NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EscapeX, developer of advanced mobile solutions to connect celebrities and content creators directly with their audiences, announced today that its official Bob Marley app has been downloaded three million times in sixty days. To celebrate this milestone, the Company will be donating up to $20,000 to the Bob Marley Foundation based on downloads occurring February 4-6, 2016, which coincides with the One Love Music Festival in Montego Bay, Jamaica and Bob Marley’s birthday on February 6.
"The Bob Marley app reaching three million downloads, at the same time as the One Love Music Festival that is celebrating Bob Marley's 71st birthday, is worthy of a heartfelt gesture,” said DaDa Mills, Chief Creative Officer, EscapeX. “The EscapeX team wants to commemorate this occasion with a handsome donation to the Bob Marley Foundation."
Developed by EscapeX in partnership with the Marley family, the official Bob Marley app is free to download through the App Store or Google Play, and allows fans to enjoy Marley’s music, lyrics, photographs, interviews and more via their smartphone or tablet. The app will soon allow users to make donations to a variety of charitable organizations, including the Bob Marley Foundation.
“My father wanted his music to impact the world, and we started the Bob Marley Foundation to help his message live on,” said the singer’s daughter, Cedella Marley, CEO, Tuff Gong International and director of the Bob Marley Foundation. “Partnering with EscapeX on the app has successfully created a new way for his music to reach fans, both new and old, and we have been astounded by the high volume of downloads in such a short period of time. We’re very appreciative of EscapeX’s efforts to recognize the charitable work of the foundation and help support the One Love Music Festival.”
No matter where in the world a user may be, all downloads of the Bob Marley app during February 4-6 EST will be counted toward the total donation made via EscapeX. The breakdown of downloads to donation is as follows:
- 15,000 downloads - $2,500 donation
- 30,000 downloads - $5,000 donation
- 60,000 downloads - $10,000 donation
- 120,000 or more downloads - $20,000 donation
“Technology makes it easy for fans to access an artist’s music anywhere in the world, but streaming services are overlooking the deep relationships that artists like Bob Marley still have with their fans,” said Sephi Shapira, CEO, EscapeX. “After seeing how Marley’s fans have demonstrated their devotion to the man, his ideals and his music through the Bob Marley app, this is a great way to show his fans that Bob Marley’s message of peace and love lives on in the digital age.”
About EscapeX
Headed by mobile technology experts and entertainment industry leaders, EscapeX develops advanced mobile solutions to provide celebrities and social influencers like athletes, actors, models, comedians, and other creators with a direct connection to their audiences, greater control over their content, and monetization of social engagement through e-commerce and in-app advertising. For fans, the apps deliver streamlined access to content, including key social media feeds from Facebook, Instagram, and more. The platform also features a proprietary loyalty program that rewards users for spending time on the apps and interacting more closely with influencers.
About Bob Marley
Bob Marley, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is notable not only as the man who put reggae on the global map, but, as a statesman in his native Jamaica, he famously brought together the country’s warring factions — symbolized by rival politicians Michael Manley and Edward Siega joining hands on-stage -- during his legendary “One Love Peace Concert” in Kingston, which took place on April 22, 1978, less than six weeks before this Music Hall performance in Boston. It was five years since Marley and the band arrived from Jamaica, with the 1977 release of EXODUS, recorded in London just after an assassination attempt on his life, turned into not just a socio-political statement, but one which included such hits as the title track, “Waiting In Vain” and “One Love,” paving the way for their next release Kaya and a world tour in ’78. Together with his music’s theme of liberation, Marley’s own rags-to-riches story brought inspiration to subjugated people around the world, where he was revered as a larger-than-life leader.
Today, Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century’s most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley’s lifestyle and music continue to inspire new generations as his legacy lives on through his music. In the digital era, he has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity, with the official Bob Marley Facebook page drawing more than 74 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages and Top 10 among celebrity pages. Marley’s music catalog has sold millions of albums worldwide
Thirty years after its original release, Bob Marley & The Wailers’, LEGEND, shared the top of the charts, holding the No. 5 spot on Billboard’s 200 Album Chart among Maroon 5 (#1), Jeezy (#2), Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack (#3), and Ariana Grande (#4). LEGEND also holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine’s Catalog Albums chart and remains the world’s best-selling reggae album. Marley’s accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001). For more information visit: bobmarley.com and facebook.com/bobmarley.
