Site to Launch ''Set Your Own Pricing'' Service for Independent Artists Which Allows Them to Keep 100% of Profits
April 15, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FameCast today launched FameCast TV, featuring music videos and performances fed by its proprietary Media Optimization Engine (MOE). MOE is designed to help independent artists take charge of their own careers, and to help fans more efficiently find new music in an increasingly cluttered online space. Using an algorithm that analyzes more than 100 criteria including fan ratings, number of media plays, viral distribution and more, the system accurately determines an artist's "buzz factor." Positive feedback from fans results in an artist's work both climbing the FameCast Charts and being fed into heavier rotations on the site's newest feature, FameCast TV.
FameCast TV is just one way that FameCast continues to offer worldwide exposure to its rapidly growing community of artists. Recently, FameCast artists have been granted incredible, high-profile opportunities from across the music industry. For example, the Austin City Limits Music Festival organizers chose Ireland-based electronic band Autamata for its 2008 lineup after watching them on FameCast. FameCast singer-songwriter Sofia Talvik, from Sweden, will play at the 2008 Lollapalooza festival thanks to her discovery through FameCast. FameCast TV content will soon be syndicated through other distribution outlets, further increasing exposure.
"Today's independent artists are true entrepreneurs, and FameCast wants to help them succeed on their terms rather than those of the industry," said Kent Savage, FameCast founder and CEO. "We created FameCast as a business tool, a premier discovery engine that collects, ranks and serves up the best emerging talent for fans, rather than letting great artists get lost in a crowded online landscape that includes everyone from U2 to the cover band at your local Irish pub."
Starting April 21, FameCast artists can sell their work—including new music, comedy and slam poetry—through a new storefront that allows them to set their own pricing for their works. Artists will be able to upload an unlimited number of performance videos and audio tracks, and allow fans to download them for free. Or, artists can sign up for a FameCast Premium Account, set their own price for each file, and keep 100 percent of the profits.
Taken together, FameCast TV, the Media Optimization Engine and new storefront gives its community of independent artists the four things they need most to grow their careers: exposure, organization, opportunity and revenue.
1) Exposure: FameCast offers artists the chance to gain new fans; in turn, those fans are presented with several new ways to quickly discover music:
* FameCast TV and Charts: FameCast tracks a wealth of criteria in all audio and video files, including fan ratings, quantity and quality of plays, and online reach. An algorithm then feeds this data into the FameCast Charts to show fans who's hot—overall, and in each genre.
* SoundsLike: Fans of any music, from ABBA to ZZ Top, can type in their favorite artists' names to find up-and-comers they'll also enjoy, based on their tastes.
* Playlists and Ratings: Fans can create and share playlists or engage in an addictive artist rating and voting system that illustrates how their rankings compare with the community's average score.
2) Organization: (business/fan management tools): New profile templates, featuring customized layouts, allow members to quickly make organized, professional profiles--including widgets for storefronts, audio and video files, bios, HTML content, blogs, tour listings, photos, friend feeds and more. Artists can also use a "dashboard" to track their marketing efforts and sales, as well as to send custom newsletters to registered fans.
3) Opportunity: FameCast's expanded commitment to developing acts offers a greater number of artists access to the contest's wide array of lucrative cash prizes, global exposure and industry opportunities.
Prizes are set to include major festival tour opportunities, as exemplified by the recent Austin City Limits Music Festival and Lollapalooza slot selections; Country winner Eric Michael Hopper's prize spot at last year's inaugural Big State Festival; and the inclusion of upcoming Spoken Word winners on the bill at the 2008 National Poetry Slam. Likewise, FameCast artists enjoy opportunities such as mentorships and A&R reviews with A-list industry insiders; previous winners met with Emmy-winning country songwriter/producer Trey Bruce; Derek Dudley, manager of multi-Grammy winning artist Common; and Grammy-winning musician Chris Vrenna (Gnarls Barkley, Marilyn Manson).
Each weekly FameCast winner will also receive a review by the contest's lineup of industry experts, a who's-who of the entertainment community including Grammy and Emmy-winners, top talent managers, and writers for such respected publications as Billboard, Los Angeles Times, and The Source.
4) Revenue: In addition to setting their own pricing for recorded works, FameCast artists will soon have the ability to sell their merchandise in individualized online stores.
ABOUT FAMECAST
Born in Austin, Texas – The Live Music Capital of the World – FameCast is the premier artist discovery engine that features the world's best emerging artists for entertainment fans and industry professionals in search of new talent. Understanding that lack of exposure is what keeps some of our best artists in the shadows, FameCast aims to "shine the spotlight on those that have what it takes, but have lacked the breaks."
FameCast was founded by Kent Savage, a 20-year veteran entrepreneur in the Internet and digital media space. FameCast's Advisory Board includes a stellar lineup of industry heavyweights including Charles Attal of Charles Attal Presents and C3 Management and Promotions; Paul Korzilius, Bon Jovi Management; Randy Phillips, President & CEO of AEG Live; John Rubey, President of AEG Network Live; and Duff Stewart, President & COO of GSD&M's Idea City.
FameCast Contest Stages include: Hard Rock/Punk, Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop, R&B/Soul, Singer-Songwriter, Country, Electronic, World/Latin, Comedy and Spoken Word/Slam Poetry.
Contacts
FameCast
Erica Hess, 512-589-8122
ehess@famecast.com
or
Scoop Marketing
Erik Stein, 213-639-6162
estein@solters.com
