Hallmark Kicks Off Summer Music Tour

Hallmark Kicks Off Summer Music Tour

Hallmark extends its footprint in music by introducing more than 100 new Cards with Sound, free iTunes downloads, and a seven-city music tour including a 'Summer Sing-Off' challenge

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Hallmark today announced a seven-city "Use Music Summer Tour" to coincide with its introduction of more than 100 new Cards with Sound at Hallmark Gold Crown(R) stores. The new cards feature original music by artists Tim McGraw, Barenaked Ladies, and other contemporary artists.

To further reinforce Hallmark's support of great music, customers also now can purchase a range of popular iTunes gift cards at the majority of Hallmark Gold Crown Stores nationwide. Additionally, from July 23 through Sept. 9, shoppers who buy a Card with Sound from any Hallmark Gold Crown Store will get a free song download from the iTunes Store.

"Music brings an even greater level of emotion to the way we connect with each other, and we are in the business of helping people connect," said Ann Herrick, vice president of strategic music alliances at Hallmark. "Working with iTunes to integrate music into our offerings at a deeper level for customers is a natural profession in the music space for Hallmark."

Hallmark also is taking music outside the stores with the "Use Music Summer Tour" traveling to seven music and summer festivals around the country. The tour begins with Tim McGraw's concert in Atlanta on July 21 and ends in Las Vegas on Sept. 9. (See below for a full tour schedule.)

Tim McGraw's popular songs, "I Like It, I Love It," "Down on the Farm," and "Just to See You Smile", will be featured in some of the new Cards with Sound. "I've always loved expressing myself through song. Now with three of my songs featured in Hallmark's newest Cards with Sound, other people can use that music to express themselves too," said Tim McGraw. "When someone opens one of these cards, I hope the unexpected surprise of hearing the song will bring a smile to their face."

During the seven-city tour, a Hallmark interactive area will be set up with an opportunity to check out hundreds of Cards with Sound at a listening station, take pictures with an Entertainment Weekly magazine cover, play Guitar Hero -- an interactive music game, and participate in Hallmark's "Summer Sing-Off" challenge.

Contest entrants can perform on a sound stage at the Hallmark tent, and the winner at each local event will have their performance posted on http://www.hallmark.com/. Finalists' videos will be posted to the Web site on Sept. 11 and consumers will be able to vote for their favorite performance through Sept. 18.

All of these activities are an extension of Hallmark's long history with music. Hallmark is the only specialty retailer to achieve Platinum and Gold RIAA certification of CDs sold only at their Hallmark Gold Crown retail outlets. Six seasonal CDs released by Hallmark, by artists such as James Taylor, Michael Buble, George Strait, and Martina McBride, have been certified Gold (500,000 sold) or Platinum (1,000,000 sold).

Hallmark exploded on to the music scene with its Cards with Sound in 2006, featuring CD-quality recordings of original music and sound clips by the original artists and actors who recorded them.

   "Use Music Summer Tour" Schedule   Saturday, July 21 - Tim McGraw concert in Atlanta (event at Centennial     Olympic Park)   Sunday, July 29 - Jazz Festival in New York City.   Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3 to Aug. 5 - Navy Pier in Chicago   Friday through Sunday, Aug. 10 to Aug. 12 - Musikfest 2007 in Bethlehem,     Pa.   Friday through Sunday, Aug. 17 to Aug. 19 - Missouri State Fair in     Sedalia, Mo.   Friday through Sunday, Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 - Taste of Colorado in Denver   Friday through Sunday, Sept. 7 to Sept. 9 - Las Vegas    About Hallmark Cards, Inc.  

Kansas City-based Hallmark is known throughout the world for its greeting cards, related personal expression products, and television's most honored and enduring dramatic series, the Hallmark Hall of Fame. The company's Crayola subsidiary provides fun and imaginative ways for children to colorfully express themselves. The company publishes products in more than 30 languages and distributes them in more than 100 countries. In 2006, Hallmark reported consolidated net revenues of $4.1 billion.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:
http://pressroom.hallmark.com

Source: Hallmark

CONTACT: Angie Read of Fleishman-Hillard, +1-816-512-2322,
angie.read@fleishman.com, for Hallmark; or Sarah Gronberg of Hallmark Cards,
Inc., +1-816-545-6270, sgronb3@hallmark.com

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Profile: International Entertainment