Gracenote Teams with Twitter to Streamline Verification Process for Musicians and Bands

AUSTIN, Texas, March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SXSW Conference – Gracenote® has teamed with Twitter in an exclusive deal to make it easier for musicians to request verification for their Twitter accounts. Gracenote works with more than 3,000 record labels, artists, artist manager and publishers to maintain the world's largest database of music and video information, including music and video metadata and Cover Art for millions of artists, albums and movies. Under the agreement with Twitter, Gracenote will leverage its music industry expertise and relationships with the major labels, artists and artist management to help streamline the verification process for Twitter Verified Accounts.

Gracenote will develop tools to make it simpler and faster for musicians and bands to request their Verified Badge for their Twitter Accounts. Twitter uses Verification to establish authenticity of well-known accounts so users can trust that a legitimate source is authoring the Tweets.  Any Twitter account with a Verified Badge, identified by a blue and white checkmark, is a Verified Account.

"Music has always been one of the most popular topics on Twitter," said Omid Ashtari, the head of sports and entertainment on the Twitter media team. "This agreement with Gracenote will help us expand the number of musicians verified on Twitter, to make it easier than ever to find and follow your favorite artists."

This new collaboration expands the scope of Gracenote's existing relationship with Twitter.  The two companies earlier this year announced a partnership to integrate Twitter Verified Accounts for musicians and actors into Gracenote's database and Gracenote-powered products and services.

"Twitter is becoming the communication platform for artists and other celebrities to connect with their fans," said Stephen White, President of Gracenote.  "Gracenote's work with labels, artists and artist management, along with the scope and breadth of our database, will allow us to identify and qualify these artists effectively and efficiently, providing Verified Account holders with a much improved verification experience and giving Twitter users deeper information about the artists they love."

Gracenote Global Media Database

Gracenote intelligently organizes digital media into a database that touches millions of people around the globe every day. This database includes descriptions of more than 130 million songs, as well as filmmaker and cast bios for movies, TV listings, and Album and Movie Cover Art.  All of this information is paired with Gracenote advanced technology to help power more than a billion of the world's leading music and video products, from Apple iTunes and HTC smart phones to Ford Sync and Sony BRAVIA TVs.

For more information about this Gracenote and Twitter partnership, visit www.gracenote.com\twitter.

About Gracenote

A pioneer in digital media, Gracenote, Inc. provides music and video content and technologies to the world's hottest entertainment products and brands. The company's partners in the entertainment community include major music publishers and labels, prominent independents and movie studios and television networks. A wholly owned, independent subsidiary of the Sony Corporation of America (SCA), Gracenote has offices in Tokyo, Munich, Berlin, Seoul, and Taipei with worldwide headquarters in Emeryville, California. For more information, follow us at @GracenoteTweets.                                     

Gracenote is a registered trademark of Gracenote, Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

For More Information Contact:
Veronica Skelton
Concept PR for Gracenote
415.342.3435
[email protected]

Graham McKenna
Sr. Director, Marketing Communications, Gracenote
510.428.7288
gmckenna@gracenote.com

SOURCE Gracenote