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Birthday Massacre Wins Annual "BOOK THE BAND" Contest Powered by Kyocera, Joins Stand-out Line-up at Virgin Mobile Freefest
Diehard Fans Are Given Access to Last Batch of Free Tickets Courtesy of Winning Band
Warren, NJ., August 18, 2009 - After roughly 700,000 text and online votes, fans chose The Birthday Massacre as the winner of this year's Virgin Mobile FreeFest's Book the Band Contest, powered by Kyocera. Employing Facebook and other social networking sites, The Birthday Massacre nabbed more than 280,000 of the votes in Virgin Mobile USA's and Kyocera's third-annual Book the Band Contest.
The Birthday Massacre will join A-list headliners including Blink-182, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Public Enemy, and a dozen more at the Virgin Mobile FreeFest on August 30 at Merriweather Post Pavilion, in Columbia, Md. With entertainment spanning across two stages, a dance tent, and acres of arts and attractions, FreeFest will host The Birthday Massacre as they take to the stage with their fusion of new wave retro rock.
"Book the Band has been a hugely successful program in its three-year run because it gives fans the rare shot to program the actual show," said Ron Faris, Director of Brand Marketing & Innovation, Virgin Mobile USA. "And this year, as an added twist, we've given more than a hundred free tickets to our sold-out show to The Birthday Massacre, as the winning band, to distribute to fans in the area as a way of thanking them for voting."
"Book The Band is an incredible launching-pad for up-and-coming bands, energizing their fans, giving them great exposure and culminating with a spot in the all-star line-up at the Festival," said Tom Maguire, head of global marketing at Kyocera Communications Inc. "Through programs like Book the Band and Kyocera ALL Access, where 14 young fans will win the chance to create a behind-the-scenes documentary about FreeFest, Kyocera and Virgin Mobile USA are thrilled to give fans a voice in how the event shapes up and how it's remembered well into the future."
The Birthday Massacre issued a statement: "The Birthday Massacre is happy to be sharing the stage with some of the bands that we have admired for a long time. We have just finished touring Europe and playing some big festivals, but this is the biggest and it should be great fun for us and our fans. Thanks to Virgin Mobile and Kyocera for the chance to play."
The Birthday Massacre beat out four other up-and-coming bands by receiving an overwhelming 40 percent of the more than 700,000 votes placed online and via text from July 27, 2009 to August 14, 2009. Black Gold came in second place with more than 220,000 votes. The other participating bands were Alesana, Iglu & Hartly, and This Providence.
For more information about The Birthday Massacre, visit the Book the Band section of the Virgin Mobile FreeFest website - Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2009. Fans can also sign up for news and updates.
About Virgin Mobile USA
Virgin Mobile USA, Inc., through its operating company Virgin Mobile USA, L.P., offers millions of customers control, flexibility and choice through Virgin Mobile's Plans Without Annual Contracts as well as pay-as-you-go and contract offerings, with national coverage powered by the Sprint PCS network. Virgin Mobile USA is known for its award-winning customer service, with 90% of its own customers reporting satisfaction.
Virgin Mobile USA's full slate of smart, stylish and affordable handsets are available at approximately 40,000 top retailers nationwide and online with Top-Up cards available at approximately 150,000 locations. Advanced contract devices like the Ocean 2 and unlimited All-in voice plans can be explored at http://www.virginmobileusa.com/.
About Kyocera Communications, Inc.
Kyocera Communications Inc. (KCI) is the sales, marketing, customer engineering and service headquarters for Kyocera- and Sanyo-branded wireless products and accessories in the Americas. The company's devices are driving the convergence of telecommunications, broadband and multimedia. KCI was formed in April 2009 through the combination of Kyocera Wireless Corp. and Kyocera Sanyo Telecommunications Inc., two wholly owned subsidiaries of Kyocera International Inc. The former was created when Kyocera purchased QUALCOMM Incorporated's consumer wireless phone business in 2000, while the latter was formed when Kyocera purchased the wireless phone business of Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. in 2008. Based in San Diego, KCI leverages Japan's history of creating advanced consumer technologies around humanism and respect for the environment and blending them with a Western entrepreneurialism and style, resulting in a unique design language and a natural, user-friendly interface. For more information, please visit www.kyocera-wireless.com
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO) (TOKYO:6971) (http://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as "advanced ceramics"). By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of telecommunications equipment, office-document imaging equipment, solar power generating systems, semiconductor packages, electronic components, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. During the year ended March 31, 2009, the company's net sales totaled 1.13 trillion yen (approximately US$11.5 billion). Kyocera marks its 50th anniversary in 2009, and the 40th anniversary of its U.S. operations. It is ranked #418 on Forbes magazine's 2009 "Global 2000" listing of the world's largest publicly traded companies.
© 2009 Kyocera. All rights reserved. Kyocera is a registered trademark of Kyocera Corporation.
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