PEPSI AND YAHOO PARTNER WITH "SMASH ON YAHOO MUSIC"
Divided into weekly and monthly segments, Smash on Yahoo! Music will bring fans exclusive performances and take them outside the studio to discover new sides of their favorite artists. British rock quartet Coldplay kicks off June as the "Featured Performance" with an exclusive interview and in-studio performance of "Speed of Sound" and "In My Place." Additional Smash on Yahoo! Music original content segments include:
100 Concerts/100 Days - Pepsi and Yahoo! are sending two music fans on the ultimate road trip around the country with the goal to see 100 concerts in a 100 days that will be featured in daily video, text and photo uploads on the SMASH on Yahoo! microsite.
Another Side Of - Cameras follow Seether, the heavy metal band from South Africa, as they go outside the studio and go snowboarding.
Cover Art - Showcases various artists performing covers of the songs they love accompanied with an anecdote of the song's influence on their lives. Country act Big and Rich performs Madonna's "Like a Virgin" exclusively on the site.
DJ Division - An insider's guide into the Mix Tape world through the eyes of the best DJs in the country.
Mic Pass - A look at free-wheelin' rap freestylin' from new talent plucked from the streets of New York. Mic Pass will hit a new city each month.
News Smash - A weekly segment will keep viewers in the know with the latest news in the world of music and pop culture.
Kanye West and Gwen Stefani have signed on to participate in upcoming Smash on Yahoo! Music segments. Former Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan; one-third of pop punk pioneers Blink 182, Mark Hoppus and many others also will appear in original programming on the site later this year.
"Pepsi has featured the biggest recording artists and a diverse range of chart-topping music in marketing campaigns and we are excited to collaborate with them to provide a new venue for Smash," said Dave Goldberg, VP/GM, Yahoo! Music. "Together we will expand the scope of the music programming experience and leverage Yahoo's broad reach to bring quality original content to the voracious audience of music fans on the Internet and beyond."
Yahoo! and Pepsi are supporting the program with an extensive marketing campaign. Pepsi will utilize print, radio, TV advertising and offline events to drive awareness and traffic to the site. Yahoo! will feature links to the content throughout its network, including the Yahoo! front page, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Entertainment and Yahoo! Sports, among others. In addition, Pepsi's partnerships with top artists like Kanye West and Gwen Stefani has led to exclusive Smash on Yahoo! Music content featuring those artists, including their end of summer Pepsi Smash Concerts, which will be repurposed for on-demand streaming through the Smash on Yahoo! Music site.
"Smash on Yahoo! Music allows us to have a music presence 365 days a year on a medium that enables viewers to interact with our programming on their terms," said Dave Burwick, SVP/CMO, Pepsi-Cola North America. "Yahoo! possesses a credibility in the music industry and among teens that is invaluable and we're looking forward to working with them to bring fans this exclusive music content."
