Zebra Music

Ernie Ball is proud to announce the 2013 Play Crossroads contest, where the legendary string company will be partnering up with Guitar Center, Guitar World, UltimateGuitar, and ReverbNation in a global search to give the next best undiscovered guitarist a chance to perform live on stage at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival at Madison Square Garden on April 12th-13th.

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival Presented by Chase draws thousands of fans from around the world to see live performances from legendary guitar players.  Past festivals have included great sets by Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, ZZ Top, and many more.

“Ernie Ball is thrilled to offer this incredible opportunity to undiscovered guitarists,” says Brian Ball of Ernie Ball Inc. “Partnering with Eric and his fantastic foundation is something we greatly look forward to. We’re excited to find the next great guitar legend, and look forward to helping the winner grow and establish their career.  Hopefully this opportunity acts as a massive springboard for the winning artist!”

Beginning today, unsigned musicians are invited to enter the Play Crossroads contest for free at www.playcrossroads.com by completing a short informational profile and uploading one MP3. Entrants are encouraged to use ReverbNation’s promotional toolkit provided on each band/artist profile, to promote their entry all over the web and drive traffic to their profile.

The winning artist will earn the opportunity to perform live on the Madison Square Garden Stage (the world’s most famous arena) at Crossroads Guitar Festival Presented by Chase in front of thousands of fans alongside main stage headliners such as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, BB King, The Allman Brothers Band among others.

Prize pack for the winning artist also includes:

• Performance Slot on the Main Stage of the 2013 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival at the world renowned Madison Square Garden.
• Ernie Ball String Package and Endorsement
• Ernie Ball Music Man Guitar Endorsement
• Guitar World Feature

Shure recently announced its second annual “Get the Gig” Artist Relations internship competition. Entries are now being accepted for the summer 2013 program, where one winner will get an “inside look” at the music industry and learn how to provide some of today’s most talented artists and bands with the right equipment to produce the best sound possible in the studio or on stage.

“If you love music and you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty…you could be our next summer intern,” said Cory Lorentz, Artist Relations Manager for Shure. “Our requirements are simple – be hungry to learn and be ready to expect the unexpected. While artist relations has its perks, it’s definitely not a ‘walk in the park.’ There’s no such thing as a typical day.”

Shure Artist Relations manages the relationships between musical artists and bands and the Company, providing product and technical support and assisting their front of house, monitor, and studio engineers as needed. Fans around the world enjoy music created by Shure artists such as Cage the Elephant, Foster the People, Jason Mraz, Matt & Kim, Mos Def, The Band Perry, The Black Keys, and Toby Keith, among others.

During the summer, the “Get the Gig” intern’s responsibilities may include providing support for social media initiatives, helping to manage Shure artist endorsers, assisting in the evaluation of potential endorsers, working with the Company to negotiate endorsement contracts, and coordinating Shure-sponsored events, including clinics and trade shows.

How to Enter: “Get the Gig” Competition Requirements
College juniors, seniors, and recent graduates from the class of 2012, who reside in the U.S., are eligible to enter and take part in up to three rounds of competition to demonstrate why they deserve to be the next Shure Artist Relations intern.

The submission process consists of the following:

Round One (Deadline: January 31, 2013)

• Online application – now open!
• Resume submission
• 140-character Tweet, detailing why the applicant deserves the internship

From the initial pool, 20 applicants will be notified by February 19, 2013, and will advance to the second round.

To get more information go to: http://www.shure.com/

The Great Gear Giveaway is a new contest by CD Baby and Disc Makers.There are 13 prize packages totaling over $20,000, this massive giveaway covers everything a musician needs from CD Packages and Album Distribution to Guitars, Studio Gear, Internet Radio play, and so much more.

The Grand Prize Includes

From Disc Makers & CD Baby:

• A Premium CD package (1,000 CDs in 6-Panel Digipaks)
• Worldwide album distribution through CB Baby
• One year of web hosting from HostBaby
• Promotional posters, CD design, CD mastering, and more!

From Their Partners:

• A Gibson Memphis ES-335 electric guitar from The Music Zoo
• A Gibson J-165 EC acoustic/electric guitar from The Music Zoo
• Studio gear from IK Multimedia
• Platinum sampling package from Sonic Reality
• 5,000 internet radio spins from Jango
• Songwriting software from MasterWriter

Check it out here: http://www.discmakers.com/request/gear-giveaway.asp

For this week’s Music Connection Friday Freebie prize, 2 lucky winners will each get a $241.44 Guitar Bundle Accessories package, courtesy of Planet Waves and D’Addario. The package includes Electric Guitar Strings; a Pro-Winder (peg winder for guitars); an NS Tri-Action Capo; a stylish D-Slyde; a Planet Lock Guitar Strap; an NS Mini Headstock Tuner; and Full Frequency Earphones. This Friday Freebie drawing happens NEXT FRIDAY, Oct. 19, so ENTER NOW! http://musicconnection.com/friday-freebie-page/

For this week’s Music Connection Friday Freebie, Mackie is giving one lucky winner its Mackie DL1608 live mixer–retail value, $1,249.99.

http://musicconnection.com/friday-freebie-page/

Mic preamps can make a huge difference when recording vocal tracks. Here is a great set of videos that compares two different preamps on a female vocal. http://audiomasterclass.com/video-tutorial-microphone-preamplifier-comparison.php

Here is an interesting article and video comparing the Neumann U47 and AKG C12 classic vintage vacuum-tube microphones. http://www.audiomasterclass.com/video-tutorial-01.php

DigiTech wants to hear from guitar players of every skill level who are interested in joining their product development and testing team. They are asking every guitar player on the planet to tell them what they want in their guitar gear. You will also be entered to win a free iStomp with $50 iTunes gift card prize pack.

Check it out here: http://app.fluidsurveys.com/s/guitar.