iPhone apps for Lady Gaga, Pussycat Dolls and other UMG artists
Monday, February 23rd, 2009
Interscope Geffen A&M is launching iPhone applications for five of its key artists, through a partnership with mobile firm Kyte. The five are Lady Gaga, the Pussycat Dolls, Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em, the All American Rejects, and Keri Hilson.
The free apps include video content from the artists’ Kyte channels, as well as branding and advertising, click-through links to buy music and merchandise, a built-in RSS reader to pull in news updates, and community features like chat, comments and sharing.
“Kyte allows us to easily deliver iPhone and iPod touch apps that connect our artists with their fans in a fully immersive, interactive experience,” says Ted Mico, executive vice president of digital for IGA. “Fans will be able to watch exclusive, behind the scenes content, chat in real-time, and purchase artist content, all from their iPhone and iPod touch.”
The apps came about through Kyte’s deal with Interscope Geffen A&M’s parent company Universal Music Group. Although artists’ Kyte sites have been accessible through mobile web browsers for some time, this is the first time individual artists’ content has been packaged up into apps.
The apps are due to be live on the App Store today. Kyte will be offering the technology behind them as a turnkey service for other artists and labels in the coming months. We caught up with Kyte’s Daniel Graf at Mobile World Congress last week for a hands-on demo and to talk more about the thinking behind them. Stand by for a post covering that interview.
