rick Mathieson for Branding Unbound

It's January 2nd and I already want to drop the diet.

The folks over at Thumbplay want to stop me - with ringtones to help keep me resolute.

For $2.99 per tone, or about $10 per month, you can download ringtones to remind you to hit the gym, volunteer for a good cause, quick drinking, stick with the diet, or get more organized. There's even one to help you brace yourself for a call from your mother-in-law.

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Ringtonia.com - Ringtones To Help Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

2007-12-28T08:41:00.000-08:00

The folks over at Thumbplay have created a whole slew of ringtones to help you keep your resolutions -- or at least keep you entertained while you break them one by one.

For $2.99 per tone -- or a $9.99 monthly that gives you 20 ring tones on the spot and another 10 every month -- you can download ringers that remind you to hit the gym, quit smoking, and even tolerate calls from your mother in law.

read more

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Qloud and Thumbplay Connect Social Network Users to Ringtones

2007-12-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

Qloud's first mobile entertainment content partner to extend music discovery to cell phones

NEW YORK & WASHINGTON, DC ? December 20, 2007 ? Qloud (www.qloud.com), a social music service that allows users to listen to music inside of social networks, and Thumbplay® (www.thumbplay.com), the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination in the U.S. (Nielsen Mobile, Q3 2007), today announced a partnership to contextually feature Thumbplay's ringtones throughout each deployment of Qloud's My Music application. This deal will allow users across a range of social networks to discover, purchase and download ringtones to more than 2,000 supported and compatible mobile phones.

The Qloud My Music application is a revolutionary music service that delivers online music to users how they want it – unlimited, on-demand and linked to their personal music libraries – and where they want it – inside social networks where they can share music with and discover it through their friends. Through its agreement with Thumbplay, the Qloud My Music application will soon feature “Buy this ringtone” links alongside links to iTunes® and YouTube on song, artist, album and playlist pages. As a result, users can personalize their cell phones with their favorite ringtones and reflect their unique tastes in music.

“We selected Thumbplay as our first mobile entertainment content provider, as it delivers a broad and deep catalog of content that will enable Qloud My Music users to extend their enthusiasm about the social music experience to their cell phones,” said Mike Lewis, co-founder of Qloud. “Thumbplay’s ability to offer ringtones regardless of users’ wireless carrier or mobile phone is consistent with our commitment to connecting consumers with music wherever they want it.”

“Qloud’s My Music application has successfully captured a significant slice of the social music experience, making them a key partner in our efforts to connect users of social networks with mobile entertainment content,” said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay’s CEO and co-founder. “Qloud’s efficiency in recreating the My Music experience across a range of social networks provides us with a unique platform for promoting ringtones and other mobile entertainment content.”

By simply installing the Qloud My Music application, consumers can immediately see and play entire songs and videos from their complete iTunes libraries inside of a range of social networks. My Music also allows users to see and play online the iTunes libraries of their friends, view and exchange playlists with their friends, browse and play the most popular songs among their friends and social groups, and add their friends’ songs to their own online libraries. Over two million registered users across several social networks have recorded 300 million plays in the last four months.

About Qloud
Qloud delivers the music experience that consumers want – unlimited, on-demand content – where consumers want it – inside their social networks where they can discover and share music with their friends. Over two million registered users across three social networks have recorded 300 million plays in the last four months. The company’s investors and directors include Revolution Chairman and CEO Steve Case and former AOL, Yahoo!, Warner Music Group, EMI Music, and Island Records music executives. For more information visit www.qloud.com.

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Wireless Week's Mobile Content Flash - Thumbplay, iLike Go to Facebook

2007-12-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

Thumbplay's ringtones are now contextually featured throughout iLike.com and the iLike application on Facebook Platform, allowing users to discover, purchase and download ringtones to more than 2,000 supported and compatible mobile phones.

Across iLike, "Get ringtone" links to Thumbplay are now featured alongside links to iTunes in every relevant song module on artist, album and song pages, as well as users' shared playlists. Similar links are incorporated into the iLike Challenge, so users can discover and purchase ringtones of songs played in the game.

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Mobile Marketer - Thumbplay strikes deal with iLike for ringtone sales

2007-12-14T08:36:00.000-08:00

By Lauren Mooney

Mobile entertainment content provider Thumbplay has entered into an exclusive relationship with social music discovery service iLike to expand its footprint for ringtone sales.

With Thumbplay’s ringtones contextually featured throughout iLike.com and the iLike application on the Facebook platform, consumers now have the ability to discover, buy and download ringtones to more than 2,000 supported and compatible mobile phones.

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Thumbplay Teams with iLike to Provide Ringtones to Users Across Facebook® and Other Social Platforms

2007-12-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

15+ Million iLike Members Can Purchase Ringtones for Their Cell Phones

NEW YORK, December 6, 2007 – Thumbplay® (www.thumbplay.com), the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination in the U.S. (Nielsen Mobile, Q3 2007), today announced an exclusive partnership with iLike (www.ilike.com), the Web’s leading social music discovery service. Thumbplay’s ringtones are now contextually featured throughout iLike.com and the iLike application on Facebook® Platform (www.facebook.com), allowing users to discover, purchase and download ringtones to more than 2,000 supported and compatible mobile phones. iLike plans to extend its contextual integration of Thumbplay’s catalog into additional social platforms that have announced support for Google OpenSocial, such as Bebo, hi5, MySpace, orkut and Ning.

Across iLike, “Get ringtone” links to Thumbplay are now featured alongside links to iTunes® in every relevant song module on artist, album and song pages, as well as users’ shared playlists. Similar links are incorporated into the iLike Challenge, so users can discover and purchase ringtones of songs played in the game.

With its soaring popularity among Facebook users, iLike is the Web’s fastest-growing music service, with more than 15 million users worldwide and adding millions more each month. Additional sites that have committed to supporting OpenSocial represent an audience of 200 million users globally that may be exposed to Thumbplay’s mobile entertainment content as iLike expands into these new platforms.

“With the addition of Thumbplay ringtone links, iLike has just expanded our music discovery features to include also a fantastic ringtone-discovery experience,” said Ali Partovi, CEO of iLike. “As the mobile entertainment content industry leader, Thumbplay delivers the broadest and deepest catalog of content to our 15 million registered users, so they can now take their music with them as ringtones regardless of which carrier or phone they’re using.“

“It is clear from iLike’s rapid growth that consumers love discovering and sharing new music with their friends,” said Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay’s CEO and founder. “By pairing with iLike, we’re enabling their consumers to extend the social music experience to their mobile phones.”

About iLike, inc
iLike is the Web's leading social music discovery service and the dominant music application on the Facebook Platform. With more than 15 million registered users, iLike helps people share music recommendations, playlists, and personalized concert alerts. The iLike Sidebar for iTunes and Windows Media Player suggests new music, creates automatic playlists, and connects people through music. iLike offers musicians and labels a Universal Artist Dashboard from which to reach fans and manage their presence across multiple channels: Facebook, iLike.com, Ask.com, iLike Sidebar plugins for iTunes and Windows Media Player (and soon, through adoption of Google OpenSocial, also Myspace, Bebo, orkut, hi5, Ning, and other leading social networking sites). By leveraging iLike's "artist-fan graph," a vast database of connections between consumers and their favorite artists, iLike helps artists reach their fans and cultivate the viral spread of their music. iLike, inc also runs indie music site GarageBand.com.

Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. iTunes® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Windows Media Player® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Google, orkut, and OpenSocial are trademarks of Google Inc.

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