2006 Proves a Breakthrough Year for Bodog Music's $1M Battle of the Bands

This is quite possibly 'The Greatest Viral Marketing Idea of all time' - Click Here to read more - you don't need to give us any personal information and we won't chase you.....

(PRWeb) December 24, 2006 -- Calvin Ayre, founder of the digital entertainment giant Bodog.com, is bringing "Battle of the Bands" competitions to a whole new level with the Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands. What started as an A&R search for the Bodog Music label roster to find the best unsigned band in the continental U.S. has grown into an unstoppable force.

The Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands is as multi-dimensional as a music competition could be, boasting 7,223 registered bands, an interactive, multi-platform online community, 326 live music showcases, and a soon-to-be-launched reality TV show based on the competition. The 2,395 groups that battled it out were after the grand prize: a $1-million worldwide marketing and recording contract with Bodog Music. Although only one band will win, all participants have already gained so much, including web notoriety, local praise and the experience of a lifetime.

Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre noted, "The Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands has become even bigger than we imagined. It is so gratifying to have our contest become a force in independent music. The bands have been forced to the edge of their creativity in music and marketing and now the best will get to the next level in the finals on our reality TV show."

A web leader, http://www.bodogbattleofthebands.com/home/ is ranked by Alexa.com as being in the top one percentile of all web sites on the Internet. The site acts as a digital headquarters for the Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands, providing its 7,223 registered bands and the more than 150,000 registered users with everything needed to be a part of the experience. This innovative web site is host to a live media player that allows visitors to listen to the vast variety of unsigned bands taking part in the competition. The site displays the latest news, and is a virtual playground for band browsing, including a voting structure for several of the rounds. It is the votes accumulated on the site that have driven bands to the second round of the contest, the live showcases.

The official myspace homepage, http://www.myspace.com/bodogbattleofthebands was a featured profile on myspace.com and has gained over 20,000 friends and 109,000 profile views since the launched in April '06. Several of the markets including Seattle, Chicago and Atlanta, have started their own local Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands homepages on myspace.com. The online community continues to grow with fan originated, non-official sites, communities on livejournal.com and bands posting footage from the live BBOTBs as well as virals and commercials on You Tube.

This year, 17 major markets and 47 venues hosted the $1 Million Battle of the Bands with over 326 live showcases occurring throughout the nation. Bodog Music recording artists Neurosonic, Britt Black, The Vincent Black Shadow, The Heck and Soma City Ward showed competitors what it takes to be on the label as they toured the country playing in several markets on the BBOTB stage.

Bodog Music is home to a non-genre specific roster and the Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands is an extension of that diversity. Bringing audiences the broadest lineup of unsigned bands in history - with music spanning the genres of R&B, Metal, Country and Punk - the competition touches on every form. Non-denominational and certainly not ageist, the BBOTB highlighted musicians both male and female, 16-50 years of age. From August to December, three live rounds panned out. The first round "Boot Camp" had 1,435 bands playing in each city, vying to be one of the 756 acts to reach the second round, called "In the Trenches". Survivors of those live showcases advanced to the final local market round, "City Wide Warfare", which saw 204 bands playing it out in the 17 local markets. The victors will now head to the national finals.

Massive crowds attended to vote for their favorite battling band in the City Finals. These votes, along with VIP judges and on-site promoters, chose who moved forward in the competition. VIP judges included local DJs, regional newspaper music editors, video show producers and hosts, and local celebrities. A staggering number of more than 85,000 tickets were sold for the live events. The City Wide Warfare finals in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Minneapolis, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver played to sold-out crowds. Denver boasted a record-breaking concert, as the first local band show in the Gothic Theatre's history to ever sellout full capacity.

The 2006 Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands City Wide Warfare winners are:

Atlanta - The Mood
Boston - Fear Nuttin Band
Chicago - Left 4 Dead
Dallas - Ashmore
Denver - The Desciples
Detroit - Silverspork
Houston - Subversa
Los Angeles - BLAXMYTH
Miami - Big Bang Radio
Minneapolis - Leroy Smokes
New York City - Live Society
Philadelphia - Burn Down All Stars
Phoenix - Idle Red
Seattle - Fall From Grace
San Francisco - Strifer
Tampa - MuRdok
Washington - Ahimsa Sunrise

Film crews have been following every step closely in each city, with a reality TV show in the works. This unique look into the Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands will take nationwide audiences front and center to the City Wide Warfare Finals, its defeats, victories and personal triumphs. Including a touching moment in Seattle, where drummer Little Ken of the winning band Fall From Grace proposes to his long-time girlfriend…she said YES! Stay tuned for more information on the Bodog Music $1 Million Battle of the Bands, the TV show and more in 2007.

About Bodog

www.Bodog.com, with its head office located in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, is licensed in the United Kingdom and Kahnawake, Canada. Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre, recognized as a world authority on branding in digital entertainment, was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine's recent best-selling "Billionaires" issue. Bodog.com also has a thriving online community, which includes history-making World Series of Poker Main Event champion Jamie Gold (www.bodog.com/poker). Bodog.com Entertainment offers a host of entertainment services, including: online gaming (Bodog.com); an international record label (Bodog Music.com); a million-dollar band search competition (BodogBattleoftheBands.com); a publishing division (with an online magazine, BodogNation.com, and blog, BodogBeat.com); an events department renowned for producing parties that are stunning, chic and celebrity-filled; and an international television production division, which produces reality television series, such as BodogFight (BodogFight.com) and Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker (CalvinAyre.com). For more information, contact Media Relations at 1-866-892-3371. BODOG is a registered trademark of Bodog.com Entertainment Group.

###