Indie Artists Flock To Widgets As Solution For Adding Virality To Campaigns

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Gydget) - Gydget, the social marketing platform that allows music artists, labels, promoters and sports teams to reach their audiences on social networking and fan-based Web sites, today announced that Bay Area rapper/producer, Starski, will be releasing free tracks from his new album, "Tomorrow Ain't Promised" through his viral fan widget, or gydget, found on his MySpace page.

Direct-to-listener online campaigns have been a recent trend in the music industry, with both major label and indie artists opting to give their music away in lieu of, or in advance of, the commercial sale. "We took a close look at what was happening in the industry and decided that creating a buzz and getting Starski's music out there was the best way to ensure his success," said Petey Pistorelo, A & R Director of Pimp Hop Records. "We selected Gydget as the vehicle to distribute the tracks because we wanted this campaign to be about fans telling friends about the music. Gydget is the best way to create a complete music experience for a fan's page. The gydget is like a mini-MySpace page that fans can promote to their friends."

"Thanks to social networking sites and free fan-based marketing solutions such as gydget, indie artists now have the power to get their music heard, without having to rely on radio or more traditional label marketing," said Gerardo Capiel, CEO of Gydget. "We're thrilled to see Starski, and thousands of other indie bands taking their careers into their own control and getting their music heard."

Chris Herche, Head of New Media at Koch Records agrees. "Styles P, Myriad, Sheek Louch and Ray J are just a few of our indie artists using Gydget. Gydget's free widget solution allows artists and labels to spread their brand through social networking platforms, which is integral to an album's success. Gydget also updates automatically based on changes to the MySpace page, which saves us time and resources and keeps content fresh for our fans."

Fans looking to download Starski's tracks for free can find them on the Starski gydget on https://www.myspace.com/pimphoprecords. Bands and promoters that want to create customizable widgets can create them for free at https://www.gydget.com.