Finger Eleven

Finger Eleven's fourth album on Wind-up Records THEM VS. YOU VS. ME has delivered the band's second crossover hit with "Paralyzer." The song achieved the number one position on the Alternative, Active and Mainstream Rock charts. Subsequently, "Paralyzer" has crossed over to CHR, where it stands at 22 this week, and is a hit at HAC, where it continues to move towards the top ten at 16 with a bullet.

In a market where ringtone and ringback tone success is heavily owned by the urban worlds of rap and hip-hop, the song is an example of where the mobile and on-line space can help propel the rock genre. An early indicator of the enormity of the song's popularity came via Verizon Wireless shortly after the company entered into a distribution deal with Wind-up Records.

Well before "Paralyzer" began its climb to the top of the charts, organic interest in Finger Eleven, and the song, emerged from Verizon Wireless customers. The ringtone / ringback tone began its rise as a limited time exclusive offering from Verizon Wireless, and as early as April, 2007 it entered the Top 40 of the mobile leader's chart, well before the song crossed to pop radio. With continued support, the song has continued its popularity with Verizon Wireless customers reaching the top 10 on the Tones What's Hot Chart.

Wind-up Records Chief Operating Officer / Executive Vice-President of Business and Legal Affairs Jim Cooperman shared, "Paralyzer's success in the mobile space, coupled with the fact that the song imminently will be certified as a Gold download, demonstrates that the digital space remains a fertile landscape for the rock genre and we see tremendous opportunity for growth in this area. We are grateful to our digital partners such as Verizon Wireless for providing Wind-up and its artists with a level playing field in which to compete."

"The instant popularity of ‘Paralyzer' proves that mobile first is an effective way to reach music lovers of all ages and interests," said Ed Ruth, director of music for Verizon Wireless. "Verizon continues its leadership role in music by allowing music fans to discover and download a wide range of music anytime, anywhere."

The relationship between both companies continues to deliver glimpses of a successful case study of the future of the record business. Wind-up Records' latest phase of marketing around Finger Eleven's headline tour of the U.S. tagged Verizon Wireless in the television and on-line advertising rather than a traditional retailer. The call to action in the spots and the ad drove Verizon Wireless customers with V CAST Music-capable phones to text F11 to 8910 for direct access to Finger Eleven music. At the same time, Verizon Wireless ran an artist feature promoting "Paralyzer" and other songs from the band's repertoire delivering a 94% increase in tone sales as a result.