The tween screen

Hope they buy before they get old

What?: As mums stampede across America for Hannah Montana tickets, broadcasters are turning to new musical partnerships to engage the tween audience. The Plain White T’s are to guest star in an episode of Nickelodeon’s hit interactive teen show iCarly. It is a web show within a show whereby tweens and teens can upload video to the programme’s accompanying website for inclusion in the production.

The Hives have penned a theme song for children’s channel the Cartoon Network. The song, ‘Fall Is Just Something Grownups Invented’, debuted on the channel on 13th November to coincide with the release of their latest album.

Yo Gabba Gabba!, Nickelodeon’s relatively insane children’s programme, has recruited Laila Ali, Sugarland and Sean Kingston to appear in the show. Other guest stars include indie artist Cornelius and hip-hop legend Biz Markie (who will teach pre- schoolers how to beat box).

Firefly Mobile, a pay-as-you-go mobile service aimed at the tween generation, is preparing to launch a mobile music service. It hopes to offer over 2M “age appropriate” tracks to its 8-12-year-old target audience.

So what?: As the tween market shows its true money- making potential, both brands and bands are keen to get down with the kids, with the big kids’ TV networks at the forefront. (Even James Blunt appeared on Sesame St with an adaptation of ‘You’re Beautiful’.)

The massively unhinged show Yo Gabba Gabba! is leading a new wave here as the polar opposite to Disney fayre. The Shins, Devo and Biz Markie all lend their credible support to bewigged DJ Lance Rock (the show’s host) and his bizarre toy characters.
‘Starter’ music phones, such as those proposed by Firefly, pave the way for the 4M tweens expected to have their own mobile by 2009, and iCarly plays directly at its increasingly tech-savvy audience.

“Cartoon Network has always viewed music as one of the most important tools to define our brand image. Working with The Hives was a natural extension of that process”
Jason DeMarco, Associate Creative Director, On-Air, Cartoon Network

“Pre-school and pre-teen music is casting aside its painful singing purple dinosaur image. With the 8-12 set spending around $51B and Disney raking it in via its music franchises, tween music is not to be treated with kid gloves”
Giles Fitzgerald, Deputy Editor,Five Eight

www.yogabbagabba.com
www.cartoonnetwork.com
www.icarly.com
www.fireflymobile.com