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ZANKME allows musicians to create custom music download cards and obtain information about fans who redeem them. Continue reading
prREACH
Feb 16, 2013 /prREACH/ -- San Diego, CA – February 19, 2013 – ZANKME.com, a global online marketing company, is putting a new spin on download cards with a simple way to help musicians connect with their fans. ZANKME allows musicians to upload music, videos, photos or other digital media and immediately print custom download cards that can be sold or offered as promotional giveaways. Fans redeem the cards, and artists learn an array of information about their listeners including their email address and location.
ZANKME addresses many of the challenges faced by independent musicians when it comes to connecting with their fans. Email signup lists aren’t very effective, and today’s download card companies are expensive and require long lead times while offering the user no real-time customization.
“We understand the value of growing a list of interested fans,” says ZANKME creator Zank Bennett, a data mining specialist and longtime musician, “and we’ve seen bands and authors add thousands of names to their email lists from giving out these cards.”
The self-service website instantly generates codes on ready-to-print PDFs. Musicians can customize the look and format of the download cards (e.g. fliers, mini-cards, business cards or stickers). As fans redeem them, ZANKME’s comprehensive dashboard shows contact and demographic info, allowing for more targeted marketing and event promotion.
“ZANKME allows us to quickly create our own promotional campaigns, with our own unique requirements,” says Andre Recke, artist manager and former senior vice president of A&R for EMI Records Europe. “In just a few days we were able to reach and stay in touch with thousands of fans we wouldn’t have reached any other way.”
ZANKME was created to help working musicians and authors reach their fans and control their own marketing. Developers are currently working on new features including options for 2D barcodes, social sharing contests and full customization via an API, which will help artists increase engagement and attract even more fans.
While in beta, ZANKME collaborated with San Diego based global brand agency, Ikonic Tonic, to provide download codes in promotion of For the Sender, a book and CD by artist Alex Woodard, featuring Grammy award winning musicians. ZANKME handled code redemptions and tracked user downloads around the world, supported by media outlets such as Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and MariaShriver.com.
“My vision is to empower all independent musicians to print their own download cards and distribute and sell their own music with just a few clicks,” Bennett says. “Our growing list of bands are connecting with new fans every day and letting me know they really love what we’re doing.”
To learn more about ZANKME, visit www.zankme.com/bands.html