Casio Announces Partnership With 2014 Unsigned Only Music Competition

DOVER, N.J., Feb. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Casio America, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has joined with the 2014 Unsigned Only Music Competition to provide an assortment of award-winning digital pianos and synthesizers to the Grand Prize Winner. Unsigned Only, which aims to find the newest musical talent, will announce the Grand Prize Winner in August 2014.

Unsigned Only Founders Candace Avery and Jim Morgan said, "We are thrilled that Casio has agreed to partner with us this year. Their commitment to musicians throughout the world and the quality of their products fit perfectly with our mission of helping artists achieve their goals, and we are very pleased to be working with such an established and trusted brand."

Sponsored by Casio, the Grand Prize will include a variety of Casio's electronic musical instruments including the award-winning Privia Pro PX-5S and Celviano AP-450 digital pianos, as well as the LK-280 portable lighted keys keyboard and the CTK-3200 portable keyboard. In addition, the Grand Prize winner will also receive the Casio XW-P1 Performance synthesizer.

"Providing the tools to succeed is the best thing we can do to help up and coming artists break through," said Stephen Schmidt, vice president of Casio's Electronic Musical Instrument division. "We are honored to sponsor the Unsigned Only Music Competition, because it gives us the opportunity to foster the next generation of great musicians by giving them the very best equipment to use to create and produce music."

Designed for solo artists, bands, and singers who are not signed to a major label record company, Unsigned Only's goal is to find an outstanding, talented performing artist: a band, singer, or solo artist...a newcomer or veteran...raw or polished – the "gem" that needs to be discovered. The Grand Prize Winner will be awarded $10,000 in cash (plus additional prizes) and one-on-one mentoring by an elite group of record company executives. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an artist to directly network with the highest level of record company professionals and get guidance, advice, feedback, and networking opportunities. Entries are being accepted now until March 13, 2014.  

Winners are selected by renowned recording artists and journalists from top music publications. The 2014 panel includes: (Hall & Oates); 3 Doors Down; Neon Trees; Black Francis (The Pixies); David Crowder; Craig Morgan; Robert Smith (The Cure); Rosanne Cash; Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Of Monsters and Men; Aaron Shust; G. Love; Jason Gray; Alt-J; Dustin Lynch; The Mountain Goats; Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone); Josh Jackson (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Paste Magazine); Chris Richards (Pop Music Critic, The Washington Post) and more to be announced.

To learn more about Casio's wide portfolio of electronic musical instruments, visit www.casiomusicgear.com. To learn more about the 2014 Unsigned Only Music Competition, please go to www.unsignedonly.com.

About Casio America, Inc.
Casio America, Inc., Dover, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Casio Computer Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics and business equipment solutions. Established in 1957, Casio America, Inc. markets calculators, keyboards, digital cameras, mobile presentation devices, disc title and label printers, watches, cash registers and other consumer electronic products. Casio has strived to fulfill its corporate creed of "creativity and contribution" through the introduction of innovative and imaginative products. For more information, visit www.casiousa.com.

SOURCE Casio America, Inc.