3, 2, 1, Ignition for Microsoft music marketing push

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 05 June 2007 10:52

Your IT - Home IT

A new marketing program from Microsoft provides recording artists with a way to reach tens of millions of consumers, company officials claim.

Ignition brings together people looking for new music and musicians looking for new audiences via various Microsoft online properties including Zune Marketplace, Zune.net, Xbox Live Marketplace, MSN Music and MSN Video.

The first act involved in the program is Maxïmo Park. With the band touring North America during July, Ignition will deliver "Our Velocity" as a free download on Zune Marketplace, "Don McPhee" as a two-week exclusive on Zune Marketplace, a free video of "Our Velocity" for Xbox Live subscribers and MSN Video users, and other related content.

"The Ignition program is designed to help artists connect with a substantial consumer audience," said Christina Calio, director of music marketing for Zune. 'Consumers are looking for ways to find new music, and Ignition helps connect artists with potential new fans by giving them multiple opportunities to listen to, watch or read about the artist across Microsoft’s online platforms."

How much it costs to get a band featured on Ignition is anybody's guess.