Guitar Center Launches Second Season of National Search For The Next Great Undiscovered Singer-Songwriter

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Guitar Center - the world's largest retailer of musical instruments - announces the return of Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter, the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered songwriter. Introduced last fall and receiving over 17,000 submissions Guitar Center's Singer-Songwriter program has quickly become the premier platform for aspiring songwriters to achieve the opportunities and exposure necessary to attain a successful career in music.

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The winner of Singer-Songwriter will receive an incredible recording opportunity – heading into the studio to work alongside Grammy award-winning Producer John Shanks to record a 4 song E.P. Not only has Shanks' work with last year's winner Josh Doyle proven an extraordinary success, but his accolades include 60 million records sold, 43 #1 singles and 67 #1 albums with artists including Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Melissa Etheridge, Bon Jovi and Alanis Morissette. After completing an E.P. with such an accomplished producer, the winner of Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter will then have the chance to debut their work on national television, heading to Hollywood, California to perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

How to Enter: Starting today through Dec. 23, 2012, unsigned singer-songwriters from across the United States are invited to submit an original live music performance video at www.guitarcenter.com/songwriter. Submissions will be ranked through the use of WHOOZNXT, a leading digital music company that tracks an artist's fan growth across top social networks and music portals. All artists who enter will be ranked based on their online fan growth during the first round. In the second round, the top-ranked 140 artists will be reviewed personally by Grammy Winning producer John Shanks who will handpick 10 finalists to perform live at the Hotel Cafe where one winner will be chosen.

"Last season was such a positive experience that I am thrilled to be back for another round of Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter," says Shanks. "Working with up-and-coming artists to help them hone their sound and refine their style is what I love to do, and this program has laid out the perfect platform to allow me to do just that."

Guitar Center's Singer-Songwriter 2 Winner Will Receive:

• A 4 song E.P. with Grammy Award-winning producer John Shanks
• A live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (*)
• The American Design Experience from Fender - winner will design his or her own electric or bass guitar
• New gear from Martin, Bose®, Korg, Zoom, Shure, D'Addario, TC-Helicon, and Converse
• $10,000 Cash
• Recording time at Converse Rubber Tracks Studio in Brooklyn, NYC.
• A feature in American Songwriter Magazine
• Worldwide digital music distribution from TuneCore

From over 17,000 submissions received during the inaugural Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter search Nashville native Josh Doyle was chosen as the winner. Overwhelmed by Josh's talent, John Shanks decided to extend the recording process from a three song EP to a full-length album, complete with an all-star band including Leland Sklar, Matt Chamberlain and Dean Parks. The singer-songwriter has also teamed up with CTK Management and Neil Warnock of The Agency Group, gearing up for this next chapter in his career. Since wrapping the recording process, Josh debuted his single "Solarstorms" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, performed on The Nick and Artie Show on DIRECTV, and will perform on an upcoming episode of The Hallmark Channel's Marie! this fall. His self-titled album, produced by John Shanks, is set to release on Oct. 23, 2012.

"Guitar Center strives to consistently develop new opportunities to help musicians succeed," says Dustin Hinz, Director of Music Marketing and Artist Relations for Guitar Center. "To see Josh's career develop through this competition has been extremely rewarding for Guitar Center. We look forward to giving another emerging artist a chance to share their music with the world."

As the world's largest retailer of musical instruments, Guitar Center is dedicated to supporting the global music community and providing musicians with opportunities to get their music heard. Guitar Center's commitment to unsigned artists runs deep with a full calendar year of diverse programs aimed to enable musicians by providing the opportunity and exposure they need to be successful. No other retailer is developing platforms for their customers like Guitar Center.

Guitar Center's musicianship programs include the award winning music television series Guitar Center Sessions, the weekly radio show Connections Made By Guitar Center, and the acclaimed podcast series At: Guitar Center with Nic Harcourt as well as various competition based programs such as Guitar Center Presents Your Next Record, Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter, Master Satriani, Guitar Center On-Stage and Guitar Center's Battle of the Blues.

Partners for Guitar Center's Singer-Songwriter include: Fender, Converse, Bose, Martin, Shure Incorporated, Korg, Zoom, TC-Helicon, American Songwriter, Filter, TuneCore, ASCAP, D'Addario and Keep A Breast.

About John Shanks
John Shanks is one of the hottest and most influential producers working today.  On top of that, he is a hit songwriter and accomplished guitar player.  John has produced and/or written 43 #1 singles, 67 #1 albums and sold over 60 million records to date in the genres of Rock, Pop and Country music.  In 2005, he won the Grammy for Producer of the Year. To people in the industry, his work is considered the gold standard.  "John's records have become the sound of Top Forty Radio," Clive Davis told Rolling Stone.  "He's the father of that guitar-driven kind of pop sound."

About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the world's largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment. Our retail store subsidiary presently operates more than 234 Guitar Center stores across the U.S. We are also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments in the United States through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician's Friend, Inc., and its catalog and Web site, www.musiciansfriend.com. In addition, our Music & Arts division operates more than 100 stores specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving teachers, band directors, college professors and students. More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company's Web site at www.guitarcenter.com.

SOURCE Guitar Center