Move Over, iTunes Ping: likeZEBRA.com Leads The Pack as Music Discovery Tool For Indie Music Fans and Artists

Online music hub gives fans exclusive access to independent artists and bands. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) September 08, 2010 - Apple's recent launch of Ping, a new social network on iTunes that claims to promote music discovery, had music lovers optimistic. However, their optimism may be short lived - in a CNN article published last week titled "iTunes Ping: the Missing Thing," technology contributor and Mashable Founder/CEO Pete Cashmore hinted that Ping fails to deliver in terms of taking the public beyond Top 40 hits and exposing them to lesser known artists. Fortunately, online music hub likeZEBRA.com has the indie space covered. As the voice of the music underground, likeZEBRA allows fans to connect with the unsigned bands and artists they love and gain exclusive access to new independent music, and only independent music.

Running as part of the iTunes software, Ping aims to help fans find new artists that their friends are "talking about, listening to, and downloading." However, outside of popular acts like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift, Ping falls short in terms of providing searches for independent artists. While Cashmore's article references TuneCore's efforts to negotiate Ping artist accounts for artists and bands who subscribe to their services, he says that "these negotiations will do little to help independent artists." Ping only allows artists to set up profiles on the site by invitation only, thereby limiting the Ping database to a privileged few. likeZEBRA, however, has garnered a cult following among fans who crave undiscovered music by cultivating an extensive database of independent artists.

"likeZEBRA is the indie music discovery and recommendation engine," says Jon Taggart, likeZEBRA's Director of A&R. "Fans can find new favorite artists, share their discoveries with their friends, and really participate in the indie experience."

In addition to hosting a comprehensive database of independent music, likeZEBRA provides unsigned musicians and artists with the competitive edge they need to showcase and promote their music to an extensive audience consisting of fans, venues, producers and industry professionals. In fact, likeZEBRA's accessibility has attracted established indie artists like The Wailers, Margaret Cho, The Fold and The Devil Wears Prada. By joining likeZEBRA, artists are given access to a range of promotional tools to aid in accessing a larger fan base along with the ability to promote, distribute, and sell music.

Through likeZEBRA.com's easily navigable site, music lovers can discover new music directly through likeZEBRA's music player, or search directly for bands by genre, artist, fan, or track. The site is also equipped with a news feed and buzz section that keeps fans updated on everything from album releases to what's hot. As the voice of the music underground, fans continue to flock to likeZEBRA to stay current with breaking industry news and events, discover hot new artists, and gain exclusive access to new indie music.

"likeZEBRA's combination of access, monetization tools, social networking, and passion for reigniting the indie music movement sets us apart from other music discovery sites," adds Taggart. "We're constantly evolving to assist indie artists in reaching their audience, and our platform is real testament to the art of connecting with fans and engaging new ones."

For media inquiries and/or to arrange an interview, please contact Jessica Lieu at 323.937.1951 or jessica ( @ ) tylerbarnettpr dot com.

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