Music Industry First: Hot 97's DJ Envy Releases First-Ever Hip-Hop Mixtape Downloadable to Cell Phones in Deal with Cellfish Media
NEW YORK, Aug. 14 - Boasting an audience of over 10 million fans on his New York-based, nationally syndicated Hot 97 radio show and Sirius Satellite Radio's Hip-Hop Nation, DJ Envy is joining forces with Cellfish Media to bring the latest and greatest in new hip-hop straight to consumers in a brand-new format, dubbed The Mobile Mixtape. Each week exclusive tracks featured on the show are made available and delivered straight to mobile devices without the need to buy CDs or carry an iPod.
Why the mobile mixtape? These ultra-exclusive collections of new singles are the hottest commodity in hip-hop. According to Envy, "If I have a hot mixtape, it'll sell out. A new album will be hot only for a few weeks, then die down. That's what the kids want."
Cellfish Media, a leading mobile entertainment content provider, will distribute the seven-track mixtape compilations mixed by DJ Envy, providing them as ringtones and full-track downloads to mobile consumers. Subscribers will get seven new ringtones each month, daily insider tips about hip-hop stars and video blogs with exclusive celebrity interviews for their mobiles. Subscribers will pay a per-download fee or buy tracks in a discounted package.
"Yesterday, kids would have to wait for a mixtape to be pressed up and distributed; today, they have to run home to their computers and search for it; tomorrow, the instant something is blowing up, it shows up in your pocket. Yesterday is over," said Jonathan Dworkin, Vice President of Talent and Programming at Cellfish Media.
Over 500,000 mixtapes are sold every week, mainly to 18-to-24-year-olds who prefer organic DJ stylings and hard-to-find remixes to traditional record label artist releases. New artists rely on mixtapes to gain credibility and buzz, including 50 Cent, who said in an interview with MTV.com, "Mixtapes are the entry level of hip-hop."
The marketing partnership with DJ Envy includes an integrated campaign of on-air and Web promotions on his Hot 97 and Sirius Satellite Radio shows, advertising in leading urban music publications, an online viral campaign and a street marketing campaign. DJ Envy's fans will also be able to keep close to him through the interactive page and community dedicated to him on the Cellfish Web site, which will offer prize giveaways.
About DJ Envy
After churning out four volumes of mixtape mayhem from artists such as Cam'Ron, Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, and the Lox, DJ Envy doesn't plan to stop. Raised in Queens, this two-time Justo Mixtape Award recipient has 10-plus years of ripping up turntables, but there's more. Envy currently serves as President and CEO of BLOK Entertainment, his own management and production company that has already produced scorching tracks for such artists as DMX, Murderers, Funk Flex, Foxy Brown, Juvenile, Petey Pablo, Fabolous, and more.
About Cellfish Media
Cellfish Media creates and publishes original brands, such as Barrio Mobile, Wicked Betty and the widely acclaimed BlingTones, the world's first wireless record label, all made available on its flagship portal, www.cellfish.com < http://www.cellfish.com/> . Cellfish Media also distributes third-party content for mobile phones, including ringtones, wallpapers, videos, animations, games and applications, partnering with today's biggest names in entertainment. Cellfish Media benefits from best-of-breed, proprietary platforms to deliver content to more than 350 million consumers through its direct-to-consumer channels, as well as through partnerships with major wireless carriers, media companies and brands. The company's operations are headquartered in New York City, with offices in France and Germany, bringing together a team of 320 skilled professionals focused on enriching the mobile consumer experience. Cellfish Media is partly owned by Lagardère SCA, one of the largest media groups in the world; Humagade Group Inc., a partner of Desjardins Venture Capital; Solidarity Fund QFL; and the Telecom Media Fund, formed by Trio Capital and Caisse de Dépôt du Québec. Learn more by visiting www.cellfishmedia.com < http://www.cellfishmedia.com/>.