Drummers Unite! Guitar Center Announces Launch of World's Largest Drum Competition...

Drummers Unite! Guitar Center Announces Launch of World's Largest Drum Competition - Guitar Center Drum-Off '08

World's Largest Drum Competition Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Offering Grand Prize Worth Over $45,000
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
For 20 years, Guitar Center has been committed to providing
drummers across the country the opportunity to pursue their musical
aspirations and achieve their dreams by way of the world's largest
drum competition: Guitar Center Drum-Off. Starting August 1st,
drummers can sign up for their chance to win over $45,000 in cash and
prizes, joining over 5,000 drummers from across the country to compete
for the title of Guitar Center's Drum-Off Champion '08.

Like all Guitar Center music programs, Drum-Off is designed to
provide developing artists with support-based opportunities that
vastly improve the potential for their success as professional
musicians. Drum-Off inspires up-and-coming drummers to further their
musical aspirations, while at the same time encouraging the local
music community and providing a platform for local musicians to
network and be discovered.

Guitar Center's Drum-Off '08 champion will win an impressive
package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, a Roland TD-20 kit, and a
custom designed drum kit by DW, Pearl, Gretsch, Tama, or Orange
Country Drums as well as a drum, stick, cymbal, and drum head
endorsement deals, be featured in Modern Drummer magazine, and in a
Guitar Center ad campaign, along with a VIP appearance @ NAMM 2009 and
shopping sprees with Levi's, Converse and Guitar Center. A Monster
Energy Drink endorsement deal is also part of the prize package,
making the total prize package worth over $45,000. In addition,
Sabian, Zildjian, Remo, Pro-Mark, Vic Firth, Evans and Rhythm Tech are
all proud sponsors of Drum-Off 08.

Several winning alumni from Guitar Center's previous Drum-Off
competitions have gone on to have incredible drumming careers,
including Cora "CC" Dunham (Prince; Drum-Off '02 Champ), Eric Moore
(Bobby Brown, Sly and The Family Stone, Infectious Grooves; Drum-Off
'03 Champ), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z; Drum-Off '95 Champ) and Thomas
Pridgen (The Mars Volta), who became the Guitar Center Drum-Off
champion in 1993 when he was just 9 years old!

How It Works:

Sign-ups for the preliminary rounds of the Drum-Off competition
begin August 1, and run on a "first-come, first-serve" basis, with a
maximum of 30 registrants per store. Contestants must sign up with a
Guitar Center drum department associate at their local store -- no
phone or Internet sign-ups are available.

Local competitions start September 23rd in all 214 Guitar Center
locations from nationwide. One winner from each store will be chosen
to move up to district competitions (24 locations), followed by
regionally hosted semi-finals (6 locations) and culminating in the
final championship Drum-Off in Los Angeles in January of 2009 (exact
date and venue TBD).

-0-
*T
COMPETITION DATES:
STORE PRELIMS: September 23rd, September 30th, and October 7th.
STORE FINALS: October 14th
DISTRICT FINALS: November 4th
REGIONAL FINALS: December 2nd
GRAND FINALS: January 2009
*T

Following the regional finals on December 6, finalists will be
headed for Los Angeles in January, where they will perform before a
panel of celebrity judges (past judges include, Stewart Copeland (The
Police), Travis Barker, ?uestlove (The Roots), Taylor Hawkins (Foo
Fighters), Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction), Josh Freese (NIN),
Kenny Aronoff, Joey Castillio (Queens of the Stoneage) Vinny Appice
(Black Sabbath), Steve Smith (Journey) and Alan White (Yes) in the
final Guitar Center Drum-Off competition to see who will become
Drum-Off '08 CHAMPION.

About Guitar Center

Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of guitars,
amplifiers, percussion instruments, keyboards and pro-audio and
recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates
214 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. 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. In addition, our Music
& Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band
instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors,
college professors and students. 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.

Girlie Action
Pam Nashel Leto, 212-989-2222, x111
pam@girlie.com
or
Kabeer Malhotra, 212-989-2222, x123
kabeer@girlie.com
or
Sarah Avrin, 212-989-2222, x118
sarah@girlie.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008