Bronx Resident Franco Anthony in the Running to Be the First to Launch Their Career on V CAST Music

Bronx Resident Franco Anthony in the Running to Be the First to Launch Their Career on V CAST Music

BRONX, N.Y., March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Solo artist Franco Anthony, of the Bronx, is one step closer to having the opportunity of a lifetime -- the chance to be the first unsigned recording artist to launch his career on a wireless phone. Franco Anthony was selected by Verizon Wireless and MySpace as one of the 15 semi-finalists in the "Calling All Bands" contest from more than 4,000 bands that entered from across music genres. The lucky winning band will have the opportunity to have their song, music video, ring tone and ring back tone released on Verizon Wireless -- the nation's leading wireless provider with 51.3 million customers.

From March 13 through March 22, the MySpace community of friends and fans can listen to Franco Anthony and all the semifinalists and vote online for their favorite band at http://www.myspace.com/callingallbands. The top five entries to receive the most votes will become finalists; Verizon Wireless and MySpace will select the winner from the finalists and the winner will be announced on MySpace on March 29.

Verizon Wireless will release the "Calling All Bands" winner's song on V CAST Music -- marking the first time an unsigned band will release its first single on a wireless phone. The winner will also work with Verizon Wireless to produce a music video that will be released on V CAST, plus a ring tone and ring back tone of the winning song that will be available for purchase by Verizon Wireless customers. MySpace, with more than one million registered bands, helps Verizon Wireless bring authentic bands to the mobile world, further extending the music experience on customers' communication devices they use most every day -- their wireless phones.

Franco Anthony, a singer, songwriter and producer, started playing drums when he was eight years old and performing in local bands and writing his own music in junior high. He is a self-taught musician who plays every instrument on each of his songs and has a deep appreciation for a wide variety of music, including soul, rock, R&B and hip-hop. He has produced four tracks for R&B singer Mark McLaughlin and recently opened for John Legend at a Hot 97 sponsored production. He performs throughout New York City and his music can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/thefam2.

V CAST Music

V CAST Music from Verizon Wireless lets customers play music on their wireless phones from well-known and independent artists -- the same device they have come to rely upon for entertainment, information and mobile communication. The V CAST Music Store will contain a million songs by spring and lets customers browse, preview, download and play high-quality digital music from their phones or in the Verizon Wireless V CAST Music Online Store. V CAST Music songs cost $0.99 if purchased from the PC or $1.99 if purchased and downloaded over the air onto a V CAST Music phone.

V CAST Music runs on Verizon Wireless' broadband network, the most robust, award-winning wireless broadband network in the nation, available to about 150 million people from coast to coast. Customers need a V CAST-enabled phone and a subscription to the V CAST VPak, which is $15.00 monthly access, added to their Verizon Wireless calling plan to access V CAST Music and music videos on their phones. Customers interested in managing their music from their PCs in the V CAST Music Online Store can do so without a V CAST VPak.

V CAST Music is available through Verizon Wireless' 2,000 Communications Stores and Circuit City locations and online at http://www.verizonwireless.com/. For more information, visit http://www.verizonwireless.com/music.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 51.3 million voice and data customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at http://www.verizonwireless.com/. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

Source: Verizon Wireless

CONTACT: Lynette Viviani of Verizon Wireless, +1-973-283-9228

Web site: http://www.verizonwireless.com/
http://www.myspace.com/callingallbands
http://www.myspace.com/thefam2
http://www.verizonwireless.com/music
http://www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia

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