Rockin' the Suit and Tie

“Work hard, play hard” is a fitting motto for the 18 bands selected to perform at the three regional qualifying playoffs of the Seventh Annual FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands. The final competition will take place at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, in October.

The first music competition of its kind, the FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands provides amateur company-sponsored bands the opportunity to rock their passion—playing music. The event is a partnership between NAMM (the International Music Products Association), FORTUNE magazine and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and celebrates the positive effects that music has on employee morale and productivity in the business world. All proceeds from the FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands competition will benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's education programs. Winners of the competition will receive gear from event sponsors and a special “rock star” trip to the 2008 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., January 17–20, 2008.

A 2006 Gallup Poll showed that 82 percent of people who don’t currently play a musical instrument wish they did, and the FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands proves it is never too late to start. Nearly one-quarter of all people who play a musical instrument are between the ages of 35 and 60, and the number of music makers in this age group is growing. The number of bands entering the 2007 competition was 41, more than four times as many as the first year that the event was instituted in 2001.

“It has been amazing to see the evolution of this program,” said Steve Dobo, director of Sponsorship and Promotions for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. “This competition has proven how beneficial recreational music making is by breaking down corporate walls and bringing together employees of all levels for one common goal—to have fun and make music.”

Recreational music making has a number of key benefits that match the wellness needs of the U.S. workplace. Recreational music making has been scientifically proven to reduce employee stress and depression, and improve employee retention. Recent research conducted with long-term care workers showed reduced employee turnover (18.3 percent decrease) due to the implementation of a recreational music making program.

“The office can be a stressful place, but the moment you pick up an instrument, the day’s worries and pressures melt away,” said Joe Lamond, life-long drummer and president and CEO of NAMM. “Playing music inspires the teamwork and creativity necessary for these companies to compete in the 21st century economy.”

Out of the 41 entries, 18 bands from across the nation were chosen to participate in one of three qualifying regional playoffs that will take place in Los Angeles at The Key Club July 7, in Nashville at the Gibson Summer Jam July 14, and in Austin at NAMM’s summer trade show, Summer NAMM, on “The Hang Stage” at the Austin Convention Center July 28. Seven finalists will be selected from these performances, along with an international entry from Australia with the final FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands competition taking place the weekend of October 5–6, 2007, at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

Started in 2001, the FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands event encourages friendly competition among a vast variety of companies that support their employees, recognizing that music helps develop teamwork, discipline, creativity, passion, harmony and commitment–all skills that are valued in business. Along with FORTUNE, NAMM and The Rock Hall, the Battle of the Corporate Bands is sponsored by Gibson, KeyBank, Lava World International, Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp and Air Products & Chemicals.

The following companies/bands have been invited to perform at the regional qualifying events:

July 7 – Los Angeles, The Key Club
4 Inch Studs/MBH Architects, Alameda, Calif.
High Definition/NBC Universal, Burbank, Calif.
Band Turismo/Sony Computer Entertainment, Forest City, Calif.
HR Violations/V Commerce Corp., Scottsdale, Ariz.
Dave Rawlinson Band/Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Wash.
SAS Band/SAS Institute, Rocky Hill, Conn.

July 14 – Nashville, Gibson Summer Jam
No Subordination/Derivative Fitch, New York, N.Y.
Strat5/Healthways, Nashville, Tenn.
Steampunk/GE Industrial, Louisville, Ky.
The Loaners/Quicken Loans, Livonia, Mich.
D7/Darwin Professional Underwriters, Farmington, Conn.
The Subliminals/Grey Worldwide, New York, N.Y.

July 28 – Austin, Austin Convention Center at “The Hang Stage” (Part of Summer NAMM)
Unrestricted Entity/Deloitte Consulting, New York, N.Y.
Soul Focus/American Century Investments, Kansas City, Mo.
Complete Wreck/Complete RX, Houston, Texas
MixOMatic/Crutchfield, Charlottesville, Va.
Full Mesh/Juniper Networks, Herndon, Va.
Trainwreck/Calzone Case Co., Bridgeport, Conn.

About FORTUNE
FORTUNE, the leading biweekly business magazine, is known for its unrivaled access to industry leaders and decision makers throughout the world. FORTUNE's annual ranking of the 500 largest corporations, the FORTUNE 500 is the ultimate benchmark of business success. Founded in 1930, FORTUNE has grown to a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a worldwide readership of nearly 5 million. The Web site, www.fortune.com, which averages 10 million page views per month, keeps visitors ahead of the business curve by providing up-to-the-minute information and analysis of the people and trends driving business innovation. The FORTUNE Conference Division extends the magazine's editorial mission into live settings, hosting a wide range of annual conferences for top-level executives, including the FORTUNE Global Forum, the FORTUNE Innovation Forum, and the Most Powerful Women Summit. FORTUNE, along with FSB: FORTUNE Small Business, Money, Business 2.0, and the Web site CNNMoney.com is part of The Time Inc. Business and Finance Network, which is a division of Time Warner, the world's largest media company.

About Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $20 for adults, $14 for seniors (60+), $11 for children (9-12) and children 8 and under and Museum members are free.