Dwango Wireless Partners with the Rap Olympics13 April 2005
Dwango(R) Wireless (OTCBB:DWGN), a leading developer and publisher of mobile entertainment content for top lifestyle brands, today announced a partnership with the Rap Olympics to support and promote new talent in the hip-hop community. Under the Rolling Stone Ringtones brand, Dwango Wireless will sponsor events, tours and messaging campaigns, beginning with the National Rap Olympics Freestyle Competition Finals taking place in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 16th and 17th, 2005.
The original Rap Olympics, established in 1997 by Wendy Day, Founder/CEO of the Rap Coalition, helped to launch the career of hip-hop star Eminem. With the resurrection of the Rap Olympics, undiscovered artists will compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes, exclusive ringtone deals, and the chance to be discovered by some of the top labels in the industry. The final show is tentatively scheduled to be broadcast on MTV in June.
"We believe that the hip-hop community will foster additional growth and demand for mobile entertainment content throughout the US and worldwide," said Alexander U. Conrad, President and COO, Dwango Wireless. "Partnering with the Rap Olympics connects Dwango with millions of hip-hop fans passionate about discovering today's hottest new rap artists."
All performing artists will be featured on the national Rap Olympics DVD called "Phenomenon." The best Freestyle Artists will be selected to advance and compete for $50,000 in the Celebrity Rap Olympics competition this summer in New York City. The Rap Olympics will push on throughout the summer with a nationwide messaging campaign in association with the Anger Management 3 Tour.
"The Rap Olympics were re-launched to give talented artists a voice in the world of entertainment," said Donnell Mitchell of the 2005 Rap Olympics. "We are thrilled to be working with Dwango Wireless to connect our audience to these up-and-coming hip-hop stars through personalized ringtones and text messages."
According to Ovum Research, ringtones accounted for 80-90% of the phone personalization market in 2003, which generated revenues of $3.2 billion in that year. Phone personalization is expected to grow to $6.5 billion by 2008. Dwango Wireless currently sells a diverse set of ringtones, from country to hip-hop, under the Rolling Stone Ringtones brand.
About Dwango(R) Wireless
Dwango(R) Wireless (OTCBB:DWGN) offers a comprehensive approach for bringing lifestyle and affiliate brands to the wireless arena through customized entertainment content, ringtones, games and applications for mobile phones. A key player in the wireless industry, Dwango Wireless provides unique content for some of today's hottest lifestyle brands, including Beliefnet, Napster, Playboy and Rolling Stone. Dwango North America corporate information can be found at www.dwango.com.
Dwango(R) is a trademark of Dwango Co. Ltd., and used by Dwango Wireless pursuant to an exclusive license.
Certain of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. For example, the statements regarding the potential success of the relationship between the Rap Olympics and Dwango(R) Wireless are forward- looking and actual results may differ materially from those statements due to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include the acceptance of the new services described in this press release by both mobile carriers and their customers. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by Dwango(R) Wireless is contained in Dwango(R) Wireless filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Dwango(R) Wireless disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contacts
Dwango Wireless
Jared Nieuwenhuis, 206-832-0600
Jared.Nieuwenhuis@dwango.com
or
Axis Marketing & PR, LLC
Jenn Pelczarski, 415-764-1980 x108
jpelczarski@axismarketingpr.com
Source: Business Wire
All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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