Ciara – Work video featuring Missy Elliot from the new album Fantasy Ride

Artist will be presented in animated form with thousands of live users in attendance at a Cazmo Virtual Venue

Today the JIVE Label Group and Planet Cazmo, (www.planetcazmo.com), a virtual world for ‘tweens and teens, announced a May 2nd Virtual Concert featuring multi-platinum artist Ciara. The virtual concert will help to promote Ciara’s new album, “Fantasy Ride,” which debuts May 5th. This concert is the most recent event in Planet Cazmo’s Virtual Concert Series, which started in November 2008. Planet Cazmo is the only virtual world with an on-going virtual concert schedule.

The concert will begin at 12 PM EST on Saturday, May 2nd, and will be re-played each hour on the hour until 9PM EST that evening. The concerts will take place inside Planet Cazmo’s virtual concert arena, the “Cazmorena”. The celebrity musicians appear as animated characters with high-quality music from their recent releases and exclusive voice over from the artists. Ciara will also be built her own virtual room on Cazmo, where her fans will have a place to gather around the clock.

Jeff Dodes, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Digital Media, states “the Planet Cazmo concerts are a great way to extend the reach of our artists, using innovative digital platforms – a format which allows fans to interact with music in new ways.”

“Planet Cazmo is thrilled to have Ciara as the latest participant in our Virtual Concert Series” said Mike Levine, Founder and CEO of Planet Cazmo. “Music plays a major role in Planet Cazmo and the Cazmo Concert Series is something the kids keep asking for more of, and we listen when our fans speak.”

With this concert JIVE Label Group joins other major labels with whom Planet Cazmo has partnered. Planet Cazmo has done events with artists from Interscope-Geffen and Epic Records.

About Planet Cazmo

Planet Cazmo is a persistent browser-based virtual world with a focus on music and celebrity virtual concerts. It connects ‘tweens and teens from around the globe and has seen rapid adoption and tremendous enthusiasm from young consumers from more than 170 countries. Its high level of customization, gives players the opportunity to create, personalize, and accessorize their virtual characters, vehicles, and homes with branded content such as Official NBA Gear, play mini games, and interact with rich storylines and quests.

About JIVE Label Group

JIVE Label Group consists of Jive Records, LaFace Records, Volcano Entertainment, Hitz Committee Entertainment and Verity Gospel Music Group. These labels represent a varied group of internationally renowned artists representing all genres of music including Justin Timberlake, R. Kelly, Usher, Tool, Ciara, Chris Brown, P!nk, Britney Spears, OutKast, Kirk Franklin, Three Days Grace, 311, Nick Lachey, T-Pain, Jordin Sparks, David Archuleta, Bullet For My Valentine, Buddy Guy, Living Things, Anthony Hamilton, Donnie McClurkin, John P. Kee, Fred Hammond, Hezekiah Walker, Marvin Sapp, J Moss and Backstreet Boys. JIVE Label Group is a unit of Sony Music Entertainment.

Ciara – Love Sex Magic video featuring Justin Timberlake from the new album Fantasy Ride

Ciara

Listening to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” seemed to influence us all at one point in some way. But amongst all the material that floats around, it truly grabbed a young girl from Atlanta, serving as one of the reasons she became inspired to create her own music.

Few of us can remember having a bank account at eighteen that rivals that of most adult professionals. In fact, at eighteen, I don’t believe I have that much exceptional experience to shower people with stories of. Definitely little in comparison to that of “Crunk & B” superstar Ciara, who states that she is in reality, a “simple” girl. A simple girl who has achieved platinum sales before being able to have a drink legally.

Original Article (extended)

Original Article (Interview transcripts)