MUSIC FOR THE EARTH CONTEST BRINGS OUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPIRIT

MUSIC FOR THE EARTH CONTEST BRINGS OUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL SPIRIT Brazilian Artist Paulo Lara Wins Earth Day Network Contest

WASHINGTON, DC — JUNE 17, 2011 – Earth Day Network and Sonicbids announced today the winners of the 2011 “Music for the Earth” talent competition.  Hundreds of artists entered for a chance to inspire millions of listeners worldwide with their brand of environmentally-themed music.  Brazilian singer/songwriter Paulo Lara captured first place for his song “Better World.”   Second place went toSteve Elci and Friends for their song “Earth Day,” followed closely in third place by The Wheel Workers for their song, “Chemicals.” “Music has the power to educate and change society for the better,” said Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network. “’We’re delighted so many talented songwriters are inspired by Earth Day and we hope their music will help us address the urgent environmental challenges our planet faces today.”   Earth Day Network partnered with Sonicbids, the leading matchmaking site for emerging bands and music promoters, to produce the “Music for the Earth” contest. Bands submitted using the Sonicbids platform and were included in the “Earth Day: Music for the Earth” microsite, which featured downloads from the artists who participated. Artists were judged by the number of fan downloads and the top 20 most downloaded artists were then reviewed by a panel of judges to determine the winner. Paulo Lara, the first place winner, was granted a “green” Gibson Jackson Browne Model 1 Acoustic Guitar crafted from renewable English Walnut and Red Spruce woods that was donated courtesy of Gibson Guitars and Musician’s Friend and is valued at nearly six thousand dollars. Links to all three winning songs can be found at: https://archiveedn.wpengine.com/blog/billion-acts-green/2011/03/23/music-earth or http://earthday.sonicbids.com. About Earth Day Network Earth Day Network’s mission is to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement, driving action year-round. Earth Day Network does this through advocacy, education, public policy, and consumer campaigns (archiveedn.wpengine.com). “Music for the Earth is part of EDN’s Arts for the Earth™ program, an innovative education program to teach sustainability and environmental education through museum and arts community networks and to feature artists who have incorporated environmental themes into their works. About Sonicbids Sonicbids is the leading matchmaking site for emerging bands and music promoters. Since its launch in 2001, Sonicbids has become the de-facto standard for submitting music to events and opportunities around the globe, counting as partners thousands of prominent events and festivals in North America, Europe, and Australia. Today, the Company boasts a registered membership base of 300,000 bands from over 100 different countries, who use the site daily to connect with 25,000 music “promoters” – ranging from some of the world’s largest music festivals and music conferences, to clubs, coffee houses, cruise ships, colleges, advertising agencies, brand managers, podcasters, music supervisors and other people looking to book, license or broadcast music. In 2010, bands and artists using Sonicbids booked close to 80,000 “gigs” through the site. Sonicbids’ mission is to empower the Artistic Middle Class. Get a Gig or Book a Band at www.sonicbids.com. MEDIA CONTACTS Joan Michelson, [email protected], 702.806.3690