NEW YORK (Delicious Vinyl/ www.HeaviesListeningParty.com) - The Orchard and Delicious Vinyl Announce Multi-Faceted
Digital Campaign to Support Upcoming
Brand New Heavies Album Featuring N'Dea Davenport
Campaign Includes Remix Collections, eMusic Download Cards, Exclusive Ringtones, Streaming Site, and Summer Tour
The Orchard, the world's leading distributor and marketer of independent music, and renowned hip-hop/R&B label Delicious Vinyl today announced the launch of an integrated digital marketing campaign in support of the highly anticipated Brand New Heavies record, and a digital street date in advance of the upcoming major-label physical CD release. The Brand New Heavies' new full-length title, "Get Used To It," features vocalist N'Dea Davenport, who has not recorded with the group since its 2000 Greatest Hits release Trunk Funk 1991-2000."
Delicious Vinyl granted exclusive digital marketing and distribution rights to The Orchard while securing a P&D agreement with Universal Music & Video Distribution. The Orchard-distributed digital album is available now across all of the leading digital music stores, and the Universal-distributed physical CD will hit brick-and-mortar retail shelves, as well as every North American Starbucks store, on June 27.
In addition to the standard suite of digital marketing services The Orchard provides all its label clients, elements of this unique joint campaign between The Orchard and Delicious Vinyl for "Get Used To It" include:
* remix collections of tracks from the band's catalogue and the new album, including a remix by the legendary Mad Professor;
* eMusic download cards bundled with "Get Used To It" CDs for all CDs sold at Starbucks;
* a streaming site where fans can listen to the album in its entirety: https://www.HeaviesListeningParty.com;
* exclusive ringtones; and
* a summer tour by The Brand New Heavies, with eMusic download card distribution.
"The Orchard's campaign for The Brand New Heavies epitomizes our forward- thinking approach to digital music retail," said Greg Scholl, chief executive of The Orchard and managing director of Dimensional Associates, parent company of The Orchard, eMusic, and Dimensional Music Publishing. "The program we've developed for 'Get Used To It' taps into The Orchard's strengths as an independent distribution and marketing organization, and helps drive awareness of a physical release by creating a buzz ahead of street date. Also, we are able to draw on our diverse relationships - such as the Mad Professor remix, and the innovative eMusic program - to add significant value above and beyond the mechanics of digital distribution."
Delicious Vinyl co-founder Michael Ross said, "When we sat down to map out a game plan for the new Brand New Heavies release, we wanted to do something that would appeal to the band's hardcore fan base but also bring in a new generation of listeners. We feel that we came up with the best of all worlds and the best of all partners. We're excited about what this campaign will do to reignite interest in The Heavies."
The Orchard distributed the digital version of "Get Used To It" to all the leading legal digital music retailers on June 6, 2006. At the same time, Delicious Vinyl created a web site where fans can stream the entire album: https://www.HeaviesListeningParty.com.
On the album's physical release date of June 27, The Orchard will bundle 50,000 eMusic download cards with "Get Used To It" CDs sold at Starbucks. An additional 15,000 cards will be distributed by street teams on The Brand New Heavies' summer tour, which is scheduled to start July 1 at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas. The eMusic download cards will link consumers to a special Brand New Heavies page on the eMusic web site (https://www.Emusic.com/thebrandnewheavies) that will feature a digital-only remix series titled "Black Market Heavies."
Volume 1 of this series will feature a reworking of the title track of "Get Used To It" by dub pioneer The Mad Professor, as well as nine remixes of classic Brand New Heavies cuts from the band's back catalogue. This volume will be available exclusively on eMusic starting on June 20, and on all major digital music stores by mid-July. The second installment in the series, "Black Market Heavies Vol. 2," will be available in early September and will feature remixes from "Get Used To It" and the catalogue. Both "Black Market Heavies" collections will be available in the U.S. and Canada only.
Another component of the marketing campaign for "Get Used To It" will be exclusive ringtones from the album, starting with the lead single, "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" - a remake of the Stevie Wonder classic. These ringtones will be available both through the Delicious Vinyl web site (https://www.deliciousvinyl.com) and through The Orchard's network of more than 200 mobile partners.
"Get Used To It" marks the return of The Brand New Heavies' core lineup of singer N'Dea Davenport, guitarist Simon Bartholomew, drummer/keyboardist Jan Kinkaid, and bassist Andrew Love Levy. Davenport left the band to pursue a solo career following its 1994 release "Brother Sister." She was replaced by Siedah Garrett, who fronted the group on its last studio album, 1997's "Shelter."
