Skype and Celebrity Judges Pete Wentz, Ryan Tedder and Matt Pinfield Search for the Next Breakthrough Band

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking the Say it With Skype app to a whole new level, Skype today announced the "Join Say it with Skype" campaign; a call-to-action for an emerging band to become part of the Say it with Skype app as a new birthday band and genre.  In a widespread search for today's 'next big band,' Skype appointed well known musicians and leading music influencers, Pete Wentz of Black Cards, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, and MTV music personality and host of "120 Minutes" and MTVHive.com Matt Pinfield as judges to identify talent. As an added bonus to joining the app as the 'house band,' the winning band is to receive one-on-one mentoring time with the celebrity judges and paid studio time to not only record the song which will be featured on the Say it with Skype app, but also the chance to record their own song to use however they please.

The 'Join Say it with Skype' competition is an opportunity to showcase today's amazing talent pool of emerging musicians, while providing an example of the convergence of music, technology and the power of social media.  Skype is giving up-and-coming artists the chance to showcase their musical talent and bring them the exposure that may not be as easy to come by. Providing the opportunity to receive guidance from music experts such as Matt Pinfield, Ryan Tedder and Pete Wentz, is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many unsigned bands or musicians.

Bands may submit entries on the Skype Facebook page, until Thursday, June 14 at 11:59 P.M. EDT: https://apps.facebook.com/jointheapp. Winners will be chosen and notified on Tuesday, June 19 via email, and will be announced publicly on Monday, July 9 at 9:00 A.M. EDT.

"Music has the uncanny ability to reach and join people on multiple levels — time, language, and now with technology, there are no barriers. It was one of the very reasons why I wanted to participate in this program and work with Skype," said Pete Wentz.

"Today's emerging artists are embracing old and new sounds, and using various tools and technology to create and share. As a musician, I am honored to participate alongside Skype in such an exciting competition that embodies this, and will showcase the next generation of emerging artists and talent in the world today," said Ryan Tedder.

"This competition is not only an opportunity to showcase today's amazing talent pool of emerging musicians, but it is also a way to enable the winning band to teach tomorrow's youth about the importance of 'the power of music and technology' to connect people here in the U.S. and around the world," said Matt Pinfield.

For more information on this campaign or to submit your entry, please visit: https://apps.facebook.com/jointheapp.

About Say it with Skype:
Say it with Skype is an engaging-group video greeting app that lives on both Facebook and Skype.com. It allows users to send a friendly and fun greeting to their friends and families. Launched in November 2011 with birthday greetings to cut through the standard "Happy Birthday Mate" wall post on Facebook, Skype partnered with 10 bands for our users to be able to sing along with via their web cams and a group video call screen. With the success of birthday, Skype quickly followed up with a Happy Holidays version again another hit, the app has seen over 70,000 videos produced and over 180-million impressions gaining traction in the social space. Say it with Skype is designed to show everyday reasons for friends to get together and say something like Happy Birthday, You Rock, and more. With a robust roadmap of content for 2012 Say it with Skype is set to propel in social engagement world.

About Skype:
Skype is communications software whose purpose is to break down barriers to communication. With an Internet-connected device, families, friends and colleagues can get together for free with messaging, voice and video. At low cost, they can also call landlines or mobiles virtually anywhere in the world. Skype has recently introduced group video, allowing groups of more than two people to do things together whenever they're apart.

Founded in 2003 and based in Luxembourg, Skype is a division of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT). Skype can be downloaded onto computers, mobile phones and other connected devices for free at www.skype.com.

Contacts:
Skype
Demetra Kavadeles
[email protected]
650-799-9358

Kaplow for Skype
Jennifer Myers
[email protected]
212-221-1713

SOURCE Skype