Say Now: Dial your Favorite Celebrity

There are a few well-known blogs and sites that music fans rely on to receive information that’s both accurate (usually) and yet to be released to the mainstream public. From gossip sites like TMZ, to blogs such as Nah Right, and sites like Sohh, used in conjunction with one another they easily usurp the powers that be – Vibe, MTV, BET, and The Source – as gatekeepers of all that goes on in the music industry. And between them that’s a lot of firepower. But Say Now aims to enter the game by using SMS and voicemail to connect fans to their favorite stars. By dialing in or texting in fans are able to keep up to date with what stars are doing and what their plans are and are able to leave messages for stars to retrieve. A-listers like T.I. and Ciara are available but so are C-listers like Tila Tequila and Chris Kirkpatrick (formerly of ‘N Sync fame). The problem is not only is Say Now shooting blanks but they’re also using a pea shooter. It’s a little too late in the game to entice fans with SMS updates because by the time the text comes through they’ll already have read it on TMZ, saw their Twitter update, read their blog post or checked out their Facebook/Myspace updates.  Also, who calls hotlines anymore? I’d say “it’s so 90’s” but people weren’t even that into it back then. Not that participating in Say Now’s services is going to cost participants any money, but it’s an inefficient use of one’s time and these days time is probably just as valued. All in all, I was left thinking “Say What?”