Carly Simon Selects PAID, Inc. to Develop, Market New Merchandise
Carly Simon Collectible Heirloom Box Now Available
BOSTON and MARTHA’S VINEYARD -- Carly Simon has enlisted PAID, Inc. (OTCBB: PAYD) to complement her efforts to connect with fans in powerful and unique ways. A Topspin direct-to-fan partner, PAID, Inc. has been contracted by Carly to develop and market a unique new line of merchandise that includes a limited-edition Carly Simon Heirloom Box as the first item. Future plans include working closely with Carly Simon and her management to create unique VIP experiences, a sweeping e-commerce strategy and targeted licensing opportunities.
"It was exciting to me to find old photos, snippets of song lyrics, posters, foreign versions of 45s, stage passes and personal letters and postcards to share serendipitously with my fans," said Carly Simon. "If I were a Carly Simon fan and received one of these unique original items - along with my new record 'Never Been Gone,' the 'Live from Martha's Vineyard' DVD, autographed orchid lithograph and Hot Tin Roof tees in a handcrafted red cherry heirloom box, I'd be blown away," said Simon with a laugh, "This has been so much fun." She added, "And 'PAID' doesn't even begin to describe the worth of this company that I'm working with."
"PAID is delighted with how Carly is raising the bar on the direct-to-fan concept by including an original item from her personal archives in every Heirloom Box and truly embracing the direct-to-fan approach by providing fans with insight into her life and personality via Twitter and video logs posted to CarlySimon.com," said Keith Garde, president of PAID, Inc. celebrity services. “As a company that specializes in branding, fan community management and authentic memorabilia, we see our relationship with Carly as a fantastic opportunity to take her approach even further. We’re looking to partner with her on innovative merchandise with a personal touch as well as a wide range of activities and programs that engage the fans in new ways while strengthening Carly’s brand."
Garde added, “We welcome Carly Simon as our first customer from our new relationship as a Topspin partner. We believe fans appreciate the closeness and immediacy of her direct approach with fans and we are looking forward to helping entertainment artists like Carly, who are devoted to their fans, break new ground in this area.”
Carly Simon Heirloom Box
In conjunction with the release of her new Never Been Gone album, Carly Simon is offering fans the strictly-limited Carly Simon Heirloom Box. Each collectible box contains one unique item (a one-of-a-kind original) from Carly’s private career archives, personally selected and accompanied by a handwritten note from Carly herself. Items include: autographed, out-of-print posters of Carly's famous 'Playing Possum' album cover; rare and in some cases, foreign-version, 45s; and one-of-a-kind items, such as:
• Two original hand-written lyrics on journal paper. Both of these first-draft lyric notes provide insights into the intimate writing process of the iconic songstress and include unreleased words and verses. On one, written on Carly's 1970’s 'Gucci' journal paper (she confessed this was a page from her diary at the time), Carly wrote: "Originally 1st draft of lyric ‘Just Not True’ from ‘Hotcakes,’ Love Carly Simon Nov 2009," with an arrow drawn to the famous Gucci logo with another note "How bourgeois! Or cool? Love C.S."
• Carly’s lively note on a picture from her 2008 album "This Kind of Love" declares: "Dear receiver of this poster - This picture was taken by Lynn Goldsmith and I love this album recorded in 2008 with Jimmy Webb + lots of great friends, musicians, children, etc. It was released on Hear Music but unfortunately not really released because Starbucks decided to go back to primarily selling coffee (great coffee) but this CD fell into the void. Still and all, one of my favorite CDs. With love, Carly Simon."
The outside of the Heirloom Box itself is a show piece - a solid red cherry box handmade in New England with a decoupage-style treatment on top created from Carly's personal letters and handwritten lyrics, collected especially for this limited edition. The Heirloom Box also includes an autographed “Carly Simon Orchid” – a lithograph print of a painting by Vineyard artist David Geiger; the new album Never Been Gone in both CD and vinyl; the Carly Simon: Live from Martha’s Vineyard – the Classic Concert DVD; two vintage-style “Hot Tin Roof” shirts and more fine details. The package comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from memorabilia experts PAIDAuthentic to ensure that the items are trackable as collectibles for years to come. The Carly Simon Heirloom Box is available exclusively through http://www.carlysimon.com/order/.
Never Been Gone revisits songs originally written throughout Carly’s extensively long and productive career. With new, largely acoustic arrangements, the CD was recorded at Carly’s Martha’s Vineyard home and was released on October 27 on Iris Records, to critical acclaim.
About PAID, Inc.:
PAID, Inc., publicly traded under the ticker PAYD, is a one-stop brand management and marketing resource to music, entertainment and sports personalities and organizations, and offers AuctionInc™ online shipping calculation and shopping cart software employing its patented technology to streamline ecommerce. Known for quality and customer service, PAID offers turnkey online, mobile, social media and traditional marketing campaigns, as well as award-winning video & film production, VIP ticketing, web site design, merchandising, ecommerce and fan community management programs. More details are available at www.paid.com.
Safe Harbor statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
Statements in this news release looking forward in time involve risks and uncertainties, including the risks associated with the effect of changing economic conditions, trends in the markets, variations in the company's cash flow, competition, celebrity programs, business development efforts, technology availability and cost of materials and other risk factors. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company's most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CONTACTS:
For Carly Simon:
Alisse Kingsley, Muse Media, (323) 467-8508, AlissetheMuse@aol.com
For PAID, Inc.:
Julie Shepherd, Accentuate PR, +1-815-479-1833, Julie@paid.com
