Charter 2012 Virtual Battle of the Bands to Bring Winner Center Stage at Acclaimed Taste of St. Louis Festival

ST. LOUIS, June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Charter Center Stage 2012 Battle of the Bands (charter.com/centerstage) will heat up online this summer in its second year of showcasing talented musicians and bands of every genre, all vying for the opportunity to perform online and on stage before thousands – and be discovered beyond their hometowns.

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The band with the most fan votes will claim a spot on Center Stage at the award-winning Taste of St. Louis, taking place September 28-30 at Soldiers Memorial. Charter is the presenting title and stage sponsor for the 2012 Taste of St. Louis, a nationally recognized celebration of the best food, music, art and culture the Gateway City has to offer. 

Bands can submit video entries from June 20 through July 30. Early submissions are encouraged, since fans begin voting on July 9. Entries can be submitted at charter.com/centerstage or at facebook.com/chartercom. Music videos must feature an original song written by one or more of the band's members.   

The contest winner of Charter Center Stage will open for a nationally known headliner artist, to be announced soon. The band will perform at Taste of St. Louis on Saturday, September 29, before an audience that, since the event's inception eight years ago, has totaled hundreds of thousands each year. The concert will also be webcast live on Facebook.

Charter's inaugural Center Stage concert in 2011 took place in Madison, WI, when Sunderland, a pop-rock band from Hood River, OR, triggered nearly 10,000 votes in the contest's final voting to win the big prize, with over 316 bands participating in the battle. Sunderland opened for PANIC! At the Disco, Fitz and the Tantrums, and Plain White T's. Thousands attended the 2011 concert and 10,000 more saw it streamed live on Facebook.

According to Sunderland, Charter Center Stage literally put them on the map. "We've never experienced a more rapid fan-base growth than we have after playing Charter Center Stage. Our name reached all over the U.S., and we can now draw a crowd in most cities we tour in, which is amazing for an unsigned band like us."

"Videos submitted for the Charter Center Stage competition enjoy exposure to an international music-loving audience through the influence of the Internet," said Allan Samson, Senior Vice President, Marketing. "Winners of Center Stage will rise to a whole new level of performance and exposure, beyond what they may have thought possible. We're thrilled to sponsor this online music competition, bringing the concert to a huge live audience in St. Louis and streaming the event live to a far-reaching online audience."

The Grand Prize band also wins a prize package valued at up to $25,000, which includes a $10,000 Visa gift card and travel expenses (air, hotel and ground transportation) to perform at Taste of St. Louis.

A Center Stage Sweepstakes is being held to encourage fans in Charter's service area to vote for their favorite band. These voters have an opportunity to win gift cards of up to $2,500.

This fan-driven, online battle-of-the-bands video competition takes place in two rounds of voting for fans' favorite video performance. Voting for finalists from Charter's 11 key market areas takes place from July 9 through August 20. Grand Prize finalists from those markets are voted on from August 27 through September 10. The Grand Prize winner will be announced on or around September 12.

Key Dates:

• Band Submissions: June 20 – July 30
• National Voting: July 9 – August 20
• Finalist Voting: August 27 – September 10
• Winner Announced: On or around September 12
• Charter Center Stage Concert: September 29
• Taste of St. Louis Festival: September 28-30

About Charter

Charter (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a leading broadband communications company and the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States. Charter provides a full range of advanced broadband services, including advanced Charter TV® video entertainment programming, Charter Internet® access, and Charter Phone®. Charter Business® similarly provides scalable, tailored, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to business organizations, such as business-to-business Internet access, data networking, business telephone, video and music entertainment services, and wireless backhaul. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Charter Media® brand. More information about Charter can be found at charter.com.

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.