Press release distributed in partnership with ...  

Camplified Returns to Camp, Marking its Fifth Year Anniversary Tour

Camplified 2007 features Blacktop Mourning, Natascha Sohl, Alexa Wilkinson, & Others

New York, New York (Billboard Publicity Wire) August 10, 2007 -- Following four successful years of bringing a positive musical message to young campers throughout America, Camplified has kicked off its fifth anniversary celebration with the start of its 2007 tour, sponsored by Gibson Guitars, Scholastic Inc., AMSkier and Steve & Barry's exclusive new clothing line, DEAR by Amanda Bynes.

The brainchild of Alternative Venue Entertainment, a joint venture formed by Carl Freed and Aimee Berger, Camplified first came into existence five years ago. The organization's longstanding goal has been to provide teens and 'tweens at various summer camps with a rock concert and a VIP / backstage experience that includes interaction with performers as well as integrated activities with age-appropriately-targeted sponsors.

"Every year, we go out on the road with a certain number of artists; all of the artists are up-and-coming, emerging talents, most of whom have had a certain amount of regional success, and the tour provides these artists with the opportunity to play in front of a 'captive audience,'" says Berger, "and we leave it to the artists to entertain and take advantage of the built in setting."

The artist line-up for this year's Camplified tour will once again be filled with a wide variety of musical talent. Artists featured on the bill throughout the various dates of the tour will be Alexa Wilkinson, Blacktop Mourning, Devin Lima and The Cadbury Diesel, Kelsey Merritt, Kristen Mari, Matt Lowell, Natascha Sohl, Remember The Day, Matt Stamm, The Kin, and The Rideaways. These bands represent not just different locales within the United States but also several international territories as well.

The sponsors of Camplified 2007 will be assisting the tour's artists in their endeavors to make the event one to remember. Gibson Guitar, the world's premiere musical instrument maker and leader in music technology, will sponsor clinics where the artists can teach the children how to play their instruments; at the end of the Camplified tour, Gibson will donate all of the guitars used on the tour to select camps, who can continue to use the instruments for music lessons throughout the summer and in years to come. Scholastic, meanwhile, will be providing free books to the campers. "We're happy to provide books to campers and encourage summer reading among tweens and teens," says Julie Amitie, Scholastic's Director of Retail Marketing and Brand Management.

Steve and Barry's will bring something particularly unique to the table with the promotion for DEAR by Amanda Bynes, their new collection of high quality, hip, affordable and comfortable clothing for young women. "The slogan for this new line asks the question, 'What's DEAR to you?'" explains Berger. "The kids at the various camps are invited to film themselves answering the question, whether it's in a straightforward manner or in a skit of some sort; the tapes will be put on a branded channel on YouTube, and the top 10 most viewed videos will be circulating at Steve and Barry's stores in the DEAR section." The DEAR launch party with Amanda Bynes will take place at Manhattan Mall; 2,500 campers will be invited to attend the event, which will feature prize giveaways, on site contests and a meet n greet with Amanda Bynes. Camplified's 2007 artists will be prominently featured online in a newly created music lounge on the DearByAmanda.com website.

"While the music component clearly defines our initial goal of having campers discover new artists and music," says Berger, "we're pleased to be able to continue creating the same atmosphere for brands to be introduced to this audience by providing a safe and controlled setting where campers can touch, feel and experiment."

Five years on, Berger remains pleasantly in awe of Camplified's success. "For a tour concept that was initially created as scribbled bullet points on a napkin at a restaurant, it's just amazing to see that the 'Camplified' brand is now spoken of inside marketing departments at record labels, advertising agencies, music management offices, and - maybe most importantly - in camp website chat rooms!"

Related Links
Official website: http://www.camplified.com
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/camplified

Contact information:

Aimee Berger
Alternative Venue Entertainment ("AVE")
853 Broadway New York, NY 10003
(o)212-842-8478 | (f) 212-735-6862 | (c) 917-951-3645

###