BOSTON & NEW ORLEANS (Top40 Charts/ Accentuate PR) - The high profile Southern hard rock/metal band DOWN has entered a two-year strategic partnership with Paid, Inc., (OTCBB: PAYD) , for brand-building services including online presence, implementation and management of an official fan club and online merchandise sales. The relationship with Paid will allow DOWN to elevate all aspects of its public presence, such as web site, VIP ticketing, a newfound potential for mobile promotions, new merchandise designs and other fan-based initiatives.
'We are all extremely excited about this partnership, and have been inspired by the way we have seen Paid.com work with Aerosmith online and on tour,' commented Snake Sabo, DOWN's manager at McGhee Entertainment, which also manages artists such as KISS, Darius Rucker, Ted Nugent, Nico Vega and others. 'DOWN has always placed the fans first and we believe this is an opportunity to really get in touch with them even further and pull them into our music as an experience that they, too, can help us create.'
Combining Paid's strategic leadership and the band's creative input, DOWN fans will soon find numerous opportunities to immerse themselves in the band's music and talents. DOWN's totally revamped web site, www.down-nola.com, presents fans with an array of extremely cool features including tour news, webcasts and blogs, exclusive photo/video content and an extensive online store. Paid will be coordinating an active registered fan community, springboarded by the group's existing 15,000-fan mailing list and further enhanced by Paid's expert management of online merchandising, special events and promotions, and VIP ticketing.
With DOWN's recently announced summer tour in Europe and subsequent dates in the U.S. this fall, fans will be able to find tour details and VIP ticketing information on the web site. Fans can register now to receive automatic notification of the tour and other news.
Two of the leading edge technologies incorporated into the new web site are SyncLive and PRODEGE. SyncLive enables DOWN to broadcast live video feeds in real time to its web site or multiple web sites, as well as archive them for later viewing. They can also enable a live conference with the band where viewers could ask questions and watch the BAND answer them in live streaming video as the questions come in. PRODEGE is a custom branded and incentivized search engine that will be incorporated into DOWN's site to allow users to search the web using Google's and Ask's search engines, but it will offer them special incentives for using the artist's custom search engine rather than just going straight to Google.com. Each time the user does a search through DOWN's custom search engine, they have a chance to win DOWN merchandise, prizes, etc., plus users can earn 'Search & Win' points, which are then redeemable in DOWN's online store.
'It's been awesome to work with the guys from DOWN, McGhee Entertainment and our technology partners,' said Keith Garde, president, Paid celebrity services. 'DOWN and McGhee Entertainment are very committed to having hands-on involvement with the web site by posting tour diaries, video blogs, and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos. We are looking forward to unique VIP events on their tour and some of the innovative opportunities we're able to offer through these new technology partners. We expect to be able to share footage from inside the recording studio next summer during the making of album number four and many other events.'
'This marks the first time we've formally worked with McGhee Entertainment and Snake Sabo,' Garde noted. 'It's fabulous to see their support of DOWN's efforts to go the extra mile to connect with their fans. We expect that our combined efforts will lead to unparalleled success in elevating DOWN's brand and that we will hopefully lead to a broader partnership with McGhee Entertainment.'
DOWN's commitment to their music and their fans has resulted in a steady stream of tour dates in the U.S. and abroad for 20 months straight in support of their Over the Under album. DOWN has been opening for some of the biggest names in heavy metal, including Heaven and Hell, Megadeth and, most recently, the biggest of the big, Metallica. DOWN has also headlined festivals and venues worldwide and will once again headline its own U.S. tour in the fall of 2009.
About Down:
The New Orleans-based super group DOWN was formed in 1992 as a side project while members fulfilled their obligations to their former bands. Started by five well-established hard rock/metal artists: lead vocalist and songwriter Philip Anselmo of Pantera; guitarist Pepper Keenan of Corrosion of Conformity; guitarist Kirk Windstein and bassist Todd Strange of Crowbar; and drummer Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod, DOWN was signed to Elektra Records for their 1995 album NOLA, which went platinum. Strange was replaced by Anselmo's former Pantera bandmate Rex Brown in 1999. Together this lineup released two more albums: 2002's DOWN II: A BUSTLE IN YOUR HEDGEROW and 2007's critically acclaimed DOWN III: OVER THE UNDER.
In 2006, Down regrouped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and its members have since dedicated themselves to the band full time. The band members have begun the writing process for their fourth full-length CD. In the coming months fans can look forward to the release of the as yet untitled DOWN movie. The loaded DVD will chronicle the band's first-ever headlining tour of Europe in the summer of 2006.
