Ground Breaking Mobile Store Brings Jazz To Your Phone

[Lois Gilbert]

Ground Breaking Mobile Store Brings Jazz To Your Phone

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – August 9th 2006 —IRIS Distribution, the leading digital distribution company dedicated to the successful marketing and promotion of prominent independent music and video catalogs, today announced a partnership with renowned independent jazz label, Palmetto Records and visionary web development company, BKWLD that will create the first mobile content store geared towards jazz enthusiasts. JazzOutLoud’s comprehensive offering will include both ringtones and full track downloads across a spectrum of different jazz styles. The mobile music will be available for purchase via the web or short code and will be powered by Faspay. Early labels on board with JazzOutLoud include Palmetto Records (Dr. Lonnie Smith, Fred Hersch, Ben Allison, Ted Nash), Sunnyside (Dave Holland, Luciana Souza, Ben Monder, Steven Bernstein), Thirsty Ear (Sex Mob, DJ Spooky, Matthew Shipp, David S. Ware), Preservation Hall (The Preservation Hall Jazz Band), and Kayo Sterophonic (Anita O’Day), among others.



"Palmetto and BKWLD are the perfect partners for this project,” says IRIS Chief Marketing Officer, Bryn Boughton. "The staff at Palmetto brings not only a deep passion for jazz but a desire to combat the elitist persona often associated with the genre. In order to create an experience that makes both traditional and modern jazz more accessible and more fun, we brought in BKWLD, a visionary web design firm with the skill and eye to create the perfect aesthetic.”

At a time when the hits driven mobile market is dominated by rock and hip hop, an important market segment has been overlooked. “Our goal is to bring jazz to the market in new and innovative ways. The mobile market of high-end phones and the demographic segment that jazz caters to is a perfect fit. There is amazing music being made in this genre and this is but one more way to get it heard,” says Pat Rustici of Palmetto Records.

Mobile content has grown in popularity as advanced handsets have become more ubiquitous. Consumers desire personalized mobile phones that reflect their individual lifestyle and musical tastes. Along with purchasing pre-defined ringtones, JazzOutLoud includes Faspay’s edit on the fly technology that allows jazz fans to create their own custom ringtone from the section of the song that is most meaningful to them. “The ringtones that will be purchased from JazzOutLoud truly reflect the tastes and style of the fan because they can choose exactly the portion of the song that they want, “ says BKWLD Vice President of Entertainment, Edmond Meehan. "We are excited to offer the Jazz community a dedicated place to discover this type of unique content."

JazzOutLoud will launch this fall.
More information can be found at jazzoutloud.com