Rapper Gucci Mane is using mobile to promote his new album, ?The State vs. Radric Davis.?

To promote the album, m-Wise Inc. has launched an SMS campaign that Mr. Mane announced on his Twitter, Facebook and MySpace profiles. The album is due out Dec. 8.

?The strategy is to create the ultimate fan experience,? said Leo Giel, vice president of sales, North America at m-Wise, New York. ?We wanted to create something that doesn?t resolve around an album cycle.?

The rapper is also known as Radric Davis and is CEO of So Icey Entertainment.

M-Wise is a technology provider with a content management and service delivery platform for mobile carriers and media providers.

Thawing out mobile
Mr. Mane posted this message on his Twitter account: ?Txt DecemBURR to 484848 to hear a preview of ?Worst Enemy? from The State Vs Radric Davis, new album in stores DecemBURR 8th ? RT!?

The same message was also posted on his Facebook and MySpace accounts.

Mr. Giel said that mobile lets his company distribute content to consumers when there is a demand for it.

?Mobile allows us to distribute content to people that do not have a computer, to people that want content when they want it and to people that want to stay connected to a particular artist,? Mr. Giel said. ?Mobile also allows artists like Gucci Mane to communicate with fans in between travelling and album releases. 

?Utilizing a campaign such as this, which offers a sneak peek into his latest project, is a great way to show his most loyal fans his appreciation,? he said.

Using the mobile platform has been gaining traction in the music industry.

Recently, handset manufacturer Nokia and Rihanna announced a partnership to launch the music artist?s new album on multiple platforms ? including mobile.

Consumers can buy Rihanna?s new album, ?Rated R,? through the Nokia Ovi Store. The mobile download will come with exclusive content such as new tracks and concert footage (see story).

In September, Sony Music ran a mobile sweepstakes offering music fans a chance to win a weekend in Las Vegas with Grammy-nominated artist Mario.

Sony tapped mobile media company SendMe Mobile for the mobile promotion available exclusively through the company?s sweepstakes site SoLow.com. The grand prize winner of the Viva Las Vegas with Mario sweepstakes will be flown to Las Vegas with a guest and treated to a two-night stay at the Red Rock Hotel and $500 in cash (see story).

Mr. Giel said that m-Wise and Mr. Mane tapped mobile because of its personal nature.

?It was chosen because everyone has their mobile device within a meter of themselves at all times,? Mr. Giel said. ?Ninety-five percent of all mobile messaging is read by the consumer and mobile phones provide a constant connection to the internet. 

?Artists are becoming more and more digital-savvy and mobile is the most effective way to communicate and distribute content to the consumer,? he said.