Bix, a New Talent Discovery Web Site, Launches to the Public; Allows Viewers to Create Stars Via the Web

Bix, a New Talent Discovery Web Site, Launches to the Public; Allows Viewers to Create Stars Via the Web

Site Announces 'Bix Second Chance Auditions' for a Chance to Win $50,000 and Signs Former American Idol(R) Contestant and TV Host Kimberly Caldwell as Bix User Advocate

PALO ALTO, Calif., Aug. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Bix.com, Inc. today unveiled Bix, the first user generated online contest system that allows anyone to create, enter, and view a talent competition. For anyone with talent, Bix offers the opportunity to be discovered. For those who enjoy the process of discovery, Bix provides an interactive experience that puts the viewer in control of selecting contest winners. Bix ( www.bix.com ) was developed with the simple philosophy of making the talent discovery process interactive, fair and easy.

To demonstrate their commitment to helping users achieve stardom, Bix is hosting "Bix Second Chance Auditions," an online audio and video karaoke contest, with a chance to win $50,000. The contest provides a unique opportunity for anyone to showcase their talent and develop a fan base along the way. Contestants and Bix users can count on one fan, in particular, to support their climb towards stardom. Former American Idol(R) contestant and TV personality, Kimberly Caldwell has teamed up with Bix to become a "fan" of all Bix users. Caldwell will serve as an advocate on the Bix site, encouraging people along their road to recognition.

"There is so much great talent out there waiting to be discovered, but it's difficult to get in front of the right people," said Kimberly. "I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to achieve my career goals, but I believe there is a need for an open and fair talent discovery system like Bix."

Discovery Made Easy

Bix is a free service created to make the process of talent discovery fair, fun and interactive. Users seeking recognition for their talents can easily create original content using a computer microphone, webcam, text or photo upload to be publicly displayed for "fans" to view, vote and comment; viewers have complete voting control. The service provides an active entertainment experience for aspiring stars and those who enjoy discovering great talent.

Bix was designed to provide consumers with an easy to use interface and allows users to do the following:

-- Create a Talent Competition: Users can "produce" their own contest in
just a few minutes. There is no limit to the number of contests one
person can create. The creator can easily select the contest name,
duration, category and media type (audio, video, photo upload etc.) and
use Bix's email marketing tool to publicize their contest.

-- Enter a Competition: For anyone with talent of any type, Bix allows
users to browse by contest category, format, duration or number of
participants and enter. There is no limit to how many contests a
person can enter and users can select from audio, video, photo or text
contests. Bix has even developed a music video maker where anyone with
a computer microphone and webcam can select a song from the legal Bix
music library and record their own video in about five minutes.

-- View an Entry: Talent discovery is entertaining, so Bix allows users
to vote for their favorite performance to help make someone a star.
Voters have the option to add comments displayed on the contest entry
page. Viewers can become "fans" of any user on Bix.

"There are millions of people with talent who want to become famous, but the process for discovering talent is highly unfair, far too driven by geography and connections. Bix provides an alternative to Hollywood and big media," said Mike Speiser, co-founder and CEO of Bix, Inc. "Even American Idol(R), while very entertaining, allows America to vote on only a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands who try out. American Idol(R) presents a façade of fairness rather than a truly democratic way to discover talent. On Bix, anyone has a chance to get discovered."

Bix Second Chance Auditions

"Bix Second Chance Auditions" is an online karaoke competition where the public will determine the winner. American Idol(R) auditions "rejects" and anyone else looking to get discovered can enter to win a grand cash prize of $50,000. Between August 8, 2006 and September 30, 2006, contestants can enter to participate in either the audio karaoke competition or the video karaoke competition. The top five entries in each of these contests will move on to the finals, held from October 1, 2006 through October 14, 2006. Bix will provide the ten finalists with a webcam so they can enter the final online video karaoke contest. The performance which receives the most votes in the finals will be announced on October 18, 2006 and will win $50,000! Entering and voting for the "Bix Second Chance Auditions" is free. Visit www.bix.com for competition rules and regulations.

About Bix

Bix ( www.bix.com ) is a free service and the first user-generated, online contest system that allows anyone to easily view, enter or create a talent competition. The company, founded in 2006, is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. Bix.com, Inc., is backed by investors including Trinity Ventures, Sutter Hill Ventures and Stanford University. Bix board members include former Yahoo! Chief Product Officer Geoff Ralston and Symantec Group President Jeremy Burton.

NOTE: AMERICAN IDOL is a registered trademark of 19 TV Ltd. and Fremantle Media North America, Inc.

Source: Bix.com, Inc.

CONTACT: Marni Greenberg, +1-415-321-1879, or marni@sparkpr.com, for
Bix.com, Inc.

Web site: http://www.bix.com/

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