Comics! We love them and they can brighten our day. Consider this new app that brings to life Garfield in a whole new way. Think of it as the next fun way to photo message. With the free Shuttersong app, you can add music or voice to any image. Get it at the iTunes store here. Imagine what you could do with a distinctively orange and lazy cat.
Before Grumpy Cat was hip, there was Garfield – the quick-witted orange cartoon strip cat who loves lasagna, coffee, and his remote control. While he first burst onto the scene in 1978, today, Garfield carries some major social clout – nearly 10 million fans on Facebook and 43,000 Twitter followers. Garfield’s millions of fans love to view and share images of the comical kitty and, starting today, they can kick it up a notch. Using the Shuttersong free app, you can purchase exclusive packs of licensed Garfield images, add voice or a song clip into the image, and then share on your social networks.
Details follow from our friends at Shuttersong and Bare Tree Media:
Shuttersong and Bare Tree Media Partner to Bring Sound and Music to Character Based Branded Photos
Boston, March 20, 2014 –
Shuttersong, a photo-audio app, and Bare Tree Media, a leader in virtual branding, today announced a partnership that will enable fans of popular character based brands to create audio-enhanced images using licensed properties from within Bare Tree Media’s digital brand portfolio. Starting today, fans can purchase Garfield digital image packs licensed and created by Bare Tree Media, personalize the images using the Shuttersong app with voice or a song clip from their music library, and then share one-to-one or via social networks. Four Garfield packs at $1.99 each are now available through the Shuttersong app. Bare Tree Media is the master digital licensee for Garfield © Paws, Inc.
The partnership marks another major step for Shuttersong’s branded content commerce business. Previously the company raised $2.2 million in seed funding and teamed up with American Greetings to offer audio-enhanced digital greeting cards packs through the app which was announced in February.
For Bare Tree Media, the partnership marks its further expansion of digital distribution platforms around the globe. Recently Bare Tree Media launched its branded content in Japan and China the end of 2013, and across various partners throughout the Americas and Europe earlier this year. An upcoming launch is planned for Korea and other regions of Asia.
In coming months, Shuttersong and Bare Tree Media will expand their content offering by adding additional branded digital content from Bare Tree Media’s expansive line up of brands.
Shuttersong’s popularity is linked to the explosive rise of photo messaging, as everyone from teens to Grandparents embrace the use of emojis, picture messages and other pictorial content along with the emergence of sound as a means of personal expression. Shuttersong users have created a brand new genre of musical snapshots – around 95 percent of images shared to the Shuttersong community are so-called “selfies with sound.”
“Shuttersong’s users have become addicted to the apps’ elegance and its ability to add music or voice to any image,” said William Agush, founder and CEO of Shuttersong. “Partnering with Bare Tree Media gives our users exciting new content from global powerhouse brands like Garfield to personalize, share, enjoy and treasure.”
“We project the virtual branding industry to be $20 billion globally in 2014, and we are poised in a leadership position. We are always looking for new and innovative digital partners and we were excited by Shuttersong’s ability to enable fans of our brands to play with images and sounds together in a single experience,” said Robert Ferrari, CEO of Bare Tree Media which works with legacy and emerging branded properties including Domo, Garfield, Hello Kitty, KISS, The Three Stooges and others to craft branded digital entertainment solutions that drive consumer engagement and commerce through mobile and online platforms. “Shuttersongs’ broad appeal to a wide audience of mobile users interested in photos, music and sounds is a perfect fit for our brands.”
About Shuttersong
Shuttersong® was founded by marketing veteran William Agush who was inspired by a “talking photo frame” that played the toddler voice of his now-adult son. By bringing together a team of business, marketing and technical experts, Shuttersong was formed and backed by a group of financial investors that recognized the app’s potential. Shuttersong’s advisory board includes executives from AOL, Brilig/Merkle, Constant Contact, DART DoubleClick, HighStart Group, Ideeli, YP.com, Microtouch, Snickleways and AEG. Shuttersong is based in Wellesley, MA. Follow the company, as well as the many #Shuttersongs created, on Twitter at @shuttersong and on Facebook. Shuttersong is a registered trademark of Shuttersong Incorporated.
About Bare Tree Media
Bare Tree Media creates branded digital entertainment solutions to drive consumer engagement and commerce through mobile and online platforms for popular and emerging branded properties. The company is the global leader in virtual branding as it relates to branded virtual goods, branded mobile stickers and emoticons, branded mobile apps and branded email across worldwide markets. The company’s brand partners include Angel Cat Sugar, Brandberry, Charuca, David & Goliath, Domo, Doodle Jump, Garfield, Hello Kitty, Hoops&Yoyo, It’s Happy Bunny, KISS, Skelanimals, Smiley World, So So Happy, Tokidoki, The Three Stooges and many more legacy and emerging brands. For more information please visit www.baretreemedia.com.
