Paid Inc. Celebrity Services Is Changing the Face of Today's Fan Club Industry With a Fresh Philosophy

Paid Inc. Celebrity Services Is Changing the Face of Today's Fan Club Industry With a Fresh Philosophy

WORCESTER, Mass., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Celebrity Services division of Paid, Inc. (BULLETIN BOARD: PAYD) , a cutting-edge developer of celebrity web sites and services and ecommerce software, is giving the fan club industry a much-needed facelift in light of recent, highly publicized fan club let-downs publicized in The Wall Street Journal's "The Perks and Perils of VIP Ticketing" on Feb. 1, Billboard magazine and other publications over the past year. With these types of mishaps on the rise, hordes of fans are left disgruntled and disenchanted with the fan club management companies enlisted by their favorite celebrities. Breaking the mold of traditional fan club management firms, Paid Inc. Celebrity Services is taking an innovative, interactive, and proactive approach to deliver what individual celebrities and their loyal fans want and expect from a class-act fan club.

There is always plenty of blame to go around when promised fan club perks, such as fulfillment of new membership kits or email updates on celebrity appearances, fall through the cracks, dashing fans' dreams of getting close to their favorite band, athlete, or other famous personality. The resulting disappointment and chaos are equally detrimental to celebrities and their fans. However, it is often more disastrous for the fan management companies faced with either taking heroic measures to win back disillusioned fans or losing untold numbers of once-loyal fans and the confidence of their celebrity clientele.

As a fresh presence in the entertainment industry, Paid Inc. Celebrity Services has successfully debuted its compelling new model and philosophy for fan club management. In the past, most fan clubs limited activities and fan- celebrity interaction to touring seasons, but Paid Celebrity Services is changing all of that -- taking fan clubs to the next level by engaging fans with a plethora of activities year-round -- with everything from contests, to give-aways, online chats and merchandising programs with limited-edition memorabilia that leverages fans' creative ideas. Moving beyond the cookie- cutter approach of a membership card and privileged ticket access, Paid Celebrity Services provides a proactive fan resource of continuous activities, communication and interaction, merchandising, and special events. By making fans the priority, Paid is building the long-term relationships that foster and sustain true fan loyalty.

"Paid Inc. Celebrity Services is uniquely suited to celebrities in entertainment and sports who want to create riveting, satisfying experiences for their fan base year-round, not just during concert tours and sport- specific seasons," said Kristen Kuliga, VP of Paid Inc. Celebrity Services. "Our philosophy centers on nurturing fan-celebrity relationships that are mutually beneficial in every way. We're about balancing give and take on both sides. And, the diverse products and services we provide, like fan experiences, prize giveaways, exclusive merchandise and live customer service, are designed to support and grow healthy fan-celebrity relationships rather than just turn a profit for the fan club-that makes us different. That makes us a trusted partner to both celebrities AND fans, rather than just another vendor trying to make a buck."

Examples of the company's strongest celebrity magnets are New England Patriots' David Givens and Troy Brown and the critically acclaimed rock band Aerosmith. Mssrs. Givens and Brown have contracted with Paid to host and maintain their personal web sites and manage their fan clubs. In addition, Paid assists them with their charitable events and off-field public appearances, such as signing events, to establish a positive rapport with their fans and enhance loyalty with programs that give something back to their communities.

Aerosmith has tapped into Paid Celebrity Services' winning philosophy and relationship-building expertise to bolster its global fan base. Aerosmith's official fan club, Aero Force One (AF1), recently collaborated with Paid Celebrity Services under contract to reinvent the club and foster a more integrated fan community by launching exciting contests, offering more opportunities for fans to interact directly with band members, and even giving fans a creative voice, for example, by asking them to vote on new designs for fan club pins, developing band merchandise suggested by fans, and per a fan's request, making available a custom-designed necklace that Steven Tyler actually wears.

Celebrity Services also spearheads AF1's promotional programs and web site (http://www.aeroforceone.com/) and integrates fan management services with Aerosmith affiliates, including the band's record label, and Internet partners. By continuously forging new ways for fans to get more involved in AF1, such as an innovative multiple-language chat player used for a members- only online chat with Tom Hamilton, Celebrity Services is helping Aerosmith keep its 100,000+ registered fans engaged and enthused year-round.

Paid also is forging strategic partnerships with a broad array of vendors in order to provide the best service possible to celebrities and fans, such as the alliance it announced today with SplitStream Technologies to help ensure that fan club web sites stand up to the tremendous demands placed on it during peak periods; for example when a sports celebrity or team wins a championship or a popular band's tickets go on sale. (See related release: "Paid Inc. Partners With SplitStream Technologies For Aerosmith's AeroForceOne.com and Celebrity Web Site Development, Hosting, Infrastructure" http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050222/nytu149_1.html )

"Paid Celebrity Services is setting new, higher standards for fan club management companies. They've got the vision, the passion, and the people who can integrate and deliver what celebrities and fans want," said Keith Garde, Aerosmith consultant and former co-manager, and chief liaison between the band and Paid Inc. Celebrity Services. "That's why Aerosmith chose to be one of Paid's flagship clients.

Paid is totally cutting-edge when it comes to its fan management philosophy and strategies. To date, Paid Celebrity Services has done a remarkable job of turning around the Aerosmith Aero Force One fan club," Garde noted. "Order fulfillment and customer service have been first-rate across the board. Paid Celebrity Services is delivering on its promise of new program development with increased fan involvement. We are seeing the benefits of Paid Celebrity Services' aggressive, results-driven strategy for integration with the band's marketing and distribution partners. It is obvious that Paid has a commitment to the belief that a celebrity's fan club management organization carries an important and delicate responsibility as a critical contributor to that celebrity's brand management team."

About Paid, Inc.:

Paid's innovative products and services are utilized in online auction management, ecommerce and web site development and hosting. Using proprietary technology, Paid, Inc. is a respected developer of dynamic, cutting edge celebrity web sites and ecommerce storefronts that attract tens of thousands of visitors daily. Paid's Auction Inc brand auction management and shipping calculation software utilizes Paid's patent-pending process technologies to streamline back-office and shipping processes for online auctions and e- commerce. Paid's Celebrity Services offers a broad array of services to the sports, music and entertainment industries, including fan club management, premium ticket packages, unique fan experiences, web site development, merchandising and special events management. Paid's Rotman Auction is an eBay Platinum Powerseller that sells thousands of items -- primarily sports, Hollywood and Americana collectibles and memorabilia -- each week on eBay. The company also builds and maintains large database-driven portals across a broad array of industries. The Company's common stock is traded on the Nasdaq OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol PAYD. For further information visit http://www.paid.com/.

About Aerosmith:

For more than 30 years, Aerosmith has defined American Rock 'n' Roll. Just a brief overview of their remarkable career is truly mind-boggling: over 100 million albums sold, countless awards (Grammys, American Music Awards, Billboard Awards, MTV Awards), and a diehard fan-base numbering in the millions worldwide. Aerosmith recently completed another world tour in support of the group's 25th release, Honkin' On Bobo. The members of Aerosmith remain creatively vital, and are the platinum standard for artistic and commercial success in the music business.

Forward Looking Statements:

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are based upon current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, including matters related to the Company's operations, plans for the AF1 programs, sport celebrity fan clubs and events, Paid's ability to fulfill fan club membership requests and purchases and the availability of merchandise and tickets from celebrity clients. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings, including Form 10-KSB with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


Source: Paid, Inc.

CONTACT: Paid Celebrity Services: Kristen Kuliga, +1-617-572-7306, or
Media Contact: Julie Shepherd of Accentuate PR, +1-815-479-1833,
Julie@paid.com, for Paid; or Investors, Jens Dalsgaard of Redwood Consultants,
LLC, +1-415-884-0348, jnsd@aol.com, for Paid

Web site: http://www.paid.com/
http://www.aeroforceone.com/


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