Bertelsmann AG‘s music and
entertainment division, BMG
Entertainment, on Thursday struck an exclusive deal with online
greeting card provider Egreetings
Network Inc., which will attach music from BMG artists to cards, and
give recipients a chance to buy related CDs.
The deal expands an existing agreement between the two companies.
Among the artists to be promoted are Barry White, George Winston, Whitney
Houston, Lou Bega and Vertical Horizon. New artists and songs will be added
regularly.
“We are developing innovative ways to connect our artists with their fans
via the Internet and have been extremely impressed by the tremendous
exposure our artists have received through Egreetings.com,” said Kevin
Conroy, senior vice president, worldwide marketing and new technology, BMG
Entertainment.
“Since Egreetings first offered our artists’ music cards, millions of
visitors have viewed and sent them and many have purchased our artists’
music as a result. This expanded alliance with Egreetings will provide
great exposure for both our developing and established artists and drive
sales through all channels of distribution.”
Online greeting cards have been one of the Internet’s surprising successes
because of their viral nature — when someone receives a card, they are
very likely to send one of their own, if only to return the greeting. This
deal represents BMG’s attempt to capitalize on this phenomenon. For
Egreetings, the agreement allows it to offer more content to its customers.
Financial details of the agreement weren’t disclosed.
