Friday, February 8, 2008

Timbaland creates first ever 'mobile album' for Verizon

Timbaland continues to find new ways of releasing his music to a broader audience and Verizon has joined in to help with his most ambitious project to date. Tim will be releasing the first ever 'mobile album' exclusively for V Cast, Verizon's entertainment service. Tim will produce one song per month in 2008 with a different artist on the Verizon Mobile Recording Studio Bus and the making of each track will be shown to V Cast subscribers. How amazing is that?

Timbaland says the deal will let him reach more fans because "every place don't get a CD [but] everybody has a mobile phone." Plus, there's history to be made. "Just producing a mobile album has never been done. I'm the first to ever do it," he tells Billboard.

And while major artists have of late left major labels in bids to reach fans in new ways, Timbaland isn't leaving Interscope, which put out "Shock Value" and distributes his Mosley Music imprint. (However, he says he is out of contract with the label to put out his solo albums.) Interscope is involved in the Verizon deal from the standpoint that Timbaland plans to work with the label's artists for the mobile-only tracks. Whether a mobile album deal could replace a major-label deal in the future, "that's something we'll have to see," Timbaland says.

Each mobile Timbaland track will be released days after it is produced. Songs will be released as a full-length download, ringtone and ringback, and will be available only through V Cast and Verizon. At the end of the year, some sort of compilation "album" will be released exclusively through Verizon, according to Ruth. Whether the music is worked to radio during the exclusive period or made available via broader distribution afterward is up to Interscope.

For his part, Timbaland says he isn't focusing on a particular genre for the project. "I'm just going to have fun with it," he says. "I'll just do what comes in mind."

The partnership kicks off today with a pre-Grammy party co-hosted by Verizon and People magazine. During the event, Timbaland will debut the first Verizon song, which features Mosley Music artist Keri Hilson. Timbaland and Hilson recorded two tracks during a three-week period last month, one of which will be introduced at the party and go mobile within a few days.

Timbaland hasn't yet revealed what other artists he will be working with for the project, but Ruth says some of those on the party's guest list will be involved. That roster includes fellow Mosley Music act OneRepublic, Paramore, Flo Rida, Natasha Bedingfield, Taylor Swift and Chris Cornell, who will perform.

Tim continues to make history and go where no other artist, let alone producer has gone. This is going to be a HUGE project but you can bet The Chronicles team will be on it!

16 comments :

  1. I'm counting on ya Boogz. I gotta hear these mobile songs!!!!

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  2. !!!!!!!

    Cooool! I hope these leak as actual mp3's, cus i dont have verizon.

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  3. yeah i agree to scott, but why the hell verizon. for us overhere in europe theres no possibily to hear and see these things then. that would be f´ed up. well i counting on you to give us these things as fast as possible. greetings from germany. castro

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  4. its never been done before, but that doesnt mean it should be..

    to me, it doesnt sound practical. who knows though..

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  5. I can't wait to hear who he worked with some of the artists i wanted him to work with can still happen

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  6. i couldnt get any credit boog?!?!? lol gosh i all the work i do.... lmao

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  7. @g-roc
    this is all over the news. sohh.com, billboard.com, xxlmag.com
    sites that we check on a regular as well...
    :)

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  8. Paramore and Natasha are signed to MMG?

    Schmenkee-

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  9. intresting, but im still not sure if any sales will pick up.
    I think there needs to be alot more artists joining in aswell to get some awareness..
    and wat about the folks without Verizon or those in Europe/UK/Asia

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  10. a cellphone is not for music Tim...dont get sucked into the hype...

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  11. he should do this over itunes music store and not over verizon

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  12. paramore and natasha bedingfield arent on MMG. But the article dosent say that Tim will ONLY work with MMG artists. It just says that he plans to work with them. I really hope that the song with Keri Hilson isnt Henny & Apple Juice cuz i allready have that on my ipod.

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  13. hey... how come J Boogie never said anything about Henny and Apple Juice???

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  14. So Tim is going work with Paramore and Nathasa Bedingfield ? wow can't wait to hear

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  15. @big-a

    its cool i was jus jokin round... lol and wow henny and apple juice is ancient!!!! lmao hopefully we here the updated version like the chronicles mentioned like in 2006... has it been that long?!!?? lol

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