Guitar Center Announces District Final Winners of World’s Largest Blues Guitar Contest

Winners Move on to Regional Finals on October 21 in Brooklyn, Nashville, Arlington Heights, Dallas, and Hollywood!

Grand Finals in Hollywood on November 12, 2009

Featuring Joe Bonamassa, Pete Anderson, and the Top Five Undiscovered Blues Guitar Players in the Country!

Last Wednesday, the top 24 undiscovered blues guitarists in the nation were selected to move on to the King of the Blues Regional Finals, moving one step closer to being crowned Guitar Center’s King of the Blues and $25,000 cash. On October 21, 2009, these winners will once again go head-to-head, competing to move on to The King of the Blues Grand Finals scheduled for November 12th in Hollywood.

Tickets are currently on sale for the King of the Blues Grand Finals, which are scheduled for November 12 at the House of Blues Sunset in Hollywood, CA. In addition to showcasing the top five finalists as they compete for the King of the Blues crown and $25,000 cash, the King of the Blues Grand Finals will also feature performances by renowned blues guitarist and Gibson artist Joe Bonamassa, who has been awarded “Best Blues Guitarist” by Guitar Player Magazine for the past three years, as well as Grammy Award winner Pete Anderson. Tickets for this very special event are just $20, and are available at Ticketmaster.com or the HOB box office.

Like Guitar Center’s other talent search competitions – the legendary Drum-Off (now in its 21st year), and the recently launched On-Stage – King of the Blues is part of Guitar Center’s ongoing mission to provide emerging artists and musicians with career-altering opportunities and vehicles to achieve success.

Introduced in 2006, King of the Blues is more than just a competition to find the most technically skilled players. King of the Blues is designed to seek out the most passionate, innovative and authentic guitar players and give them a shot at stardom.

For example, the winner of Guitar Center’s 2007 King of the Blues, Aaron Loesch, was invited to perform at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival in front of over 25,000 attendees.

How It Works:

Each contestant must perform live to 1 of 25 original backing tracks, developed by Grammy Award winning producer, Pete Anderson, which have been made available for free download at www.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues

Contestants may bring and use any 6, 7, or 12 string acoustic or electric guitar, lap steel or pedal steel guitar, plus any audio pedal effects that can be set-up in a 5 minute time limit, all of which will be plugged into a selection of amplifiers provided by Guitar Center.

District competitions took place on September 30 where one winner was chosen from each of 24 districts. Those winners now move up to regionally hosted semi-finals (5 locations), culminating in the final King of the Blues Grand Finals competition in Los Angeles on November 12th.

Guitar Center’s King of the Blues champion will win an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, along with a Gibson Guitar ’59 Les Paul reissue guitar, a $2,500 Levi’s® shopping spree, a Marshall Vintage Modern 50 watt half stack, a Boss GT-10 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal, a feature in Guitar World magazine, worldwide distribution of their music in iTunes and more, plus endorsement deals from Ernie Ball, Marshall Amplification, VOX Amplification and Gibson. Additional regional, district and local prize packages will also be awarded, thanks to the generous support of Gibson Guitar, Levi’s®, Ernie Ball, Marshall, Boss, VOX, Guitar World Magazine and TuneCore, all of whom are proud partners of Guitar Center’s King of the Blues.

UPCOMING 2009 COMPETITION DATES:

Regional finals: October 21st
Grand Finals: November 12th

Some of today’s most iconic and groundbreaking artists, including BB King, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Hubert Sumlin have participated at past King of the Blues events.

With “the Blues” being the foundation for nearly all of today’s popular music, the search for the nation’s greatest undiscovered blues guitarist is expected to unearth a goldmine of unsigned talent, some of whom are destined to become tomorrow’s legends.

For the latest information, go to:

Guitar Center – King Of The Blues Official Website

Watch a new version of Madonna’s “Celebration” featuring real fans!

The video was shot on location in Barcelona and Milan during the Sticky and Sweet Tour 2009, and also features Madonna’s teen daughter Lourdes giving homage to her mother’s classic “Like A Virgin” video.

‘Celebration’ is the title track from the Queen of Pop’s forthcoming greatest hits compilation due out on September 29, 2009.

Want to become a part of Madonna history?

Dress up in your favorite Madonna looks, film your own version of the video, and enter the “Celebration” video contest. Simply upload the video to Myspace and email the entry to madonnnacontest@warnerreprise.com by Sunday, September 27, 2009. The best ones will be featured on Madonna.com and Myspace.com.

Buy Music:

Madonna on amazon.com

Madonna on amazon.co.uk

Madonna – Celebration (Fan Version) video:

Madonna Official Website

In an effort to bring back some programming power to the fans, MTV and Garnier Fructis have teamed up to encourage viewers to cast their votes for the next breakout artist on MTV.

J*DaVeY, amongst four other buzz bands, have been hand-selected to participate in the “I Want My Music On MTV” contest.

The winner of this innovative promotion will perform at the 2009 MTV Woodie Awards in November and have their music added to the music network’s video rotation. Each participating voter stands the chance of winning an all-inclusive, VIP trip for two to New York City where they will attend the awards and rub shoulders along the winners of the competition.

By definition, a “breakthrough sound” must ascend the confines of cliché labels and genres. Blending and molding sounds with unusual flavor, the ultramodern duo known as J*DaVeY has managed to create an entirely new palate for both those brave enough to experience their ad hoc form of music—equal parts rock, pop, electronica, jazz-fusion and hip-hop.

The release of their 2008 EP, The Beauty in Distortion / The Land of The Lost (Interdependent Media/ i L L a V 8 r) received beaming reviews in a variety of formats, and was instrumental in the decision to satiate the discriminating and ever-evolving tastes of a mass audience.

J*DaVeY will have a chance to bring their novel style to the national scene via their previously unreleased track, “Mama’s Back.”

The song, co-produced by Grammy nominated producer Greg Wells (Katy Perry, Pink, Rufus Wainwright, Mika, Kelly Clarkson) and a co-written by American Idol judge Kara Dioguardi (Miley Cyrus, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Pink), gives out a heaping portion of the pop/rock inspired melodies with ample doses of punk and funk grooves to satisfy even the most discerning of listeners.

“Mama’s Back” is currently available for purchase on iTunes.

Viewers can tune in to MTV to catch the commercial spot on how to vote for J*DaVeY, or visit http://iwantmymusic.mtv.com where they can vote as often as they like.

I Want My Music On MTV Official Website

Buy Music:

J*DaVeY on amazon.com

J*DaVeY Official Website
Myspace
J*DaVeY on Twitter

NY Fly-Away Contest

“Thats Not My Name” Video

We’ve all heard the song and by now, we all know their name. UK dynamic duo, The Ting Tings, are once again making their way stateside this September.

Showcasing their brand of art-minded dance rock, Katie White and Jules De Martino will be hitting the arena circuit in continued support of their infectious 2008 debut, ‘We Started Nothing’.

Columbia Records are hosting a fly-away contest for The Ting Ting’s upcoming performance at New York’s acclaimed Madison Square Garden.

To enter, simply count the total number of times Katie says “That’s Not My Name” in the video below. Everyone who answers correctly is automatically entered to win, with one lucky winner earning two roundtrip tickets to NY, one night of hotel accommodations and a pair of tickets to the show!

For more information, go to: Ting Tings – fly-away contest

Current single, “That’s Not My Name” continues in their video tradition of optical explosions and unparalleled dance moves.

Watch “That’s Not My Name” video:

Buy Music:

The Ting Tings on amazon.com

The Ting Tings on amazon.co.uk

September / October 2009 Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

September 2009

15 Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
17 San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion
18 Los Angeles, CA – Staples Center
20 Glendale, AZ – Jobing.com Arena
23 Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
24 Houston, TX – Toyota Center
26 Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
28 Fairfax, VA – The Patriot Center
30 Toronto, ONT – Air Canada Center

October 2009

2 Boston, MA – TD Banknorth Garden
3 Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Center
5 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Album: We Started Nothing
Release Date: Out NOW!
Label: Columbia Records

The Ting Tings MySpace
The Ting Tings Official Website

Felix Da Housecat has put out banger after banger since the release of his electro-pop smash, ‘Kittenz and Thee Glitz’ in 2001.

‘He Was King’, possibly his finest work yet, will be released August 25, 2009 on Nettwerk Records. Boasting Felix’ larger-than-life persona and signature flair, the record serves up an endless supply of infectious beats.

Felix has teamed up with Karmaloop, to present the We All Wanna Be Price Remix Contest. Felix is pleased to offer fans the opportunity to remix his latest single and album gem, “We All Wanna Be Prince.” Click here for contest details

FREE Download: “We All Wanna Be Prince” MP3

The start-studded video for this track is coming soon, featuring cameos from Dallas Austin, Perez Hilton and more!

Felix Da Housecat will hit the clubs in support of his new album, performing live DJ sets across the country.

Buy Music:

Felix Da Housecat on amazon.com

Felix Da Housecat on amazon.co.uk

“With an electronic pop sound, Felix Da Housecat will craze club goers with his futuristic syntho-pop beats.” – BPM

“Departing from his dance/house roots, Felix Da Housecat has shown that he is able to grow as an artist by creating He Was King, a surprising well-crafted electronic pop album.” – Filter Magazine

“Felix puts his own electro-tinged, drum machine-driven pop, robotic-vocaled stamp on everything.” – Paper Magazine

Felix Da Housecat 2009 US Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

08/22: Atlanta, GA @ MJQ *
09/04: San Diego, CA @ Vouyer *
09/05: Los Angeles, CA @ Avalon *
09/06: Las Vegas, NV @ The Palms *
09/10: Boston, MA @ Underbar *
09/12: Brooklyn, NY @ 213 North 8th Street *
09/14: Chicago, IL @ Boom Boom Room *
10/30: Phoeniz, AZ @ Myst
10/31: Los Angeles, CA @ Monster Massive
Release Party = *

Felix Da Housecat
HE WAS KING
Nettwerk Records; August 25, 2009

Felix Da Housecat MySpace
Felix Da Housecat on Twitter

Taking a page from Willy Wonka, Jack White’s latest band, The Dead Weather, placed six photo booth picture strips (in lieu of “golden tickets”) in US copies of their recently released debut, ‘Horehound’. While two have already been found, there are still four picture strips waiting to be claimed!

Watch video: “Treat Me Like Your Mother” short film

Those lucky enough to find a photo booth picture strip, will win a trip to Nashville, TN for a guided tour of Third Man Records. Included is round trip airfare, two night hotel accommodation and ground transportation for you and a friend.

Last day to redeem picture strips is August 15, 2009, so don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Grab yourself a copy of ‘Horehound’, pack those bags and hope for the best.

Good luck and maybe we’ll see you at Third Man!

Congratulations to the first two winners!
Arthur Koziol from Chicago, IL
Andrew Fox from Maryland

Buy Music:

The Dead Weather on amazon.com

The Dead Weather on amazon.co.uk

The Dead Weather Summer 2009 Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

July 2009
30 Nashville, TN – War Memorial Auditorium

August 2009
17 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
18 Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
20 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
21 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
22 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
23 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
25 Los Angeles, cA – Wiltern Theatre
27 Pomona, CA – Glasshouse
29 San Diego, CA – Street Scene
30 San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

The Dead Weather Official Website

The Dead Weather on YouTube

A BIG Shwayze scavenger hunt is headed to 5 cities (NY, LA, SF, Boston, Chicago) THIS Saturday (7/11/2009).

At 4pm EST / 1pm PST a Shwayze prize pack will be hidden in each city and clues will be given out via Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and email so stay tuned and you could be the FIRST to hear a MegaMix created by Cisco of 4 never-released songs on the new album and other fun prizes.

The 5 winners of the Shwayze prize packs will also be eligible to create and enter an original YouTube video using the MegaMix to win a VIP pass to a show the next time Shwayze plays in a city near you!

Stay posted to Shwayze.com, sign up for the mailing list, and follow Shwayze and Cisco on Twitter to make sure you’re the first to hear news of the prize locations!

Facebook
MySpace
Shwayze Official Website
Shwayze on Twitter

Cisco Adler on Twitter

Acclaimed Dublin born and LA based singer and multi instrumentalist Marc Carroll releases a new single, “Always”, on High Noon Recordings, Monday 13th July, 2009.

“Always”, with its haunting melody and heartbreaking lyrics is the lead single from Marc’s new album ‘Dust of Rumour’, released 6th July. Its uplifting refrains and beautiful repetition are reminiscent of pioneering Krautrock band Neu and Marc plays all the instruments on the track.

The new album, ‘Dust of Rumour’ is set to continue the critical acclaim that flowed following the release of Marc’s previous two albums, ‘Ten Of Swords’ (2003) and ‘World On A Wire’ (2005) and songs such as the exquisite “Against My Will” and the sun-drenched “You Just Might Be What I’ve Been Waiting For” show Marc’s timeless west-coast influenced songwriting.

MUZU.TV has teamed up with Marc Carroll to give you the chance to win 5 signed copies of the new album. Competition closes 14th July, 2009.

For full competition details just go to Marc Carroll TV on MUZU.TV

Buy Music:

Marc Carroll on amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

Marc Carroll Official Website

To celebrate their 50th Anniversary, Island Records is teaming up with Band Weblogs to give you a chance to win a pair of tickets to the annual Lollapalooza festival, 2009 in Grant Park, Chicago and a $100 gas card to help get you there!

Enter to win tickets: Lollapalooza Giveaway!

If a weekend full of live music with mega-stars The Killers, Beasties Boys and Tool (to name a few) wasn’t quite enough then you’re in luck because Island Records is also hooking up the Grand Prize winner with the entire Killers’ catalog, as well as albums from Noisettes, Airborne Toxic Event, and Ida Maria.

The prizing isn’t over yet… Island Records is also giving away custom Zippo lighters and music download cards with the top 50 Island songs from the past 50 years to 25 runners up!

Don’t pass up your chance to get in on the action!

Lollapalooza festival – August 7 – 9, 2009

For more information on the festival lineup and stage locations visit the Official Lollapalooza Website.

Island Records Official Website

To sign-up, for contest rules and terms, go to:

Lollapalooza Giveaway!

Madina Lake is teaming up with Band Weblogs to bring you a summer that truly rocks!

Celebrating their newest release, ‘Attics To Eden’, these Windy City rockers are giving away a signed Music Man Sterling guitar, signed drum head and a poster from their newest video “Never Take Us Alive.”

Madina Lake Contest: sign up!

Watch “Never Take Us Alive” video:

Sign up for a chance to win all of these great Madina Lake prizes and head over to Madina’s Official site for all the latest updates, and to find out when these Chicago boys and the Warped Tour will be coming to a city near you!

For more information about the contest, terms, closing date and more, go to:

Madina Lake Contest: sign up!

Buy Music:

Madina Lake on amazon.com

Madina Lake Official Website
Madina Lake on Twitter

Lady Gaga, the creator of the chart-topping album ‘The Fame,’ is all about high-quality dance-pop and cutting edge style. And now she has the ultimate fashion accessory: her very own Tap Tap Revenge game.

The world renown, Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and pop star icon has combined her goddess-like talent with the brilliant iPhone app development team of Tapulous, Inc. to create Tap Tap Revenge: Lady Gaga Edition.

Featuring smash hits like PokerFace, Just Dance, and LoveGame, awesome jaw-dropping themes, and the brand new 4th-rail dimension, this app promises to revolutionize the way people look at the iPhone! Tap along with Lady Gaga’s exotic rhythmic beats and accelerate into the most visually interactive music-gaming experience of your life.

Lady Gaga Revenge – Poker Face video demo:

LADY GAGA REVENGE brings the party to the iPhone with new themes, graphics, and effects inspired by the imagery and energy of Lady Gaga’s videos and albums.

Other special features in this exciting new release include:

* For the first time ever, the “Boss” tracks at the end of each level feature horizontal game play with 4 RAILS!! Like other great artists over the centuries (think, Degas, Van Gogh…), the programmers at Tapulous have entered their landscape period, and things will never be the same;

* 14 Lady Gaga tracks taken from the multi-platinum “The Fame,” including 4 red-hot remixes, all with a gorgeous look and feel that matches that Lada Gaga magic;

* 4 addictive difficulty levels, each with unlockable boss tracks;

* Lady Gaga news feed, ever-increasing stability, multi-player mode, and Facebook Connect to broadcast your high scores to the world!

Track List:

* Paparazzi
* Starstruck
* Poker Face
* LoveGame
* Boys Boys Boys
* LoveGame (Robots to Mars Remix)
* Money Honey
* Poker Face (Space Cowboy Remix)
* The Fame
* Just Dance
* I Like It Rough
* Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
* Just Dance (Glam As You Club Mix)
* Poker Face (Glam As You Club Mix)

The Lady Gaga Contest:

Want to MEET LADY GAGA? Download and play Lady Gaga Revenge for a chance at 4 tickets to see Lady Gaga live & meet her after the show! To win this once-in-a-lifetime prize, grab your iPhone or iTouch and BEAT Lady Gaga Revenge. Submit a high score on each track in the game INCLUDING the locked boss tracks. Once you submit a score on every track, you’ve got an entry into the contest. For start and end dates, terms and more information, go to the Official Tapulous website.

Tap Tap Revenge: Lady Gaga Edition User testimonials

Tapulous has a large community of Tap Tap Revenge fans and beta testers who’ve been playing with pre-release versions of Tap Tap Revenge: Lady Gaga Edition. Here’s some of what they have to say.

“This first pop style edition of TTR is going to make many hands and fingers hurt because you will be playing for hours. The songs are addicting and the new themes make it very enticing. The boss tracks introduce a new method of playing, landscape mode. Tapulous has turned our world sideways and added an additional tapping lane to make things even more challenging. This new addition to the Tap Tap Revenge series is a great one and one of the best yet to hit the appstore.” – James D. (JCMan7) – Tap Tap Revenge Evangelist

“Tapulous is back for Round 6 of their lineup of premium Tap Tap Revenge editions, and this time they have the hottest pop artist in their corner: Lady Gaga! This slick new offering brings together Gaga’s chart-topping hits along with Tapulous’ best effort to date in terms of design and gameplay. On top of the amazing visual treats in Tap Tap Gaga, the new landscape mode is an instant favorite that will pave the way for a whole new dimension of play!” – Luis A. (DXChain) – Tap Tap Revenge Elite

Buy Music:

Lady Gaga on amazon.com

Lady Gaga on amazon.co.uk

For more information about the game, the contest and terms, go to:

Tapulous Official Website

Lady GaGa – Tapulous

Coldplay recently teamed up with Tapulous Inc, an iPhone/iPod Touch game developer, to release a new music-game called Tap Tap Revenge: Coldplay Edition.

Watch Tap Tap Revenge: Coldplay Edition video clip:

Tap Tap Revenge: Coldplay Edition is the hot new game from the makers of Tap Tap Revenge, the wildly popular music game for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Built on the all-new #1 App Store hit Tap Tap Revenge 2, this Coldplay Edition of Tap Tap Revenge includes 10 of Coldplay’s greatest hits, including Viva la Vida, Lovers in Japan (Osaka Sun Mix), Lost, Yellow and Life in Technicolor ii.

To celebrate, Tapulous is hosting the Tapulous Coldplay Edition Contest.

Each day for 30 days, one player will win the entire Coldplay catalog which includes the Viva La Vida/Prospekt’s March special edition CD, Live 2003 CD/DVD, A Rush of Blood To The Head, X&Y, and Parachutes. One Grand Prize winner will win a pair of front row tickets to any concert in our Viva La Vida Tour this summer, and an autographed copy of the Viva la Vida/Prospekt’s March album (some exclusions may apply). On top of that – five runner up winners will get signed copies of Viva la Vida/Prospekt’s March album.

These skill contest officially began on April 6th at 11:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time, and runs until May 6, 2009 at 11:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time.

Coldplay on amazon.com

For more information about Tapulous and for contest terms, please visit:

Tapulous Blog

Tapulous Official Website

The winner of the Australian Music Prize (The Amp) has been announced today in Sydney!

The recipient of Australia’s most prestigious music award is Eddy Current Suppression Ring for the album ‘Primary Colours’.

Prize Director, Tracey Grimson said: “From over 200 entries, The Amp’s panel of expert judges has decided that the best Australian album of 2008 is ‘Primary Colours’. The Australian Music Prize was established to reward Australian music of excellence, and the judges’ choice for the overall winner this year certainly reflects that criteria. Congratulations to Eddy Current.”

‘Primary Colours’ is the second album from Melbourne band Eddy Current Suppression Ring.

In addition to the album’s Australian Music Prize success, it was nominated for a triple j JAward in 2008 and in the Best Rock Album category at last year’s ARIA Awards.

The band is also being noticed overseas: Spin Magazine gave the release four stars and called it “one of the year’s best guitar records”.

Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), which provides the prize money for The Amp, presented $30,000 to Eddy Current Suppression Ring in front of an invited crowd of artists, music industry and media.

PPCA’s Chief Executive, Stephen Peach, said the organisation has supported The Amp since its inception because both PPCA and the prize share an affinity for the support of musical creativity.

“PPCA is proud to have supported the Australian Music Prize since its inception in 2005. It’s proven to be a perfect synergy for our ongoing work on behalf of Australian recording artists. We would like to congratulate this year’s winner Eddy Current Suppression Ring and the other Shortlisted artists on their stellar releases.”

In addition to the $30,000 cash prize, Eddy Current Suppression Ring also receives a $30,000 on-air advertising package, courtesy of The Amp major partner Channel [V]. Both Channel [V] and MAX will also be airing an artist special of the winner.

For the third year, principle partner Red Bull has offered $15,000 worth of career-building support to an artist from The Amp Shortlist considered to have a bright future here and overseas.

At this year’s ceremony, Jack Ladder was announced as the recipient of the 2008 Red Bull Award – In Recognition Of Outstanding Potential for his album ‘Love Is Gone’. Rolling Stone Magazine has described the album as “white boy jazz and soul delivered with a refreshingly simple swagger”.

“The Red Bull Award – In Recognition Of Outstanding Potential provides a great platform to help original acts on their journey to success. Previous winners include Gotye and bluejuice. Jack Ladder was selected this year for his original and progressive musical style. We’re proud to be involved in supporting the best Australian music,” said Tom Sigelski, Cultural Marketing Manager, Red Bull Australia.

The Amp is heading into its fifth year in 2009 and will open again for entries in October. For more information head to www.australianmusicprize.com.au. As in previous years, the award will be open to Australian artists across all genres who release original album-length works during 2009.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring Official Website
Eddy Current Suppression Ring MySpace

Jack Ladder MySpace

Australian Music Prize Official Website

Photo: Ozomatli, one of the headlining acts to play the Zune Concert Series Stage at the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival

Beginning today, March 11th, Zune Canada will conduct a month-long search to find Canada’s hottest undiscovered band or artist to perform at the Zune Concert Series, Canada’s biggest free outdoor music festival taking place April 17-26 during the 2009 TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival.

As part of its commitment to emerging Canadian artists, Zune is supporting musicians working to break out and gain industry exposure with the Zune Concert Series Competition. Bands and artists are invited to upload an original music track at www.zune.ca to enter the competition. Music fans will be able to listen and rate selected tracks from participating bands, and have the chance to win a trip for two to see the selected band play live at the 2009 TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival. The winner will be chosen by a panel of esteemed music industry experts on April 13th, 2009.

The winning band or artist will receive a coveted spot to perform on the Zune Concert Series Stage at the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard festival, sharing the bill with industry talents Ozomatli, The Stills, Metric, Ten Second Epic and DJ Z-Trip, among others.

The winner will also be awarded the opportunity to connect with Canadian music industry agents, A&R reps, and managers who will advise the band on what it takes to succeed in the highly competitive music industry.

The Zune Concert Series is a highly-anticipated highlight of the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival, a huge celebration in Whistler, B.C. featuring 10 days and 10 nights of live concerts, art exhibits and big air comps in Canada’s infamous outdoor playground.

For more information on the Zune Concert Series, please visit www.zune.ca or www.whistler2009.com.

WHAT: Zune Concert Series Competition
WHEN: Zune Concert Series Competition: March 11 – April 7, 2009, winner will be selected on April 13, 2009; Zune Concert Series: April 17 – 26, 2009
WHERE: Submit Band Search entries online at Zune.ca; Listen and rate music tracks competing for top prize (more details on the official Zune.ca website)

Zune Concert Series will take place at the TELUS World Ski and Snowboard Festival, Whistler, B.C.

About Zune

Zune is Microsoft’s music and entertainment brand that provides an integrated digital entertainment experience. The Zune platform includes a line of portable digital media players, the Zune Software and Zune Social, created to help people discover music. Zune is part of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division and supports the company’s software-based services vision to help drive innovation in the digital entertainment space. More information can be found online at http://www.zunenews.ca.

About Microsoft Canada

Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq “MSFT”) the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Visit Microsoft Canada’s web site at www.microsoft.ca.

Zune Canada

TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival 2009

The Fray have set up the opportunity for fans to win prizes and stand a chance to win tickets and travel to see the band play live.

Visit: www.thefraymusic.co.uk to play along with Isaac and get a top score to win the exclusive Fray goodies.

The more people who visit the site, the greater the prizes get.

The Fray returned with a bang on Sunday following the success of their new self-titled album, entering the Top Ten at No. 8.

It knocked Bruce Springsteen off the No. 1 spot in the US last week, with sales in excess of 179,000.

The Fray on amazon.com

The Fray on amazon.co.uk

The Fray Website

The Fray MySpace