Cells Heat Up As Effective Music Promo & Distribution Tools

The Washington Post has taken an in depth look at how the cell phone is rapidly becoming a powerful music promotion and distribution tool.  The article profiles a wide variety of artists who have used cell promos effectively ranging from Capital’s Yellowcard who were the beneficiary of  a multi-million Verizon ad campaign to unsigned act the Parlour Boys who shot a music video using a video enabled phone that won a contest.

The article goes on to make the bold claim that cell phones are "…retuning the music business. As  radio’s power to create big stars fades, artists and music labels increasingly look at cellphones as a new way of distributing and promoting music. It’s not merely (ringtones)…which have blossomed into a huge business generating more than $12 billion globally last year…The focus now runs to the heart of the music market: full-song downloads, music videos and a host of other music promotions around rock concerts, behind-the-scenes interviews and sneak peaks into future releases."

"…Just in the past year or so, music labels have started…looking at music promotion in a different way, (WMG VP Michael) Nash said. ‘There’s a buzz-building effect of going to market on mobile’… Cellphone carriers also closely monitor content that travels over their networks, which alleviates record companies’ concerns over piracy of early releases…"