Shure Gets Back to its Musical Roots

Where would grunge be without Ozzy Osborne? Where would boy bands be without The Jackson Five? They certainly wouldn't be where they are today. Shure Incorporated salutes musical influences from all music genres in the Shure Musical Roots Contest. Amateur musicians across the United States can show their roots by recording a creative cover of a song they consider to be an influence on their music. So, whether you are in a garage band from Georgia or recording in a basement in Boston, Shure wants to hear "your sound."

Creating the most inspired cover will win you nearly $10,000 in Shure gear, plus an all-expenses paid trip to the 2002 National Association of Music Manufacturers' (NAMM) International Music Market in Anaheim, California in mid-January. While at the show, the Grand Prize Winner will be the guest of honor at Shure's Musical Roots Hearing Conservation Benefit Concert headlined by Living Colour at the House of Blues. Ten finalists will also receive a Shure KSM27 studio recording microphone.

Contest entries will be accepted through November 15, 2001. Entries can be submitted online in MP3 format at www.shureaudio.com or by mail at Shure Musical Roots Contest, Dept. 1560, 222 Hartrey Avenue, Evanston, IL, 60202-3693. An entry form can be obtained by mail by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to "Musical Roots Contest Entry Form" at the contest address. A 50-word essay explaining the musical root choice must accompany all entries.

Each tuneful tribute should not exceed four minutes in length. A panel of music experts will judge all entries based on creativity (50%), performance (25%) and production values (25%).

The contest is open to amateur musicians 18 years of age or older who are residents of the United States.