The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fortune Magazine and NAMM Announce the Winners of the Fifth Annual Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Fortune Magazine and NAMM Announce the Winners of the Fifth Annual Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands

DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- PANTS!, the McKinney band from Durham, NC, was named the first place winner of the eight-band final "playoffs" in The Fifth Annual "FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands." The finals took place this weekend at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio and marked the culmination of a yearlong musical competition. This year's FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands is a partnership among FORTUNE Magazine, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and NAMM, the International Music Products Association.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051012/CLW068 )

More than half a million dollars has been raised for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Educational Programs since the launch of this competition five years ago. The Museum preserves the cultural history of rock and roll through exhibits, research, distance learning programs, public forums and student programs that explain how popular music has intersected with our society, politics and culture.

The panel of judges included Jeff Carlisi (.38 Special guitarist and founder of Camp Jam), Liberty DeVitto (drummer for Billy Joel and other Hall of Fame artists), GE Smith (10 yr. Musical director for Saturday Night Live), and Southside Johnny (founder and vocalist, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes).

The Winners of the 2005 The Fifth Annual "FORTUNE Battle of the Corporate Bands" are:

First Place - PANTS! - McKinney (Durham, NC) Second Place - The Loaners - Quicken Loans (Livonia, MI) Third Place - Spurious Freedom - Texas Instruments (Tucson, AZ)

The FORTUNE Battle is a celebration of musicians with day jobs. Band members range from CEOs to truck drivers and beyond. Music helps develop teamwork, discipline, creativity, passion, harmony and commitment - all skills that are valued in business. The number of bands entering the 2005 competition jumped to 40, an astonishing 140% increase over last year. Statistics for 2004 show the music products industry hitting record revenues, with marked increases in purchases by baby boomers and older gen-xers.

CONTACTS: Dina Blau Todd Mesek The Lippin Group Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum 212-986-7080 216-515-1286 dina@lippingroup.comtmesek@rockhall.org

Janet Northen McKinney 919-313-4062 jnorthen@mckinney-silver.com

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051012/CLW068 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN19 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: McKinney

CONTACT: Dina Blau of The Lippin Group, +1-212-986-7080, or dina@lippingroup.com ; or Todd Mesek of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, +1-216-515-1286, or tmesek@rockhall.org ; or Janet Northen of McKinney, +1-919-313-4062, or jnorthen@mckinney-silver.com

------- Profile: Ent