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Billboard.com and Chevrolet Present “Cruze-ing to Vegas”


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18 unsigned bands compete for appearance at Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas

NEW YORK -- Eighteen emerging bands from across the country have a shot at national television exposure, a career milestone that will be determined by consumer votes, fan engagement and live performances through a contest called “Cruze-ing To Vegas” that launches today on Billboard.com sponsored by Chevrolet.

Devoted fans and progressive music enthusiasts can visit www.Billboard.com/battle to view each band by region, listen to music, watch videos and cast their vote. The final six group favorites will each receive the keys to a Chevrolet Cruze for a road trip that will take them from their home base to Las Vegas. Upon arrival a battle of the bands competition awaits with the ultimate prize: a chance to be honored as the “Dreamseeker Artist of the Year” at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards airing live Sunday, May 22 on ABC.

“We have scouted the country for bands that we truly believe have the potential to break out as stars,“ said Billboard Editorial Director Bill Werde. “Our new Uncharted ranking has been a priceless tool for discovering new bands, DJs and musicians and now we want to push them further out onto the public stage.”

“Chevrolet has long been associated with music. In fact, Chevrolet has been mentioned in over 1,000 songs,” said Kevin Mayer, director of advertising and promotions for Chevrolet. “Partnering with Billboard.com on ‘Cruze-ing to Vegas’ is the next link in connecting our brand with music.”

Billboard editors have identified three bands from six U.S. regions based on a variety of factors, including Heat Score, a formula that measures online fan engagement and drives Billboard’s Uncharted chart of emerging artists. They are:

Northwest
1. Champagne Champagne (Seattle). 2. Grynch (Seattle). 3. Hotels (Seattle).

West
4. AJ Rafael (Moreno Valley, CA). 5. The Deadlies (Los Angeles). 6. Traphik (Long Beach).

Southwest
7. Butcher Bear and Charlie (Austin). 8. Don’t Wake Aislin (Dallas). 9. Otenki (Houston).

Midwest
10. Duke Junior and the Smokey Boots (Athens, OH). 11. Lightning Love (Detroit). 12. MyMyMy (Chicago).

Southeast
13. Art Official (Miami). 14. Decoder (St. Petersburg, FL). 15. Side by Side (Charlotte, NC).

Northeast
16. Appomattox (New York City). 17. Gentlemen Hall (Boston). 18. The Cinnamon Fuzz (Boston).

These bands will hit the road in an all-new Chevrolet Cruze and document their journey to Las Vegas. A camera crew will follow their every move – playing gigs along the way, rocking out to Cruze’s standard XM radio, communicating with fans through blogging, tweeting, creating playlists and, finally, the battle of the bands on May 18. The six bands will engage with their fans while on the road, building a viral audience and improving their social Heat Score, one of many goals as they set their sights on Las Vegas.

The 2011 Billboard Music Awards are supported in partnership with Chevrolet Cruze and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. For more information on “Cruze-ing to Vegas” visit www.Billboard.com/battle.

About Billboard
Now in its 117th year, Billboard is the world’s premier music brand consisting of Billboard magazine, Billboard Events, Billboard Bulletin, Billboard.biz and Billboard.com—the online destination of choice for millions of music fans. The Billboard brand is built on its exclusive charts and unrivaled reporting on the latest news, issues and trends across all genres of music. Most recently, Billboard launched the new Uncharted ranking of undiscovered artists, tracking their rising popularity across the Internet. Billboard reaches tens of millions of consumers daily through many strategic relationships with major companies including Reuters, SanDisk, Telemundo, Microsoft Zune, Napster, GTech, Motorola, AT&T, Sony Music Entertainment and Amazon. These relationships leverage Billboard’s brand recognition, proprietary chart data and information resources to develop products, live events and print, television, radio, digital and mobile platforms. Billboard produces conferences year-round with programming to address music’s role in media and entertainment, including music showcases and awards shows to spotlight talent. In addition to North America, Billboard operates businesses in Brazil, Greece, Japan, Korea and Russia.

Billboard is owned by Prometheus Global Media, a diversified company with leading assets in the media and entertainment arenas, including: Music (Billboard and its related conferences and events, including The Billboard Latin Music Awards), Entertainment (The Hollywood Reporter, Backstage, ShowEast, Cineasia, and CineEurope); and Advertising & Marketing (Adweek, Mediaweek, Brandweek, Adweek Conferences and The CLIO Awards).

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers “gas-friendly to gas-free" solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.



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