Up and Coming Band Trucker Wins First Phase of Sennheiser's HearIAm Music Campaign

Aug. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- OLD LYME, Conn,  – August 10, 2010 – On August 1, Montreal's Osheaga 2010 was the place to be as Kansas City's Trucker roared on to the stage as winner of the first phase of the HearIAm  campaign, which was launched last June by Sennheiser  in conjunction with PickTheBand.com and Universal Republic Records. Music fan Jack Barakitis of Boston won first prize for the campaign's fan component and enjoyed a Montreal Osheaga 2010 VIP weekend courtesy of Sennheiser along with three of his friends.

Osheaga 2010 was the first of a series of music experiences Sennheiser has awarded in the campaign, which continues into early 2011; musicians and fans from all over North America and Latin America are encouraged to participate.

Trucker was voted into the top spot by an expert panel of music professionals as well as thousands of fans. They performed their set before a record-breaking Osheaga attendance of over 50,000 fans, alongside well-known artists including Snoop Dogg, Sonic Youth and many others. Music lovers all across North America and Latin America also participated in the contest by sharing music and voting for their favorite artists, helping elevate Trucker to the top spot for the first phase of the campaign.

Todd Johnson, lead vocalist/lead guitarist of Trucker, commented: "We can't begin to express how grateful we are for this opportunity and hope to build on the relationships and friendships we made over the last few days; we truly felt like the rock stars we have all been working so hard to become. The entire experience was all a bit surreal, but also very inspiring."

Trucker is now among the five HearIAm finalists that will compete later in the campaign for a 3-song recording with a major producer from Pick The Band, a mastering and distribution deal from Universal Republic Records and an A&R showcase at Universal Republic's headquarters in New York.

The campaign's next phase begins with the CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival in NYC this October, when another deserving band will be chosen for a highly coveted performance slot as an official CMJ act in one of Manhattan's hottest clubs: Le Poisson Rouge.

Opportunities for Music Fans
HearIAm also offers participating music fans the chance to win an inclusive trip to one of many music events that will be part of the broader campaign. As winner of the first stage of the campaign, Boston music lover Jack Barakitis was flown to Osheaga 2010 in Montreal for a VIP music weekend with three of his friends, courtesy of Sennheiser. Barakitis was one of many fans that participated in HearIAm by sharing music and voting for their favorite artists on PickTheBand.com.

By signing up at HearIAm.com, fans can preview and share thousands of their favorite music tracks with others using customized social media tools and applications developed by Sennheiser and Pick The Band. Moreover, fans are able to cast votes for their favorite artists, making both artists and fans eligible to win a myriad of exceptional prizes. Musicians and fans will have many more opportunities to enter the contest before it concludes next spring, at which time a single grand-prize winner will be chosen.

To learn more or participate in Sennheiser's HearIAm initiative, please visit http://www.heariam.com.