Jamie T panic prevention (virgin).

Virgin aims to build organically on Jamie T's fanbase in the run-up to his debut album

Jamie T has been reaching out to fans through grassroots marketing, free downloads and club nights throughout 2006 - and, in the run-up to his debut album's release, Virgin Music will take the lead with a direct marketing and loyalty-based promotions campaign to target this growing fanbase.

Treading the post-MySpace path of grassroots promotion, Jamie T has built a 16,500-strong fan database which, according to Virgin product manager Rupert Davies, is more than The Kooks accumulated pre-Inside In/Inside Out. It follows that the focus will be on ensuring all fans are aware of Panic Prevention's January 27 release.

"The thing with Jamie is he came from a certain place and we don't want to take that too far," says Davies. "We're keeping it at street level for the whole campaign, using his fanbase."

Jamie T and Virgin Music grew the database through MySpace, offering free digital downloads and handing out mixtapes at club nights and gigs. "Before MySpace and fan databases, that kind of connection, and the bridging of the gap between fan and artist, was much harder," explains Davies.

The album is preceded by single Calm Down Dearest on January 15. It is available to pre-order on 7 Digital and iTunes, while customers will be able to stream songs ...