Last Call for Entries: 2012 FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands

With just 11 days left until the entry period closes, The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) together with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (Rock Hall) is reminding amateur company-sponsored bands to enter submissions for this year’s FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands. The annual competition showcases the most talented musicians in the corporate world, representing the nation’s most progressive companies. All proceeds from the FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands will benefit the Rock Hall’s educational activities.

To enter, interested parties should visit http://rockhall.com/events/battle-of-the-corporate-bands/. Entries must be received by 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

It’s no secret that the success of corporate America is built upon the foundation of a healthy, happy, and motivated workforce. Ongoing research shows that music making has several key benefits that can boost performance in the workplace. Recreational music making (RMM) has been scientifically proven to reduce employee stress and depression, and improve employee retention, saving companies significant amounts of money.

The FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands is the first, live music competition of its kind, providing amateur, company-sponsored bands the opportunity to rock their passion through playing music. The program is a partnership with FORTUNE Magazine, NAMM, and the Rock Hall, and is sponsored by Gibson Guitars.

In April, a panel of judges will review all submissions and select 18 bands to compete in one of three qualifying regional playoffs in New Orleans (May), Chicago (June), and San Francisco (July). Two finalists will be selected from each region to attend the finals competition at the Rock Hall in October, and the winning band will earn the title of “Best Corporate Band.”

During the past 11 years, more than 90 bands from corporations around the world have been represented at the finals event, including Ernst & Young, Chesapeake Energy, Bank of America Leasing, eBay, and Procter and Gamble. Past judges have included, Tommy Lee, Alan Parsons, Chuck Leavell, Southside Johnny as well as Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Sam Moore, Marky Ramone and Seymour Stein.

All proceeds from the FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands competition will benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's educational activities. With the Rock Hall’s increased focus on and commitment to bringing music into the classroom, the Rock Hall's educational offerings have now become one of the most celebrated and award-winning activities of its kind, emanating from a fine arts museum in the nation. The Museum hosts a variety of award-winning programs including year-round concerts and the Hall of Fame series featuring evenings with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees. In addition, there are education programs for everyone, from toddlers, teens and adults, to college students and teachers.

For more information about the 12th annual FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands, follow the event on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Fortunebattle and Twitter at www.twitter.com/Fortunebattle.

About NAMM
The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the not-for-profit association with a mission to strengthen the $17 billion music products industry and promote the pleasures and benefits of making music. NAMM’s activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of approximately 9,000 Member companies located in more than 52 countries. For more information about NAMM or the proven benefits of making music, interested parties can visit www.namm.org, call 800-767-NAMM (6266) or follow the organization on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational activities. For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK(7625) or visit www.rockhall.com.

About FORTUNE
FORTUNE magazine is a global leader in business journalism with a domestic circulation of over 845,000 and a global readership of nearly 5 million, which include major franchises such as the FORTUNE 500 and the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For. FORTUNE Live Media extends the brand's mission into live events, hosting a wide range of annual conferences, including FORTUNE’s Most Powerful Women and the FORTUNE Global Forum. FORTUNE publishes English-language editions in Europe and Asia, and local-language editions in United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, China, Turkey, South Korea, Indonesia, India and Greece. CNNMoney.com, which draws more than 14.6 million readers a month, is the online home of FORTUNE.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Elizabeth Lascaze or Amy Hamaoui – GolinHarris
Public Relations | Phone: 213-623-4200
elascaze@golinharris.com or ahamaoui@golinharris.com

Kymberly Drake – NAMM
Public Relations | Phone: 760-438-8007, ext. 162
kymberlyd@namm.com

Margaret Thresher – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
Public Relations | Phone: 216-515-1215
mthresher@rockhall.org