Gospel Music Channel and FameCast Shine the Light on Indie Artists

Gospel Music Channel, the fastest-growing network in television, has partnered with FameCast Media, to develop and launch a digital entertainment experience aimed at giving independent Christian musicians the chance of a lifetime.

Gospel Music Channel joins Fender, Guitar Center, Van's Warped Tour, PacSun, Joe's Jeans and other major brands that are partnering with FameCast Media to develop customized, engaging online experiences in support of their marketing efforts.

In conjunction with Integrity Music, Fender Musical Instruments and FameCast Media, Gospel Music Channel just launched the 2009 Indie Spotlight competition, a user-generated, online contest open to artist and musicians of all styles whose music is written to uplift, inspire and entertain.

To compete, musicians upload a performance video or mp3 at indie.gospelmusicchannel.com. That's also where fans can find, listen to and vote for their favorite artists and bands. Fan voting will help determine 15 Finalists who will be featured on GospelMusicChannel.com. These Finalists will receive valuable industry feedback from a panel of judges, composed of artists, songwriters, and music industry professionals from Integrity Music and Gospel Music Channel. Ultimately, one lucky musician will be selected as the grand prize winner, have the chance to record with Integrity Music, receive $5000 in new music gear from Fender and appear on Gospel Music Channel.

"As the nation's only television network and leading website featuring all styles of Christian / Gospel music, supporting and discovering independent artists is critically important," commented Philip Manwaring, GMC vice president of digital media. "To expand the reach of this contest and include as many fans as possible, we decided to make the Indie Spotlight contest an online platform. We chose to partner with FameCast due to their proprietary contest platform, creative and marketing expertise as well as their trusted relationship with the artists and fan community. We hope the Indie Spotlight contest generates widespread awareness of the artists and GMC in addition to discovering new recording talent for Integrity Music."

Founded in 2006 as an online music talent competition allowing independent artists to gain national exposure, FameCast quickly became recognized as an innovator in identifying up and coming talent in a number of music styles and creating a highly interactive experience between musicians and music fans. They evolved the contest format into a pioneering branded entertainment experience blending user generated content, social media and FameCast's Buzz Factor(TM) technology to deliver customized, engaging marketing campaigns for brands. FameCast has created successful experiences for the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands/ 2009 Van Warped Tour, Guitar Centers' On-Stage competition with Motley Crue, John Mayer's Mayercraft, the Taste of Chaos Battle of the Bands, and Fender Guitars' Road Worn(TM) competition. Not limited to music, they also power the JOE's Next Model competition for JOE's JEANS (joesnextmodel.com) and an online tribute contest in conjunction with the DVD release of Notorious from Fox Home Entertainment (www.notorioustribute.com).

Check out Indie Spotlight and remember to vote for your favorites at indie.gospelmusicchannel.com.

About FameCast: FameCast is a leading digital marketing and entertainment platform company that delivers customized, branded contests combining user-generated video, fan participation, viral marketing and social media to drive cost-effective, comprehensive marketing campaigns for major brands. The online platform is built on FameCast's proprietary Contest Management and Media Optimization Engine, which ensure contest integrity and content quality. In addition to the enormous exposure, clients also get valuable user data and rich content, both of which are vitally important to developing deeper relationships with customers. The prestigious Digital Hollywood AlwaysOn Network recently named FameCast one of its Top 100 Private Companies. Find out more at famecastmedia.com.

About Gospel Music Channel: GMC is the fastest-growing network in television and can be seen in 45 million homes on various cable systems around the country, on DIRECTV on channel 338 and on Verizon FiOS on channel 224.

About Integrity Music: Integrity Music is a label of Integrity Media, a privately-held media/communications company that produces and distributes Christian music and related products. Integrity is headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, with subsidiary offices in Tennessee, Singapore, South Africa and the United Kingdom. Its products are sold within the U.S. and in over 160 other countries. Additional information is available at http://www.integritymusic.com/.

About Fender Musical Instruments Corp.: Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is the world's foremost manufacturer of guitars, amplifiers and related equipment. Founded in 1946, its name has become synonymous with all things rock 'n' roll. Iconic Fender(R) instruments such as the Telecaster(R), Stratocaster(R), Precision Bass(R) and Jazz Bass(R) guitars are known worldwide as the instruments that started the rock revolution, and they continue to be highly prized by guitarists and collectors today. FMIC markets using the brand names Fender(R), Squier(R), Guild(R), Gretsch(R), Jackson(R), Charvel(R), SWR(R), Tacoma(R), EVH(R) and Groove Tubes(R), among others. For further information online, visit www.fender.com.

FameCast Contact: Chris Lowder Director of Marketing 3000 East Cesar Chavez Austin, TX 78702 O: 512-287-7040 C: 512-665-3341 clowder (at) famecast.com

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