Billy Joel Celebrates 30th Anniversary of ”the Stranger” With Pre-Release Exclusive on TouchTunes Network
TouchTunes Corporation, the largest out-of-home interactive entertainment network, today announced the ultimate 30th anniversary celebration for megastar Billy Joel and his album “The Stranger.” Starting tomorrow and two weeks before the album is re-released on July 8, fans can enjoy a newly re-mastered version of the original album as well as a never-before-released recording from Joel’s celebrated 1977 performance at Carnegie Hall — on more than 10,000 digital jukeboxes exclusively on the TouchTunes network, in bars and nightclubs nationwide. Fans from the New York tri-state area are also eligible to win tickets to Joel’s already sold-out concert performance at Shea Stadium on July 18, the last concert to be held at the historic stadium before its doors are officially closed.
Joel’s rising star ignited 30 years ago with the release of his Grammy-award winning album “The Stranger.” When the album first debuted, it introduced the public to some of Joel’s most beloved singles, including “She’s Always A Woman” and “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song).” The album went on to win two Grammy awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Just The Way You Are.” Now, 30 years later, Joel is one of the most popular artists requested on the TouchTunes network.
“No one but TouchTunes can reach so many of Billy Joel’s loyal fans when they’re out having a good time,” said Ron Greenberg, TouchTunes CMO and senior vice president of digital media. “And the same is true for virtually any artist. The reach of our network is more than three times larger than anything else of its kind. That’s why artists, labels and managers are eager to take advantage of the power of TouchTunes. We’ve proven again and again that our network is an effective platform to connect to millions of music fans in a great environment.”
TouchTunes will support the promotion through a series of on-screen banners, full-screen billboard ads and a custom Billy Joel mini-site that will ask users to test their Billy Joel IQ. “What is the significance of the boxing gloves on the cover photo of The Stranger?” and “Which Billy Joel song was banned by the Catholic Church?” are just a few of the questions users will answer to see how well they know the legendary artist.
Fans in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are eligible to enter a sweepstakes to win two tickets to Billy Joel’s sold-out concert at New York’s Shea Stadium on July 18, dubbed “The Last Play at Shea,” before the legendary stadium closes its doors for good later in the year. Participating TouchTunes locations in the tri-state area will have special banners on their digital jukebox screens promoting the sweepstakes and will allow people to enter to win by typing their email address directly onto the touch screen.
Classic rock station Q104.3 in New York will also promote the sweepstakes both on-air and on the station’s website www.Q1043.com, where TouchTunes users will have the chance to win additional tickets to Billy Joel’s “Last Play at Shea,” as well as win copies of the album and the complete Billy Joel Catalog.
This pre-release of Billy Joel’s celebrated album is another in a series of TouchTunes exclusives, including new music by Usher, Wyclef Jean, 3 Doors Down, Garth Brooks, and the classic funk band WAR.
Legacy Recordings
The multiple Grammy-winning Legacy Recordings, Sony BMG Music Entertainment’s catalog division, produces and maintains the world’s foremost catalog of historic reissues, an unparalleled compendium of thousands of digitally remastered archival titles representing virtually every musical genre including popular, rock, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, country, gospel, Broadway musicals, movie soundtracks, ethnic, world music, classical, comedy and more.
Founded in 1990 by CBS Records (rebranded Sony Music in 1991), Legacy’s original mission was to preserve and reissue recordings from the extensive catalogs of Columbia Records (including ARC, Brunswick, OKeh and Vocalion), Epic Records (including Philadelphia International Records) and associated CBS labels. Following the creation of Sony BMG Music Entertainment in 2005, Legacy assumed responsibility for the preservation and ongoing availability of recordings from the archives of the BMG family of labels including RCA Records, Arista, J Records, Jive, Profile, Silvertone, Sony BMG Nashville and Windham Hill, as well as imprints including American, Bang!, CTI, Mainstream, Monument, Ode, and others.
About TouchTunes Corporation
TouchTunes Corporation is the largest out-of-home interactive entertainment network, providing innovative solutions to over 30,000 bars, restaurants, retailers and other businesses in North America – three times larger than the nearest competitor. TouchTunes introduced the world’s first digital-downloading, pay-per-play commercial jukebox in 1998 and now operates the largest network of interactive entertainment systems, playing about 1.5 million songs per day. TouchTunes maintains a digital music library covering more than two million licensed tracks from every major record label, plus independent music distributors and a host of independent labels. TouchTunes offers leading games and music solutions for independent and national restaurants, bars, and retailers.
A privately held U.S. corporation, TouchTunes Corporation’s principal offices are in New York City, Montreal, and Lake Zurich, IL.