NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After earning the honor of being the #1 worldwide tour of 2010, Bon Jovi prepares to hit the road this February and will once again utilize the latest in web-based video technology to engage with their fans and bring them along for the ride.  Continuing their successful partnership with Animoto, the award-winning online video creation service, the iconic band is offering audiences in each upcoming North American tour market a spot in the limelight.  

Using the fun and easy suite of tools available from Animoto, fans can quickly transform their photos and/or videos to create a personal video slideshow about their hometown set to Bon Jovi's smash 1986 hit "Livin' On A Prayer." Throughout the two month tour, hundreds of user-generated Animoto videos will be featured on the tour's giant screens to accompany the band's live performance "Livin' On A Prayer."  

"We have the greatest fans in the world and we're excited to make them a part of our show through the wonders of technology," said Richie Sambora.  "We can't wait to see all of the videos they're creating."

Starting today, fans are encouraged to create and upload their own personalized Bon Jovi music video slideshow for this unique opportunity to win a pair of tickets to the show, and see themselves jam on the big screen alongside Bon Jovi. Additionally, the official winners in each city will receive a deluxe prize VIP package including access to the VIP pre show party, an exclusive VIP messenger bag, and several commemorative VIP items. To learn more and to submit your video, visit the official "Livin' On a Prayer" Website at http://prayer.bonjovi.com.

"We're thrilled about the longstanding Bon Jovi & Animoto partnership," commented Brad Jefferson, CEO and Co-founder of Animoto.  "This social media promotion gives fans an opportunity to share their most creative Animoto videos set to one of the most popular songs of our generation, "Livin' On A Prayer."

Bon Jovi's 2011 dates come hot on the heels of the band earning the top-grossing worldwide tour of 2010, according to both Billboard and Pollstar, an honor achieved for the second time in just three years. The band will perform concerts in the U.S., Canada and throughout Europe, presented by AEG Live.  Tickets are on sale now and additional concerts in New York, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Dublin have already been added, due to popular demand.

Globally, the Grammy® Award-winning band has sold more than 125 million albums, and performed more than 2,700 concerts in over 50 countries for more than 35 million fans.  Bon Jovi Greatest Hits (Island Def Jam Music Group) debuted at #1 around the world in November, with the band's three-decade-spanning retrospective charting higher and selling more copies in its first week than their 1994 Cross Road release, which has sold more than 21 million copies to date.   Previously, the band's "Lost Highway Tour" was named the #1 tour of 2008. Nearing three decades of an incredible career, Bon Jovi shows no sign of slowing down.  

For more information on all things Bon Jovi, visit www.BonJovi.com.

About Animoto:

Animoto (www.animoto.com) is a video slideshow creation service that enables consumers to easily make professional quality, personalized videos that will amaze friends, family and others. The Animoto team, which includes entertainment and technology industry veterans, has leveraged their expertise to develop a web-based service that makes it easy for people to quickly create and share their stories through video – using photos and or videos.  The heart of Animoto is its Cinematic Artificial Intelligence™ technology that thinks like an actual director and editor, using the same sophisticated post-production skills and techniques that are used in television and film.  A fast-growing company, Animoto Productions is based in New York City with an office in San Francisco.

About AEG Live

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance.  AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices and owns, operates or exclusively books thirty-five state-of-the-art venues.  The current and recent concert tour roster includes artists such as Taylor Swift, The Black Eyed Peas, Bon Jovi, Usher, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Justin Bieber, Leonard Cohen, Wisin & Yandel, Kenny Chesney, P!nk and Paul McCartney.  The company is also currently producing productions including Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.  Our exhibition portfolio boasts the most successful exhibition of all time, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoaohs, which has attracted more than 7 million visitors since 2005.  AEG Live is also the largest producer of music festivals in North America from the critically acclaimed Coachella Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

SOURCE Animoto