London's The Carnabys Win Hard Rock Rising Global Battle of the Bands Competition

ORLANDO, Fla., May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hard Rock International called on aspiring musicians around the globe to rock out for a chance at stardom through this year's Hard Rock Rising, the world's largest global battle of the bands competition. The Carnabys, from Hard Rock's hometown of London, answered that call beating out more than 12,000 competitors in this international battle!

The Carnabys are now ready to embark on the opportunity of a lifetime – a World Tour in six renowned cities – including a spot on the bill with headliners Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Kasabian at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London; an album and music video produced through Hard Rock Records; and new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000. Two runner-up bands, Sunwill from Moscow and Bop Skizzum from Denver, will each receive new music equipment and gear valued at $10,000.

From Los Angeles to London, Bali to Bangkok – local bands across the globe entered, competing in online-fan voting via Facebook; local battles at Hard Rock Cafes; and a final round - where a panel of music-industry professionals (including Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band, Live Nation Senior Vice President of Music Toby Leighton-Pope, Hard Rock International's Head of Music & Artist Relations, John Kirkpatrick, and Hard Rock Records Co-Heads of A&R, James Buell and Blake Smith) evaluated bands and selected the winners.

"This year we saw some really high-level competitors and with such an amazing prize on the line, the scoring process for all of us on the judging panel was more difficult than ever before," said John Kirkpatrick, Hard Rock International's Head of Music & Artist Relations. "Ultimately it was The Carnabys who stood out because of their songwriting, musicianship and performance level. We look forward to welcoming them to our Hard Rock stages!"

Hard Rock Cafe was founded in 1971 by two music-loving Americans in a Rolls Royce showroom in London and now includes 179 venues worldwide. Hard Rock's history of giving local talent an international stage for exposure began in 2009 with a US-based Battle of the Bands, which has since grown into the international Hard Rock Rising program with thousands of bands competing from 94 cities across the world. 2013 marks the first year a band from Hard Rock's home city of London has won the grand prize.

Committed to supporting music and emerging artists around the globe, Hard Rock International hosted more than 20,000 live music events worldwide in 2012.  The brand continues its dedication to support of up-and-coming artists in 2013 with the Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands, providing a forum for today's hottest new talent.  

Hard Rock Rising is part of an ongoing partnership with online music services company, ReverbNation. The influence of Hard Rock's iconic brand – fused with ReverbNation's extensive network of over 1.6 million artists in 250 countries worldwide – is a match made in rock and roll heaven, creating breaks for aspiring artists around the globe.

Visit www.hardrock.com for additional details.

About Hard Rock Records 
Hard Rock Records is an independent music label created in 2012 by Hard Rock International to find, develop, and promote up-and-coming artists. Hard Rock Records provides artists an unparalleled opportunity, giving each artist on the label assistance with recording, production, marketing, promotion, distribution and touring in exchange for a one-year commitment to the label. At the end of that year, the artist walks away with ownership of any recordings as well as all the profits from their release. Hard Rock has no expectation for remuneration of any funds spent developing the artist. For additional information on Hard Rock Records, visit www.hardrockrecords.com.

About ReverbNation 
ReverbNation provides over 1.8 million artists, managers, labels, venues, festivals/events and other music industry professionals with powerful, easy-to-use technology to promote and prosper online. Their array of distribution and promotional solutions provide the hands-on tools and actionable insights that allow them to reach their goals in an increasingly complex music industry. The company operates worldwide with customers on every continent. Over 30 million visitors come to reverbnation.com every month. For more information, visit ReverbNation.com and follow ReverbNation on Twitter: www.twitter.com/reverbnation.  

About Hard Rock International  
With a total of 179 venues in 57 countries, including 141 cafes, 18 hotels and 8 casinos, Hard Rock International (HRI) is one of the most globally recognized companies. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. HRI owns the global trademark for all Hard Rock brands.  The company owns, operates and franchises Cafes in iconic cities including London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Dubai. HRI also owns, licenses and/or manages hotel/casino properties worldwide. Destinations include the companies' two most successful Hotel and Casino properties in Tampa and Hollywood, Fl., both owned and operated by HRI parent company The Seminole Tribe of Florida., as well as other exciting locations including Bali, Biloxi, Chicago, Cancun, Las Vegas, San Diego and Singapore. Upcoming new Hard Rock Cafe locations include San Jose, Ibiza, Chennai, Istanbul and Tenerife. New Hard Rock Hotel projects include Daytona Beach, Palm Springs, Aruba, Riviera Maya, Abu Dhabi and Shenzhen and Haikou in China. New Hard Rock Casino projects in development include Hungary and Northfield, OH.  For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.

SOURCE Hard Rock International