– The Who, Depeche Mode, David Gray & James Blunt to headline – – O2 introduces mobile ticketing for the first time – – Exclusive pre-sale tickets available to O2 customers from Monday 20 February – After the huge success of the O2 Wireless festival in Hyde Park last summer, London’s first multi-stage festival returns for four days of sensational live music in June – featuring headline performances from BRIT Awards winner KT Tunstall, David Gray, James Blunt and Depeche Mode – placing live music at the centre of O2’s Music strategy in 2006. Taking place in Leeds as well as London this year, the Wireless festival will once again be sponsored by O2. O2 will enhance the live music experience for fans, both by giving its customers special privileges that they can enjoy over the weekend and interactive mobile content to keep their music experience alive long after the lights have gone down on London’s Hyde Park and Leeds’ Harewood House. O2’s continued involvement with the O2 Wireless Festival extends its commitment to the live music arena, established in 2005 through its announcement of The O2 (former Millennium Dome), O2 NME Rock ‘n’ Roll Riot Tour and exclusive live content such as Madonna’s private album launch party for “Confessions On a Dance Floor”. O2’s sponsorship of the Wireless festival this year, also reflects an enhanced commitment to music at a grassroots level. O2 recently announced a partnership with SonyBMG to market one of their 2006 priority development acts, ‘The Upper Room’, via the mobile community. The ground-breaking deal will allow O2 music fans to make up their own mind about the four piece Brighton band by previewing their music via O2 Active in advance of their album launch in late summer. At the festival, O2 customers will be able to enjoy their own private stage in the exclusive O2 Blue Space, where up and coming talent will showcase their music direct to fans. Customers will also have access to special privileges that will add to their day such as advance ticket sales, multi-purchase discounts and free entry to the exclusive O2 Blue Space, where guests can put up their festival feet and relax with free drinks or a refreshing spa. Multi-stages, acoustic performance space, chill out areas, side shows, markets, world food caterers and street theatre, ensure that the O2 Wireless Festival 2006 offers the music connoisseur the opportunity to enjoy the very best of the festival experience all within a stone’s throw of home. Whilst enhancing the live experience at the festival, through mobile O2 will also give music fans the opportunity to become truly immersed in a wider community surrounding the acts. O2 customers will have access to exclusive festival content from live concert footage and backstage exclusives to festival information updates sent direct to their mobile and artist ringtones & wallpapers. Russ Shaw, Marketing Director at O2 UK, says “The success of London’s first-ever festival last year shows the huge demand for live music in the UK, which O2 is committed to supporting at both a grass-roots and international level. In addition, for music fans in the 21st Century, being part of a mobile music community will enhance the shared experience that lies at the heart of the real enjoyment of music. To that end, O2’s involvement with the Wireless Festival allows us to place music in the hands of our customers, whether it’s streaming live audio clips to their handsets, delivering paperless tickets to their mobile or offering exclusive access to festival tickets. ” O2 introduces mobile ticketing for the first time All tickets for the O2 Wireless Festival in Leeds and London can be purchased through O2 Active on O2 handsets. O2 customers can buy tickets from Monday 20th February 2006 – four days before they go on sale to the general public. Pre-sale tickets are exclusive to O2 customers only and will be available to buy via Ticketmaster on 0871 230 5440*. The first 1,000 O2 customers will also be able to take advantage of a fantastic 2-4-1 offer, allowing O2 music fans to double up on their festival experience during this exclusive pre-sale period. These tickets will be available through the O2’s on-line customer space The Blueroom, at o2.co.uk/blueroom. This year O2 is signalling a new era to festival ticketing by teaming up with Mobique to develop a mobile ticketing solution for O2 Wireless 2006. All customers purchasing tickets during O2’s exclusive period will have their tickets sent direct to their mobile, providing a more environmentally-friendly solution to traditional paper tickets which can easily be lost or damaged. Customers will also be allowed to opt for a mobile ticket during the remaining ticket sale period. *Calls cost 10p per minute
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