'Shale Play' of Chesapeake Energy Wins 10th Annual Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands

CLEVELAND, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- No strangers to outshining the competition, top executives from Chesapeake Energy stole the spotlight in a new way on Saturday, when their company-sponsored band, "Shale Play," earned the title of the world's "Best Corporate Band" at the 10th annual Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands, presented by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "Shale Play" competed against seven other corporate bands from around the world, selected in earlier regional semi-final events held in Las Vegas and Nashville, Tenn.

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The judges panel included prominent musician and record producer Alan Parsons; American rock drummer and former member of Billy Joel's band, Liberty DeVitto; Making Music magazine editor-in-chief Antoinette Follett; and director of marketing and communications for NAMM, Scott Robertson.

"NAMM is seeing a major trend nationwide with more companies than ever putting money behind an unusual employee perk – the corporate rock band," said Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM, and a life-long drummer. "Corporations are seeing big results from recreational music making, with a positive impact on the bottom line and employee morale. Gone are the days of thinking that inspiration only comes from the boardroom. NAMM applauds these progressive companies and their talented, and happier, unexpected musicians."

NAMM has found that recreational music making has been scientifically proven to help the U.S. workplace by reducing employee stress, depression and burnout, while improving employee retention. By engaging in recreational music making, employees enjoy better morale, thus allowing companies to reduce turnover, saving them millions.

Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands is a partnership between NAMM (the trade association of the international music products industry), Fortune magazine, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. The event is also generously sponsored by Gibson and Air Products. The national competition celebrates the positive effects of making music, which has been shown to increase employee morale and productivity in the workplace. Event proceeds benefit the Rock Hall's educational programs.

An Oklahoma City-based band, "Shale Play" is an eclectic mix of pop and rock. Made up of five Chesapeake Energy employees, their music features powerful vocals with confidently executed instrumentation.

The additional seven Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands finalists were selected from a total of 30 entries battling in regional competitions across the country. Second and third place went to "D7" of Allied World Assurance Company and "The Nuisance" of Hinshaw & Culbertson, respectively.

Winners in the "Best of" categories were as follows:

• Best Bass Player – Chuck Hanley, "Title 14," GE Aviation
• Best Drummer – Tom Brodeur, "Pete Dale & The Dealmakers," BTI Systems
• Best Guitarist – Ryan Schisler, "Underpaid," ITelligence
• Best Horn Player – Daryl Wagner, "DaVita Blues All Stars," DaVita
• Best Keyboardist – Orlando Luckey, "Title 14,"GE Aviation
• Steve Eck Memorial Best Vocalist Award – Katy Igarta, "Shale Play," Chesapeake Energy

Additionally, "Unrestricted Entity" of Deloitte Consulting was a finalist.

About NAMM

The National Association of Music Merchants, commonly called NAMM in reference to the organization's popular NAMM trade shows, is the not-for-profit association that unifies, leads and strengthens the $17 billion global musical instruments and products industry. NAMM's activities and programs are designed to promote music making to people of all ages. NAMM is comprised of more than 9,000 Member companies. For more information about NAMM, interested parties can visit www.namm.org or call 800-767-NAMM (6266).

About Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as its educational programs.

The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays, the Museum is open until 9 p.m. Museum admission is $22 for adults, $18 for adult residents of Greater Cleveland, $17 for seniors (65+), $13 for youth (9-12), children under 8 and Museum Members are always free, for information or to join the membership program call 216.515.8425. For general inquiries, please call 216.781.ROCK or visit www.rockhall.com. The Museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

About Fortune

Fortune is a global leader in business journalism with a worldwide circulation of more than 1 million and a readership of nearly 5 million, with major franchises including the Fortune 500 and the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. Fortune Live Media extends the brand's mission into live settings, hosting a wide range of annual conferences, including the Fortune Global Forum. Fortune magazine's online home is CNNMoney.com, the most visited and utilized business destination website.

SOURCE National Association of Music Merchants