Gracenote Teams With Twitter in Deal to Deliver Tweets From Verified Accounts to Connected Media Services and Devices

LONDON, January 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Partnership Brings New Ways for Fans to Connect with Musicians, Bands and Actors Across Multiple Entertainment Platforms; First Deployment will be with rara.com

Gracenote® announced today a partnership with Twitter that will integrate Twitter Verified Accounts for musicians, actors and other artists into Gracenote products and services. This will allow popular entertainment platforms powered by Gracenote to feature official Twitter feeds from prominent musicians, bands and actors, creating more engaging experiences for fans around the world.

Gracenote will offer demos at CES 2012 with newly-launched global music service rara.com at Gracenote Booth #31106, South Hall, LVCC.  

Twitter Verified Accounts include some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. Gracenote will incorporate Twitter Verified Accounts into its database of music and video information, which already includes music and video metadata and Cover Art for millions of artists, albums and movies, and powers more than a billion devices.

"Gracenote's broad reach across media sectors and consumer devices will amplify Twitter's power to bring artists and fans closer together," said Glenn Otis Brown, Twitter director of media business development. "This partnership opens the door for all of Gracenote's media and device partners to weave Twitter into their core experiences."

When a music fan is listening to an artist through an online music service on their tablet or Smart TV, Gracenote can deliver the artist's Twitter @username and public profile information, along with Gracenote music metadata, song recommendations and Cover Art. This allows fans to view and interact with the artist's Tweets, follow the artist and engage with other fans, without launching another screen or leaving the media service.

"Twitter has emerged as the first real-time platform for connecting fans with the artists and actors they love," said Stephen White, president of Gracenote.  "With Gracenote powering the hottest entertainment services today, this partnership means Verified Twitter Accounts can be distributed into a wide range of products and brands - from Smart TVs and automotive infotainment systems to Cloud music services and smart phones - expanding Twitter's reach and further engaging consumers in new and exciting ways."

rara.com will be the first online music service to feature Twitter Verified artist feeds powered by Gracenote. rara.com, which is powered by leading cloud music provider - Omnifone, recently launched across 17 countries including the USA, UK and mainland Europe and is designed specifically for mass market consumers who still use CDs and want an easier way to adopt digital music.

"rara.com is super excited to be the first music service to use the Gracenote Twitter integration to bring real time artist Twitter feeds to consumers," said Rob Lewis, Chairman of rara.com.

Gracenote Global Media Database - Powerful Reach

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 the world's leading music and video products, from Apple iTunes and HTC smart phones to Ford Sync and Sony BRAVIA TVs.

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.