Described as “Fandango for Broadway”, the new iBroadway app for iPhone launched today. Core features include details on performance venues, schedules, ticketing information and even discounts on some of the most popular shows. Reviews, synopses and cast information are available, as are links to purchase soundtracks and cast recordings in the iTunes store. The launch sponsor for the app is the new show FELA!, and a bonus track is included if you buy the FELA! soundtrack through the iBroadway app.
Special content will be available in the iBroadway app for the Tony Awards, including a contest to win tickets to a Tony Awards dress rehearsal, and some special behind-the-scenes video.
I’ve only ever seen one Broadway show (Cats!), so this isn’t the kind of app that I’m going to use. If theatre is your thing, though, this looks like a really good way to keep up on the shows. iBroadway is free in the app store, so break a leg.
Here’s the full press release:
The iBroadway App for the iPhone and iPod Touch Launches on The Zumobi Network
SEATTLE, WA–(Marketwire – June 9, 2010) – Zumobi, a premium mobile publishing network, today announced a partnership with Art Meets Commerce (AMC), a leading producer of Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, to launch the iBroadway App for the iPhone and iPod touch. With the hit Broadway musical, FELA! as a launch sponsor, the iBroadway App expands the famed theater district’s reach and provides exposure for Broadway’s premium sponsors across the mobile platform. The iBroadway app promotes the music and drama of Broadway while engaging with fans everywhere at anytime.
With iBroadway, users now have information about new and favorite Broadway shows at their fingertips. The app offers content that is seamlessly and elegantly married with compelling advertising and sponsorship opportunities for both brands and productions.
“For decades, Broadway has marketed itself through traditional channels — print, radio, television and the like. Now, new media technologies and platforms have become increasingly important in theatrical advertising campaigns. iBroadway will allow producers and sponsors to reach an even broader audience in a rapidly advancing mobile space,” said Chip Meyrelles, AMC’s Executive Director. “It’s a huge step up for theater; it also supports AMC’s mission to extend Broadway’s reach to the new media marketplace.”
“Partnering with Art Meets Commerce, one of the leading producers and the top new media company on Broadway today, provides us with a unique opportunity to further expand our entertainment channel and bring the best live theater content to Zumobi Network users and brand advertisers,” said Ken Willner, CEO of Zumobi.
App features include:
- Details on performance venues, schedules and ticketing information, along with discounts for some of the hottest shows on Broadway;
- Exclusive video content, synopses, reviews and cast information;
- Links to purchase cast recordings and soundtracks from the iTunes store;
- News, reviews and commentary from a host of the top writers in the theatre industry today;
- A simple way for users to share details about their favorite shows via Facebook, Twitter or email.
Produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett, Jay-Z, Steve and Ruth Hendel, Roy Gabay, AMC Executive Director Chip Meyrelles and AMC Principal Ken Greiner, FELA! is the first production to advertise in the iBroadway app. The show is up for 11 Tony awards this Sunday including best musical, and through a promotional tie-in with Knitting Factory Records, a Fela Kuti bonus track will be offered free to users who purchase the musical’s original cast recording through the app.
“Bringing Broadway to the smartphone is a new and exciting way for us to engage with FELA! fans,” said Brian Long of Knitting Factory Records. “This app offers such a rich and unique opportunity for engagement, that we have added a special bonus track, which is only available to our fans who purchase the FELA! original cast recording through the iBroadway app. Fela Kuti lovers, and theater lovers, you have to have this!”
The iBroadway app is available for free on Apple’s App Store and as a part of The Zumobi Network, the leading publishing partner for top media companies. It can be downloaded HERE.