NAMM to Sponsor Drum Corps International Championships Broadcast on ESPN2

NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, announced today that it will run six televised public service announcements during the broadcast of the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships, which will air on ESPN2 on Sept. 5, 2007, at 10 p.m. Eastern Time/7 p.m. Pacific Time.

The broadcast, which received higher-than-expected Nielsen ratings in 2006, is expected to draw more than 1 million ESPN2 viewers, and it will feature excerpts from this year’s 2007 DCI World Championships, which was held the second week of August at the historic Rose Bowl  in Pasadena, Calif. The television event will be the third prime-time broadcast of the program on ESPN2 since 2005, and will be available to more than 88 million households.

“NAMM’s partnership with DCI addresses two major issues facing our industry,” said Morgan Ringwald, director of market development at NAMM. “First, it allows us to promote and support the music industry as a whole by providing an avenue for thousands of young musicians to participate in a very structured summer program. Just as important, it allows us to highlight the positive aspects of making music not only to those who attend DCI events throughout the summer, but also to a traditionally non-musical audience made up of the millions of ESPN2 viewers that tune in to see this exciting event.”

Each of the six thirty-second public service announcements produced by NAMM are intended to motivate viewers to keep music education programs strong in their communities by using the free community tools and resources available at www.SupportMusic.com. The Web site is a public service effort supported by NAMM and MENC, the National Association for Music Education. DCI is a national affiliate of the SupportMusic Coalition, now representing more than 140 organizations united to support a complete education that includes music and the arts for all children.

During the broadcast on Sept. 5, featured segments will be drawn from the competitive performances of the 12 elite corps that competed for the coveted Drum Corps International championship trophy. The telecast also will include "behind-the-scenes" features providing captivating insights, profiles and perspectives of this highly competitive display of world-class athleticism and extraordinary musical talent.

The yearly World Championships event also offers exposure and networking opportunities for music products dealers. According to DCI, 72 percent of the corps members are full-time college students, of which nearly 60 percent are pursuing music education degrees. In addition, the combined World Championship event audiences near 60,000, and millions follow the corps of DCI by attending competitions, participating in DCI-sponsored educational programs and events, purchasing merchandise, and following the exploits of their favorite corps in ways reminiscent of the Grateful Dead’s “Deadheads.”

Over the years, DCI has received long-term support from several NAMM Member companies including Pearl, Yamaha and Zildjian.

This year, NAMM offered a number of marketing opportunities for its Members to get directly involved in the summertime DCI events via market development opt-ins, including tickets to local and regional events for in-store giveaways and VIP behind-the-scenes tour opportunities. For more information about DCI, interested parties can log on to www.dci.org.

About Drum Corps International
From modest beginnings more than three decades ago, Drum Corps International has developed into a powerful, nonprofit, global youth activity with far-reaching artistic, educational and organizational influence. Through the annual Summer Music Games Tour and more than 35 World Championships in 16 North American cities, Drum Corps International provides entertainment to millions through live performances and nationally televised events, now presented on ESPN2. Drum Corps International is Marching Music’s Major League™.