
   
   
   CONTACT:
   Robyn Ross
   DanceStar USA Media Office
   Tel: (305) 371 2450
   Fax: (305) 371 2460
   Email: robyn@dancestar.com 


WEEK ONE BRINGS RECORD VOTING FOR DANCESTAR USA 2004

170,000 Dance Music Fans Have Their Say on the World’s Largest Dance Music Awards
SMS Voting Via Six Mobile Phone Carriers Begins February 25

Miami, FL – (February 6, 2004) -- A record 170,000 dance music fans cast their votes in the first week of online voting for the third and largest instalment to date of DanceStar USA 2004 - The American Dance Music Awards.  Set for Tuesday, March 9th at Bayfront Park Amphitheater in Miami, this year’s show will feature A-list celebrities and artists as awards presenters, performers, and hosts.  

       “It is clear that the public has something to say about whom they feel are the best and brightest in dance music,” said founder and CEO Andy Ruffell.  “Even we were a bit surprised by the massive turnout of voters.” 

       SMS voting via cell phone is expected to contribute to doubling the number of votes from last year, which begins on February 25 and runs through March 7, exclusively in the US. A series of keywords relevant to each nominee are shown on the DanceStar website, encouraging users to vote for their favorite nominees from their cell phones. Bluesms, specialists in sms messaging solutions, has pioneered an innovative online system with the ability to log over 3,000 votes per minute.  Participating networks include ATT, T-Mobile, Verizon, Cingular, Nextel and Alltel.  All online and text voters will have an opportunity to win an all-expense paid trip to Ibiza courtesy of DanceStar and Gold Card Ibiza, and runner-up prizes of DanceStar CDs. 

       “We are delighted to be involved with this year’s DanceStar Awards, and judging by the overwhelming response via email, we anticipate record levels of SMS votes,” said Bluesms founder and CEO, Fred Attram.  For detailed instructions, visit http://www.dancestar.com/usa/2004/nominations.
       
       DanceStar USA 2003 saw leading UK act Dirty Vegas scoop multiple awards, and a live ‘world’s first’ TV debut by Paul Oakenfold performing his massive hit ‘Ready Steady Go’ featuring Shifty from Crazy Town.  Hip-hop superstar P Diddy stole the show with a world premier performance of his first ever dance track ‘Lets Get Ill’ featuring Kelis, which has subsequently been reported as the most significant dance track in years. Since the show in March, over 800 million people have viewed DanceStar USA 2003 in more than 54 countries around the world, with broadcasts on select European terrestrial channels as well as MTV Europe and Star TV Asia.  
       The US broadcast, in association with Music Choice, aired in September 2003 as a one-hour television special on over 160 cable systems in 75 markets reaching over 30 million households across the country courtesy of leading US cable operators including Comcast, AOL/Time Warner, and Charter.
       Since it’s launch in London in 2000, DanceStar has become the world’s largest dance music awards platform, developed as the first globally televised dance music event with shows in London, the U.S and Asia.  The shows were created to celebrate the achievements of the industry’s main players and born out of the need to recognize the significant impact of dance music worldwide and the expansion of dance music culture.  

       Ticket information and details on DanceStar / Gold Card Miami travel packages, can be found by logging-on to www.dancestar.com.
       
       A preview of SMS voting details may be viewed at http://www.dancestar/com. SMS voting services provided by http://www.bluesms.com
       
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