April 07, 2008

By By Kerri Mason, N.Y.

Clothing retailer Armani Exchange is the presenting sponsor of Dutch DJ/producer Tiesto's upcoming North American tour, In Search Of Sunrise Summer 2008, Billboard.biz has learned. The sponsorship includes tour support, as well as the creation of exclusive products available only through Armani Exchange stores.

The chain will sell an exclusive limited edition version of Tiesto's previously released mixed CD "In Search Of Sunrise 7," and an exclusive best-of CD from the DJ?s own imprint Black Hole, called "10 Years Of Black Hole Recordings," later in the year. A/X will also sell an exclusive Tiesto-branded tour T-shirt, and the artist will perform at three A/X in-stores during the tour.

Armani Exchange and Tiesto have partnered in the past -- the brand sponsored select dates of the DJ's much heralded Elements of Life Tour last year. That led to them working together on a special holiday Tiesto-branded T-shirt and CD, benefiting Mercy Corps. The package sold out immediately, raising over $300,000 for the charity.

The 40-date, 27-market tour is a smaller, more intimate version of Elements Of Life, focusing on clubs rather than arenas. It runs from May 23 through July 3. With stops at Bonnaroo and the ETD Pop Festival in San Francisco, total attendance is estimated to be 150,000.

Subscribe to Billboard magazine today!