Earlier today, Electronic Arts announced the beta launch of The Sims On Stage, its newest online playground that allows anyone with a standard PC or Mac and broadband connection to unleash their inner creativity. By visiting www.thesimsonstage.ea.com, people can immediately and free-of-charge start recording karaoke songs, stories, comedy routines, and more. The site offers tools that make it easy to watch, create, and share recordings with friends, the Sims On Stage community, or the rest of the world.

“The Sims has long had one of the largest, friendliest and most creative communities in the world. With the release of The Sims On Stage, we welcome a new kind of customer to our way of having fun,” said Studio Head of The Sims Label, Rod Humble. “The world of interactive entertainment is now broader than ever thanks to new web-based technologies, and we are thrilled to give you a new way of having fun with The Sims On Stage.”

The Sims On Stage will also feature an easy-to-use Movie Mashup that will allow members to create original movies featuring The Sims content made available exclusively to members of the Sims On Stage community. Looking for your 15 minutes of fame? The Sims On Stage spotlight shines on thousands of well-known rock, pop, and country songs available to karaoke fans at launch, making it easy to record and share their favorite karaoke experiences. And if singing isn't your thing, take a shot at Open-Mic Recordings and share your spoken word or comedy routines.

Visitors can keep recordings private or make them public for the world to see. With one click of the mouse, Sims On Stage members can easily upload their recordings onto blogs, social networking sites and more.

Launching today in English, The Sims On Stage is an entertainment and performance destination based on the online karaoke community, SingShot Media that was acquired by Electronic Arts in February 2007.