Linkin Park, MLB Properties Hook-up For 3rd Year

Major League Baseball Properties (MLBP) and its MLB Authentic Collection announced today that the music marketing program “Access To The Show” are returning to Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution Tour for all 23 dates kicking off on Wednesday, July 16 at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA and running through the end of August. MLBP will be the sole professional sports league sponsor of this summer’s Projekt Revolution Tour and will receive exclusive branding rights for the MLB Authentic Collection in tour advertising and marketing materials as well as Second Stage sponsorship, bringing together music and baseball in a festival environment. The sponsorship gives MLBP access to Linkin Park and other Projekt Revolution bands for participation in a wide array of activities, including interacting with fans at the MLB Road Show batting cages. The MLB Authentic Collection will also be featured in a national retail relationship with Champs Sports, the official retail destination for “Access to the Show” through its 600 US-based stores. The “Access To The Show” tour is designed to showcase the MLB Authentic Collection line of apparel both on-site at concert venues and in retail outlets. The MLB Authentic Collection includes the exclusive jerseys, headwear and outerwear identical to what is worn by players on all 30 Clubs. Champs Sports will support “Access To The Show” with extensive floor space and an in-store signage package dedicated to the MLB Authentic Collection, along with radio promotions tied to Projekt Revolution. MLBP will support Projekt Revolution with a nationwide sweepstakes at Champs Sports stores where fans can enter to win a trip to the final game of the World Series to go onto the field and hand out the 2008 Championship Caps and T-Shirts to the 2008 World Series Champions. Other prizes include signed guitars from Linkin Park and Champs Sports gift certificates. Fans will also have access to exclusive, unreleased live songs by Linkin Park. Lanyards will be randomly handed out to fans attending Projekt Revolution shows. These lanyards can be exchanged at no cost at any Champs Sports store for a special USB Wristband containing four unreleased live Linkin Park MP3s as well as five other songs from other Projekt Revolution artists such as Busta Rhymes and Ashes Divide. The special USB Wristband is also a gift with purchase for purchases of at least $50 of Major League Baseball product at Champs Sports stores (see below). “Major League Baseball is thrilled to once again be hitting the Projekt Revolution Tour with the 2008 ‘Access To The Show’ program,” said Steve Armus, Vice President, Licensing, Major League Baseball Properties. “Baseball and rock music are two staples of summertime, which makes this marketing platform a fun and innovative way to extend the MLB Authentic Collection brand.” We're psyched to team up once again with our friends at Major League Baseball, says Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington. We want the tour to be more than just a series of concerts, and having MLB involved adds another level of excitement to the Projekt Revolution experience. According to MLBP, The MLB Road Show is a high-tech tractor-trailer completely outfitted to give fans a chance to have an all-encompassing baseball experience. The truck includes pitching and batting cages, kiosks featuring the latest MLB video games, a MLB Authentic Collection merchandise display and Internet kiosks where concert-goers can purchase MLB licensed products directly through the Shop section of MLB.com, the official Web site of Major League Baseball. Source: MLB Properties Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).