Handango, the leading provider of mobile downloads worldwide, today launched the Handango Up & Comers Program. The aim of the program is to identify and promote promising small or new developers with compelling applications throughout Handango's worldwide network.
The Up & Comers Program offers these developers no-cost marketing and featured product placements as well as access to Handango resources for product and promotions planning. In addition, participants will be included in Handango's portfolio of applications for distribution to partners.
"As the mobile downloads industry has grown from a few hundred titles to more than 50,000, smaller developers have gotten lost, but in many cases, these innovative firms are producing some of the best applications out there," said Clint Patterson, vice president of marketing for Handango. "Handango Up & Comers is designed to shine a spotlight on these emerging startups and jumpstart their sales and customer awareness."
Developers accepted into the incubator program will receive more than $12,000 in complimentary marketing; featured placement in a new "What's Next: Great Software You've Never Tried" section on Handango sites; promotion to members of the media; and unique assistance from the Handango team to fine tune their application sales strategies. After achieving a pre-determined sales level or one year, whichever comes sooner, developers will graduate from the program to make room for other participants.
Developers interested in the Up & Comers Program can apply by contacting Handango at mailto:partners@handango.com with a description of their applications and their company history. To be eligible, companies must provide exciting, quality mobile software applications with broad customer appeal and must employ fewer than 10 people or be new to Handango customers. Currently, Handango is accepting 10 firms to the program's inaugural class.
> Handango Launches Program for Emerging Mobile Software Develop
> Handango Launches Program for Emerging Mobile Software Develop
There are no details about how much the royalties paid to Handango are -- Are they're still charging their 30% "standard" rate?
That figure is WAY too high for mobile software when there's very little cost to actually sell the software itself!
No one can stay in business selling through Handango with a program that's $20 or less -- when you deduct all the fees from payment processing, Handago and whatever else is out there, how much is left?!?
Then there's the $12K that they're offering to do some amount of unspecified promotion?
It sounds like a lot... until you realize that if you DON'T go through Handango, you'll need to tell FAR fewer copies to gain the extra $12K in the first place!
Shameful self-promotion for Handago seems more like what this "deal" is offering -- NOT promotion for your products.