Tim Myers, Dexter Freebish, Steriogram, and Still Time Sign on at Launch of the Republic Project to Distribute Music Directly to Fans

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Republic Project (www.republicproject.com) today announced its debut lineup of artists, including Tim Myers, Dexter Freebish, Steriogram, and Still Time. The Republic Project is the first truly interactive platform to bring fans and artists together, providing exclusive albums, rare tracks, behind the scenes footage, tour blogs, live chats, and much more.

“With or without a label, partnering with the Republic Project gives artists another opportunity to keep their creative control while hitting their next level of success and reaching a mass amount of fans directly through the Web.”

Unlike other digital music offerings, the Republic Project was designed as a means for artists to directly embrace their audience without the limitations imposed by traditional music deals. The Republic Project provides musicians the opportunity to raise awareness and sell albums while maintaining the masters and all rights.

“The record industry is going through so much resizing and restructuring that it has temporarily lost touch with what artists need to gain awareness and directly reach their fans,” said Julie Shama, manager for Tim Myers and founder of Black Unicorn Music. “With or without a label, partnering with the Republic Project gives artists another opportunity to keep their creative control while hitting their next level of success and reaching a mass amount of fans directly through the Web.”

For Fans

The Republic Project completely reimagines the relationship between fan and artist, providing direct contact and exclusive access to the music and the process. Different tiers of the offering will be made available,

• Artist blog: Behind the scenes access to artists, including tour diaries and song sheets
• Exclusive video: In studio, on the road or from their private lives, fans get a chance to see artists in a way never before possible
• Pre-orders: The primary offering at launch will be to provide fans who pre-order an album even more access and special “fan-only” content

“As a huge music fan myself, I always wondered why there wasn’t a more direct way to access my favorite artists,” said Ryan Swagar, CEO for the Republic Project. “People listen to music almost exclusively in digital formats and the music industry needs to market the artists where the fans are. We provide artists with a launch pad to penetrate the market more broadly than ever before.”

For Artists

In addition to helping artists build the deepest possible relationships with their fans and providing greater control over the distribution process, the Republic Project harnesses the power of social media to develop an artist’s individual digital footprint and enhance new and existing communities on the Web. When fans pre-order an album, they take part in the artist’s studio experience and tap into exclusive content created by the artist, for the Republic Project, which they can then share with all of their friends across the social media landscape.

“We’ve received a phenomenal response from managers because they are now looking ten years down the road for their artists, and so are we,” said Sarah Gavigan, Director of Artists Relations for the Republic Project and owner of Ten Music (a Music Strategy Co. that works with brands). “This is a unique opportunity not just for bands, but for fans and brands as well. We offer artists a way to do something they’ve never done before – share original content directly with fans and monetize it without compromising their rights to that content.”

Monetizing Artist Content with Flip MinoHD^TM

As the Republic Project’s integrated marketing partner, Flip MinoHD camcorders will be provided to the participating artists to capture exclusive in-studio HD video footage, as well as insider access to their personal lives. The Flip MinoHD’s signature flip-out USB arm allows the artists to easily plug the camcorder into any computer for immediate editing and uploading of the video content to www.RepublicProject.com for sharing with their fans. The Flip MinoHD is Pure Digital’s latest innovation in its best-selling Flip Video^TM family of camcorders (www.theflip.com), and raises the bar for high-quality, portable, easy-to-use video.

The Lineup

Artists for the Republic Project are chosen based on a number of factors, including their existing fan base, their interest in maintaining ownership of their music and their desire to interact with fans and share their experiences. Featured artists on the Republic Project include:

• Tim Myers: His music has been heard on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and Lifetime’s top rated show, Army Wives. Myers’ music can also be heard in the recent Dreamworks Film, Hotel For Dogs. With his obsession with songwriting and experimenting in the studio, Myers continues to write and record at least three songs a week. Music has been a presence in Myers life since an early age, being compelled by piano at five and mastering classical piano by thirteen. Guitar and bass were introduced to him by age fourteen, which lead him to join the band OneRepublic at age eighteen. In 2008, Myers song "A Beautiful World" was featured in a Target commercial giving Myers a lot of great publicity. His new song "Brand New Day Feat. Lindsey Ray" is currently being used various other Target commercials.
• Dexter Freebish: An Austin, Texas based band has released two albums and have plans for a new album to be released in 2009. In 1999, they won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest Song of the Year for their song “Leaving Town," picked from about 27,000 entries. They eventually signed with Capitol Records and recorded their first full-length album in 2000 titled "A Life of Saturdays." Dexter Freebish ultimately decided to part ways with Capitol Records, due to creative differences. Their second album "Tripped Into Divine" was released independently through Sixthman Records. They just released “The Other Side - The Best of Dexter Freebish” which includes their greatest hits plus four new singles. Most recently, they signed on with Electronic Arts and their new single is to be featured in The Sims 3 game, due out in March.
• Steriogram: Steriogram has been the big news of the Kiwi music scene for the past couple of years as they've broken out across the world and exploded onto the U.K. singles chart. It honed its mixture of heavy metal, hip-hop and funk around its hometown of Auckland before going international in 2004. Capitol Records noticed and signed Steriogram in late 2002. When the “Schmack!” LP appeared domestically in May 2004, it boasted a huge, radio-friendly sound and loads of popular humor. The single “Walkie Talkie Man” was featured in the original iPod commercial in 2004 and the video for the same song was directed by Michel Gondry (White Stripes, Bjork, Foo Fighters) and garnered five MTV award nominations and one Grammy nomination.
• Still Time: Since forming in 2004, while college students on California's sunny Central Coast, Still Time has been working on their unique blend of folk, rock, blues, and reggae. The diversity of their live performance has allowed them to share the stage with a wide variety of influential artists from David Lindley to Ziggy Marley. With their rare and inviting balance of "light hearted flavor" and a "distinctly jazzy depth," they have been compared by many publications to artists such as Van Morrison, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews Band, and Pearl Jam. Still Time is planning for their upcoming spring and summer tours throughout the West Coast and potentially nationwide.

About Republic Project

The Republic Project, (www.republicproject.com), connects fans with their favorite artists via an interactive platform that combines digital album sales with exclusive video content. This retail experience is driven by the Republic Project’s social and Web marketing for the artist and label / representative. Our unique approach to selling music online creates a variety of revenue-generating opportunities for artists while providing the fan with the most robust and intimate entertainment experience possible. The Republic Project also develops tailored media packages for brands to feature products and promote awareness among a passionate and highly targeted audience.

About Pure Digital Technologies, Inc.

Based in San Francisco, Pure Digital Technologies is a pioneer in developing simple, affordable digital imaging solutions for the mass market. Its revolutionary Flip Video family of camcorders ignited a new category of video cameras that puts the power to shoot and share video into the pockets of everyday consumers. Flip Video camcorders are the world's first with on-board software to enable editing, organizing, and seamless video uploading to YouTube, MySpace, AOL Video and other video sharing sites. As part of its Flip Video Spotlight Program, the company pledged to deliver 1 million camcorders to help non-profits use the power of video to change the world. Flip Video is available in over 10,000 retail locations including Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Sears, Kmart, and TheFlip.com. Flip Video products are also available in Canada and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.TheFlip.com.