LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — The Web’s top cop just got tougher.
Music piracy specialist, Web Sheriff has been making inroads into film protection, working with major studios and Hollywood distributors and having protected two U.S. #1 Box Office movies in the 4th quarter of 2010.
Founder John Giacobbi stated, "2010 was a busy year with movies.” Adding, “Our unique blend of anti-piracy and viral marketing has been very successful in film protection."
Founded 10 years ago, Web Sheriff has helped artists and labels across the globe protect #1 albums both in the U.S. and Europe. Clients have included Michael Jackson, Prince, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Van Morrison, Vampire Weekend, The Arctic Monkeys, Adele, and The Prodigy among others.
The recent expansion of Web Sheriff’s activities beyond its music industry stronghold also encompasses television, book publishing and protecting the growing market for on-line magazines and newspapers.
Services include protecting new albums and films in the crucial run-up period prior to commercial release, full-spectrum 24-hour Web policing to protect global brands, and YouTube optimization, through which Web Sheriff cleans up YouTube piracy and redirects hundreds-of-millions in web-traffic to official channels.
Giacobbi cites as an example the case of singer Van Morrison, whose last studio album leaked early, yet went on to become the highest-charting release of the artist’s 45-year career. “We protected Van’s album for a whole year following release and managed to maintain a headline take-down rate of between 98 and 99 percent for the entire time,” Giacobbi noted.
With the advent of the Internet, pre-release leaks of albums and other forms of piracy have inflicted incalculable losses on artists and record labels. Over the years, labels and other media corporations have resorted to draconian, often litigious measures to stem the losses, often with disastrous results.
Because of Giacobbi’s background as a music business executive with major record labels, he has taken Web Sheriff in a different and more marketing savvy direction.
"Fans are the lifeblood of any artist and we engage them in positive ways.” Adding in a statement, "We turn a perceived negative into a positive by using viral marketing and including fans and bloggers in the marketing and promotion."
“On-line abuse is now a reality of everyday life”. Says Giacobbi in a statement, “That’s why clients turn to us in ever increasing numbers. There’s only one answer to the question ‘Who You Gonna Call?’ and that’s Web Sheriff.”
— Crystal Lynn Huntoon
