News
April 29, 2008
Ernie Ball and MySpace Form Strategic Partnership
Industry leaders team up to promote 12th annual Battle of the Bands
COACHELLA, Calif. (April 29, 2008) - Ernie Ball®/Music Man®, organizer and presenter of the Battle of the Bands, today announced details of a strategic partnership with MySpace® aimed at promoting the contest, its headlining artists and eventual winners.
As part of the partnership, the leading online social networking site will include a branded banner in the "MySpace Specials" section on the MySpace music home page. The Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands page will also be a "featured profile" on the MySpace music homepage, and the contest will be promoted through member bulletins and other rotating banners throughout the Battle. All totaled, MySpace will provide exposure to over 100 million potential voters.
"Partnering with MySpace is a great boost to the Battle of the Bands," said Brian Ball, marketing manager of Ernie Ball. "We love the increased exposure, but it's really about the search for that next great band. MySpace is going to help broaden the pool of talent, which is going to make this year's Battle bigger and better than ever before."
2008 marks the 12th annual Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands, where fans can nominate their favorite unsigned bands online. Erne Ball estimates the 2008 Battle will have nearly 15,000 entries who will be judged by music industry executives, including Ernie Ball staff and sponsors, such as Myspace, Guitar Center and Hurley. Four of the 20 most-nominated bands from each region will perform live on the Ernie Ball Stage at the Vans Warped Your during their hometown leg.
The Warped Tour, the most prominent live music festival in North America, will hit 47 major venues in the United States and Canada in summer 2008 and will feature, among others, Forever the Sickest Kids, Protest the Hero, The Audition and MC Chris. The Ernie Ball Stage is a self-contained mobile stage equipped with a 24,000-watt sound system. Over the years, the stage has featured more than 5,000 unsigned bands, including then up-and-comers Bowling For Soup, Sugarcult, Story of the Year, New Found Glory, Avenged Sevenfold, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Less Than Jake.
As if playing the Vans Warped Tour wasn't reward enough, the nearly 200 bands who make it to the Ernie Ball Stage will also be competing for the chance to be one of just four showcase bands chosen to play live before industry elite and record label executives at a major Hollywood venue in the fall. Adding fortune to fame, one Grand Prize winner will be chosen to take home a $15,000 Guitar Center shopping spree as well as a $1,000 custom apparel package from Hurley clothing.
For more information on the 12th annual Battle of the Bands, or to nominate your favorite unsigned band, check out www.battleofthebands.com or contact Ernie Ball at battle@ernieball.com.
Ernie Ball is a leading innovator of guitar strings. The company was the first to offer rock strings with the introduction of Slinkys, and further revolutionized the market by offering guitarists Custom-Gauge® single strings. Ernie Ball also produces Music Man® guitars and basses, volume pedals and other accessories. Strings and accessories are available in more than 5,500 music stores throughout the U.S. and in 75 countries. For more information, contact the Ernie Ball Company at (805) 544-7726, or visit their website at .
These products are Ernie Ball trademarks registered in the USA and many foreign countries:
ERNIE BALL® CUSTOM GAUGE® SLINKY® EARTHWOOD®
MUSICMAN®
STINGRAY® SILHOUETTE® AXIS®
STERLING® 4+2® 3+1®
Trademark ownership is indicated by the symbol ®, however, for the sake of brevity it is omitted during the story.
Contact:
Brian Ball
Ernie Ball, Inc.
(760) 775-4222
Media Contact:
Kevin Scoles
Ernie Ball, Inc.
(760) 775-4222
Reader Comments
There are no comments for this article.
Leave a Comment
