Archive for December, 2007

17
Dec

Thumbplay Teams With ILike To Provide Ringtones To Users On Facebook Platform And Other Leading Online Destinations

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

Thumbplay (www.thumbplay.com), the largest and fastest growing mobile entertainment content destination in the U.S. (Nielsen Mobile, Q3 2007), announced an exclusive relationship 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.

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 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.”

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.

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13
Dec

Ari Gold Wins Top Prize At 2007 USA Songwriting Competition

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News


Url: http://www.songwriting.net
Ari Gold, New York singer-songwriter won the Overall Grand Prize as well as the first prize in the Pop category at the 2007 USA Songwriting Competition with his song “Where the Music Takes You”. He and his co-writers Joe Hogue & Sean Petersen wrote the song that topped the competition for 2007. [ Download Ari Gold’s photo at:
http://www.arigold.com/images/gallery/studio/againstwall.jpg ]
Other winners include: Barry Privett (from rock group “Carbon Leaf”); Richmond, VA, Jules Anna Jones from De Witt, MI, David Francey (Canada), Miguel de Azcarate, Yani Helle & Sylvia Greif (France). Here is the complete list of winners:

OVERALL GRAND PRIZE: Where The Music Takes You - Ari Gold, Joe Hogue & Sean Petersen; New York, NY.

OVERALL 2nd PRIZE: The War Was In Color - Barry Privett (Carbon Leaf); Richmond, VA

OVERALL 3rd PRIZE: Cliché - Jules Anna Jones; De Witt, MI

FIRST PRIZES IN 15 INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES

1st Prize – Rock/Alternative
Cliché - Jules Anna Jones; De Witt, MI

1st Prize – Country
I Can Live Without You - Mary Danna & Troy Verges; Minnetonka, MN

1st Prize – Folk
Ballad of Bowser Macrae - David Francey; CANADA

1st Prize – Pop
Where The Music Takes You - Ari Gold, Joe Hogue & Sean Petersen; New York, NY

1st Prize – Dance/Electronica
Waking Up - Miguel de Azcarate, Yani Helle & Sylvia Greif (Milow), FRANCE

1st Prize – R&B
No Place Like Home - Mark E. Robertson Jr, Michael McDonald & Leon Jones (Ahmir); Boston, MA

1st Prize – Hip-Hop/Rap
Set It Free - Christopher Reynolds & Jonathan Reynolds (The Genetics); Allston, MA

1st Prize - Lyrics
The War Was In Color - Barry Privett (Carbon Leaf); Richmond, VA

1st Prize – Gospel/Inspirational
Brighter Days - Ryan Shea Smith, Tyler Allen & Tony Williams; Seattle, WA

1st Prize – Latin
Rompecabezas - Melany Moloney; Bogota, COLOMBIA

1st Prize - World
Fado Torto - Louis Simao; CANADA

1st Prize - Jazz
Isaac’s Blues - Duane Andrews; St John’s, CANADA

1st Prize – Instrumental
Cella’s Song - Eric Roberts; Highlands Ranch, CO

1st Prize – Novelty/Comedy
Doer’s Lament - Eric Colville; Ipswich, MA

1st Prize - Children
Up! - Steve Weeks; Colorado Springs, CO

20 HONORABLE MENTION AWARDS
Open Your Eyes - Tom Watson (Transparent); AUSTRALIA
Reckless - Marc Costanzo, Chin Injeti & Tebey; Toronto, CANADA
You Can’t Hurt Me Now - Karen Taylor-Good, Jim Daddario & Tania Hancheroff; Nashville, TN
I Will Never Be The Same - Mary Sue Englund & Victoria Banks; Nashville, TN
We Stand on Common Ground - Shirley Eikhard; CANADA
Getting Over You Again - Tim Mathews & Josh Bernard; Nashville, TN
Like Salt - Helle Hansen; Copenhagen, DENMARK
Inside My Heart - Agatha Comia Obar, PHILIPPINES
Something Better - Craig Sheets (A True Story); Riverview, MI
Rosetta Stone - Noam Weinstein; New York, NY
Dying Daily - Simon Spire; Santa Monica, CA
Black & Blue - Jesse Terry & Scott Carter; Nashville, TN
You Say - Afiya “Fi-Fi” Bala; Oak, CA
Actin’ Up - Erin Reed (PurpleRed); Grenada Hills, CA
Blackberrying - Ishita Rungta; Plantation, FL
Caminito - Raúl Sandoval (Canvas); Lauderhill, FL
i husinu okkar er thoka - Ingvi Thor Kormaksson & Kristin Omarsdottir (JJ Soul Band); ICELAND
I Should Have a Broken Heart - Jill Barnett; Sedona, AZ
You can do it! - Keren Alexander (Go Seek); AUSTRALIA
July Rendez-Vous - Shao Suan Low; SINGAPORE

Entries are currently being accepted for the 2008 Annual USA Songwriting Competition. Winning songs of the 2008 USA Songwriting Competition will receive airplay on a nationally syndicated radio program “Acoustic Café” as well as XM Satellite Radio. This is the first Songwriting Competition that gives airplay to the winning songs, giving deserving bands, songwriters the recognition and exposure they deserve. Entrants stand to win a grand prize of over US$50,000 in cash and music gear from Sony, Ibanez Guitars, Audio-Technica, IK Multi-Media and more, making this the largest prize package for any annual songwriting competition. Many USA Songwriting Competition winners in the past have received recording and publishing contracts, as well as having their songs placed on film and television. Judges include A&R managers from record labels such as Warner, Capitol Records, Universal, BMG/SONY Music.

Sponsors include Sony, Keyboard Magazine, Audio-Technica, Ibanez Guitars, D’Addario Strings, New Music Weekly, Sonicbids and IK Multimedia. Songs may be entered in 15 different categories including Pop, Rock/Alternative, R&B and Country. The competition is aimed at promoting excellence in the art of songwriting among writers, composers, bands, singer/songwriters and solo artists in an international forum. Entries are accepted from now through May 30, 2008.

For more information, visit:
http://www.songwriting.net

Or call: (954) 537-3127

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11
Dec

“Songs For The Long Journey” Named NUMBER ONE Americana Album Of 2007 By HickoryWind.org

   Posted by: mwatkins    in Publishing News

Glasgow, Scotland, December 10, 2007 - When Jim Pipkin, writer for the well-respected online Americana magazine HickoryWind.org, heard the latest Vinnie James release: “Songs for the Long Journey” for the first time, he declared: “…If this CD had already been released, it would have easily made my Top Ten for 2006. I would be very surprised if it doesn’t make the cut for 2007.”

Well, it’s official. Today, Jim Pipkin released his top picks for 2007, and at the top of his list is “Songs for the Long Journey.”

Pipkin writes: “I hear a lotta Americana music. Perhaps because of this I have become jaded, but my ‘Best Of’ list this year is four discs, not ten. Only one of these is in the formal archives with the grownup label releases. The others are just edgy brilliant Americana singer/songwriters out there gigging on a shoestring, being for the most part ignored by the AMA until they can find a big enough investor.

Number One - Vinnie James - Songs for the Long Journey - Recorded in a British policeman’s garage in Glasgow, Scotland, featuring among other things a stellar bit of piping by a member of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band. I played a pre-release copy of these songs to a private party of friends last year. The guests included a record promoter, a multi-Grammy winner, a recording engineer, a Kung Fu master, and an independent studio owner. All of them were absolutely, honestly, and completely blown away by the quality, depth, and lyrical flow of every single song on this recording. Since then the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee have jumped on the bandwagon. I think Vinnie’s music is where the Folk road of Americana has always been headed. He just got there first. Listen for yourself.

Readers can find the full list of Jim Pipkin’s picks by visiting:

http://www.hickorywind.org/001636.php

For more information about grammy-nominated, ex-RCA recording artist Vinnie James and hear songs from his latest release, visit him on the web at:

myspace.com/vinniejames

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