PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Clyne Media
Tel: (615) 662-1616
Fax: (615) 662-1636
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Know Your Roots. Be Original.”
GUITAR CENTER LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE COMMUNITY
FOR
“KING OF THE BLUES” COMPETITION
— The world’s largest guitar competition announces GCKingOfTheBlues.com
— with custom user profiles, exclusive video clips, artist interviews
and forums —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA — Guitar Center, Inc.
(Nasdaq NMS: GTRC), the nation's leading music instrument retailer,
today announced the launch of an interactive community in support of
“King of the Blues” 2007 — the world’s largest
guitar competition. Geared towards offering informative resources and
promoting players with deep passion and commitment to the craft, GCKingOfTheBlues.com
creates a virtual community that connects and fosters music enthusiasts.
Now in its 2nd year, Guitar Center’s “King
of the Blues” is a nationwide competition that searches to find
the best up-and-coming guitar player in the country. 199 locations will
be holding in-store competitions this year. Following the initial in-store
competitions, winners advance through store, district and regional elimination
rounds before reaching the grand finals, which will take place in June.
The new interactive website offers members the viral tools
to upload tracks, edit profiles and share their passion with other members
within the online community. A “Top 100 Tracks” section
features the best songs as rated by the members of the cyberspace community.
Users can also chat with other Blues lovers on the discussion boards
dedicated to everything from talking shop to sharing techniques or finding
local musicians or that rare ’76 Gibson Les Paul.
The new website also allows fans to get the most up-to-date
news regarding Guitar Center’s nationwide “King Of The Blues”
Competition. In addition, the virtual world offers VIP access to exclusive
audio and video clips from famous Blues musicians like BB King and Hubert
Sumlin.
“At Guitar Center our key mission is to cultivate
new and upcoming musicians,” said Dustin Hinz, Manager of Event
Marketing and Promotions for Guitar Center. “This community of
Blues fans and musicians was designed and built as an outlet for these
talented artists to connect with others as they grow and shape their
craft.”
…ends 295 words
About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the leading United States retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment.
Our retail store subsidiary presently operates 200 Guitar Center stores,
with 142 stores in 50 major markets and 58 stores in secondary markets
across the U.S. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates
more than 95 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental,
serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. We
are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments
in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's
Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com.
More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's
Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.
The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar
Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Clyne at Clyne Media Inc. at (615) 662-1616