AT&T and Samsung have joined forces to present the third annual Summer Krush concert series on a mission to promote a new handset, the Samsung Jack.

The concert series is meant to provide fans with exclusive concerts by top performers Daughtry, Maxwell, The Offspring, Montgomery Gentry, T-Pain, Dierks Bentley and Darius Rucker. The series kicked off July 17 with a performance by the well-known band Daughtry in Seattle at a free concert at the Paramount Theatre.

"Samsung AT&T Summer Krush is a chance for us to interact one-on-one with our customers," said Paul Golden, chief marketing officer at Samsung Telecommunications America, Richardson, TX.

"This direct interaction is important because Samsung Mobile phone users purchase their devices through carrier stores," he said.

"Events such as Samsung AT&T Summer Krush provide us with an opportunity to talk to them, understand what they are looking for and help them establish an emotional connection with Samsung Mobile."

The Daughtry performance aired that night on ABC's late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live." Portions of the performances by Maxwell and Darius Rucker will also appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Previous AT&T Samsung Summer Krush concert series also headlined big-name artists such as Mariah Carey, Good Charlotte, LeAnn Rimes, Nelly, Nas and The All-American Rejects.

The Summer Krush concert series will continue through the beginning of September as Samsung and AT&T present nine one-night-only concert events.

Samsung and AT&T wanted to give their customers the chance to go to a free concert that would still be exclusive, where they can see some of their favorite bands performing in intimate, hip venues.

Tickets to each of the concerts are only available via street teams, radio promotions and online registration.

"We know that music is one of the passion points for our target consumers," Mr. Golden said. "Live music events, such as Samsung AT&T Summer Krush, help us to reach our target consumers one-on-one."

To promote the Samsung Jack smartphone, the concert events will also feature text installations where users can see the full operability of the handset.

As part of the Summer Krush initiative, AT&T and Samsung are also giving one up-and-coming, unsigned band the chance to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live at the Los Angeles concert event as part of the "Opening Act" contest.

The Samsung AT&T Summer Krush concert series will be visiting the following cities in the order they appear: Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"Mobile phones are no longer a luxury item, they are a necessity," Mr. Goldent said. "In the last year, we have seen phones with high megapixel cameras built-in, advanced touch screens and easy-to-use messaging features and I think this is a taste of what's to come."

"Overall, we're seeing much greater segmentation of the market as mobile devices become increasingly refined or specialized to meet unique target segment needs, whether those needs are messaging, interactivity, productivity or simple connectivity," he said.