Fuse to Partner With Deftones for First Exclusive Media Partnership
October 22, 2003 – Fuse, the only viewer driven, all-music network, announced today that they have partnered with Deftones to present their upcoming U.S tour and serve as the exclusive television sponsor. The tour kicks off on October 24th in Seattle, Washington, and is the first of many tour sponsorships for the network. Deftones, one of the most influential bands of the decade, will be hitting the road with Fuse for a 33-city tour in support of their Gold-certified record “Deftones,” which has earned critical praise, as noted by Blender Magazine, “Deftones, their fourth album, cements their reputation as hard rock’s answer to Radiohead.” The multifaceted partnership, grounded in Fuses’ commitment to music, will include: exclusive announcements by Deftones on the Fuse signature daily show IMX: Interactive Music Xchange, behind-the-scenes access with the band, tour date announcements, streamed interviews, MP3 downloads of songs and a dedicated Deftones artist feature area on www.fuse.tv.
“We are thrilled to be the exclusive national media partner for Deftones. This partnership brings important marketing support for the band, tour and our channel. We are confident that this will be a very successful and exciting venture and if Fuse can play a significant role in supporting the careers and tours of today’s hottest artists while delivering what fans want, then we’ve done our job. Together, Fuse and Deftones are about to start a journey that will rock America, ” said Marc Juris, President of Fuse.
The foundation of the Fuse/Deftones agreement is to break the traditional rules of branding by creating unique strategic partnerships that support all initiatives of established and emerging bands. Fuse is committed to strengthening its relationships with record labels and management groups like Deftones management Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group/StreetWise Concepts & Culture, which utilizes a grassroots approach to artist development by giving music fans a voice in promoting their favorite bands. These relationships allow Fuse to promote their artists, further open the arena of their competitors and ultimately give viewers experiences and opportunities they cannot get anywhere else with exclusive programming, content, contests, tickets and access to their favorite groups. The tour which will be aggressively promoted by Fuse with on-air and online efforts, supported by local and national print advertising, radio and television spots will also include customized on-air spots featuring Deftones and fellow tour mates Poison The Well, Clutch, Denali, Thrice and Thursday.
Fuse is cables fastest growing digital network, nearly doubling their subscriber base from
18 – 31 million households (Nielsen Universe, April 2003), further establishing them as the new music television destination. “The broad exposure we will gain by sponsoring the Deftones tour is significant in furthering the awareness and impact of our brand among true music lovers” explains Mary Corigliano, Vice President of Marketing for Fuse. “We’re very excited to partner with Fuse on this endeavor. “Their unorthodox yet effective approach is right along the lines of what we are about,” says David “Beno” Benveniste, manager of Deftones and CEO and President of Velvet Hammer Music and Management Group/StreetWise Concepts & Culture. “Fuse is all about the music. This is a simple tenet that sets us apart from our competitors,” adds Marc Juris.
Dates are as follows (some dates subject to change):
| Day | Date | City/State | Venue | Support |
| Fri | 24-Oct | Seattle, WA | Paramount Theatre | Clutch |
| Sun | 26-Oct | San Jose, CA | San Jose Events Ctr | Poison The Well/Clutch |
| Mon | 27-Oct | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern | Poison The Well/Clutch |
| Tue | 28-Oct | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern | Poison The Well/Clutch |
| Thu | 30-Oct | Las Vegas, NV | The Joint | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Fri | 31-Oct | San Diego, CA | Soma | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Sat | 1-Nov | Phoenix, AZ | Mesa Amp | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Mon | 3-Nov | Las Cruces, NM | Pan Am Ctr | PoisonThe Well/Denali |
| Wed | 5-Nov | Houston, TX | Verizon | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Thu | 6-Nov | Austin, TX | Music Hall | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Fri | 7-Nov | Dallas, TX | Next Stage | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Sat | 8-Nov | New Orleans, LA | Twiropa | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Mon | 10-Nov | Orlando, FL | Hard Rock Live | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Tue | 11-Nov | Pompano Beach, FL | Pompano Beach Amp | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Thu | 13-Nov | Atlanta, GA | Tabernacle | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Fri | 14-Nov | Norfolk, VA | Norva | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Sat | 15-Nov | Washington, DC | Nation | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Mon | 17-Nov | Worcester, MA | The Palladium | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Wed | 19-Nov | Philadelphia, PA | Electric Factory | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Thu | 20-Nov | New York, NY | Hammerstein | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Fri | 21-Nov | Asbury Park, NJ | Convention Hall | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Sat | 22-Nov | Providence, RI | Lupos | Poison The Well/Denali |
| Mon | 24-Nov | Burlington, VT | Memorial Aud | Thursday/Thrice |
| Tue | 25-Nov | Montreal QUE | Verdun | Thursday/Thrice |
| Thu | 27-Nov | Toronto, ONT | Arrow Hall | Thursday/Thrice |
| Fri | 28-Nov | Grand Rapids, MI | Orbit Room | Thursday/Thrice |
| Sat | 29-Nov | Detroit, MI | State Theater | Thursday/Thrice |
| Sun | 30-Nov | Chicago, IL | Aragon | Thursday/Thrice |
| Tue | 2-Dec | Minneapolis, MN | Roy Wilkins | Thursday/Thrice |
| Wed | 3-Dec | Milwaukee, WI | Eagles Ballroom | Thursday/Thrice |
| Fri | 5-Dec | St. Louis, MO | Savis Centre | Thursday/Thrice |
| Sat | 6-Dec | Kansas City, MO | Memorial Aud | Thursday/Thrice |
| Mon | 8-Dec | Denver, CO | Fillmore | Thursday/Thrice |
| Tue | 9-Dec | Salt Lake City, UT | Salt Air | TBA |
| Fri | 12-Dec | Davis, CA | UC Davis/Rec Hall | Thursday/Thrice |
About Fuse
Fuse is the nation’s only all-music, viewer-influenced television network,
featuring music videos, exclusive artist interviews, live concerts and specials
— all rooted in the music experience. Fuse reflects the rapidly changing interests
and attitudes of its 12-34 year-old audience by uniting the media platforms
that are at the center of their communication and entertainment – TV, online,
and interactive games – and by incorporating their opinions and suggestions
into its on-air and online programming. More information about Fuse is available
at www.fuse.tv.
About Deftones
Deftones, one of most influential bands of the past decade will headline their
own US tour starting this month. Fresh from the Summer Sanitarium tour with
Metallica, Linkin Park and others, Deftones drew critical raves and continue
to amass new legions to their ardent fan-base. “Hexagram” is the new
single and video from the self-titled album. The Darren Doane-directed, high-energy
clip and track are impacting airwaves now. More information about the Deftones
is available www.deftones.com