Entertaining Messaging: Emoticast Closes $5 Million Super Angel Round, Sean Parker, will.i.am, David Guetta Back Messaging Innovator
LONDON, March 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Emoticast, the entertainment industry's go-to partner for mobile messaging, announced a super angel round that brings its total investment to $5 million. The funding is led by a coalition of tech and entertainment leaders, including entrepreneur and Napster co-founder Sean Parker through Strangeloop Ventures; producer and Black Eyed Peas co-founder will.i.am; superstar DJ and producer David Guetta; former Maker Studios CEO Ynon Kreiz; Jason Epstein, board member for Rhapsody International, parent company of Rhapsody and Napster; Nicole Junkermann through Montilla International Corporation; and Alan Cannistraro, the Godfather of apps.
Emoticast, which is behind the TuneMoji apps and bots that put music GIFs with sound into messaging, is dramatically expanding the ways mobile users can send entertainment content across the world's biggest messaging platforms. Emoticast already has global licenses with major music industry labels such as Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, and with major publishing groups, including Sony ATV, Warner Chappell Music, Universal Publishing Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and PRS/Impel. The company is also widening its focus on entertainment messaging content beyond music GIFs to film and television.
For the first time, users of the world's biggest messaging platforms, including iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Kik, can "Say it with a song" through TuneMoji. The company enables mobile users to send snackable music GIFs with sound from today's top artists and has produced original content working directly with Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and many others. The company will use the investment to continue to grow its partners in music and other entertainment fields, to increase original content collaborations with artists, and to expand its messaging partner network. Among the first partnerships is an exclusive collaboration with Kik in April featuring Snoop Dogg, where the artists will take over TuneMoji's bot and empower users to express themselves by sharing custom Snoop music GIFs.
"At Warner Music, we are excited about new, innovative opportunities to integrate music into social and messaging platforms and to adapt our content to evolving consumer behavior," said Ole Olbermann, Chief Digital Officer and Executive VP for Warner Music Group. "By partnering with Emoticast we enable our music to enrich billions of daily messaging interactions and we create new avenues for value creation and unique marketing for our artists and songwriters."
Emoticast was founded by music industry serial entrepreneur James Fabricant, former Head MySpace Europe. With deep experience across the social media and music industries, Emoticast has secured the global rights to one of the most extensive collections of songs and original artist content available.
"We're delighted to welcome such rock star investors to Emoticast," said Emoticast founder and CEO James Fabricant. "Emoticast is primed to become the micro-YouTube for messaging built on a foundation of premium licensed content. The backing of such high-profile individuals from the worlds of music, technology and entertainment is validation of the company's success in catalyzing partnerships across the entertainment and messaging industries."
About Emoticast
Emoticast lets both iOS and Android users share music GIFs with sound from today's top artists across the world's biggest messaging platforms, including iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Kik, Skype, Telegram and Viber, via its TuneMoji apps and bots. Emoticast, which is behind the TuneMoji app that puts music GIFs with sound into messaging, was founded by serial entrepreneur James Fabricant, former head of MySpace Europe. Through partnerships with major music labels, publishers and entertainment companies, Emoticast has secured the global rights to one of the most extensive collections of music available, transforming the way users communicate on mobile messaging. The company is backed by entertainment and technology industry leaders and has operations across North America and the United Kingdom.
For more information:
Mark de la Viña
Consort Partners for Emoticast
emoticast@consortpartners.com
+1 415-282-4795
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