McDonald's(R) Live Tour Culminates in New York With Performances by Rising Music Sensations Keri Hilson and OneRepublic

McDonald's(R) Live Tour Culminates in New York With Performances by Rising Music Sensations Keri Hilson and OneRepublic

Voting Officially Begins: Fans Help Pick Their Favorite Artist to be Part of a Future McDonald's Ad Campaign

CHICAGO, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's(R) Live, the unique music program that brought free concerts with the hottest emerging artists to young adults this summer, makes its final stop in New York on Sunday, September 30. Co-headliners Keri Hilson and OneRepublic will kick off the free concert at 5 p.m. at McDonald's restaurant in Spring Valley, NY, located at 106 Route 59.

While the McDonald's Live concert series comes to a close, it's just the beginning for fans wanting to make an impact. Starting October 2 through October 31, fans can vote at mcdlive.com for their favorite artist of the tour. The musician or group with the most fan votes will help decide whose music will be part of a future McDonald's advertising campaign next year.

"McDonald's Live enables our young adult customers to experience live, free music from emerging artists," said Douglas Freeland, Director, Marketing, McDonald's USA. "And the fun continues online as fans have the power to choose by voting for their favorite artist and viewing concert footage at http://www.mcdlive.com/."

Keri Hilson was a signature voice of the summer having been featured in Timbaland's "The Way I Are," a Billboard chart-topper for 17 weeks and counting, recently peaking at #1 on the Billboard Pop 100. She also closed MTV's Video Music Awards on September 9 in a star-studded performance joining Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado.

Opening the concert with their distinct blend of pop and rock is on-the-rise band, OneRepublic. Their hit song "Apologize" featuring Timbaland is climbing the Top 40 charts and the band remains the no. 1 band on MySpace and has been in MySpace Music's Top Artists since summer 2006.

"It is very exciting to have artists from my label, Mosley Music Group, participate in an event as great as this," said Timbaland, who collaborated with both Hilson and OneRepublic on his latest duet album, Shock Value. "I hope all the fans enjoy this experience with them."

At mcdlive.com, fans will vote from a roster of some of the hottest up-and-coming artists that performed on the 10-city tour, such as Sean Kingston, Kenna, Che'Nelle, Single File, Cherish, Kevin Michael, The Last Goodnight, Relient K, Matt White, Dropping Daylight and Jon McLaughlin. These talented acts visited cities across the country, including Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Madison, Kansas City, and Austin. Ne-Yo, winner of the 2007 BET Best R&B Male Artist of the Year award and Grammy nominated artist, kicked off the tour on July 26 in Los Angeles.

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to close out a tour that had such an incredible list of musicians perform this summer. I know that OneRepublic and I will end the tour with a bang," said Hilson. "It's come full circle for me since 'The Way I Are' was featured in a McDonald's commercial kicking off the summer."

McDonald's Live concerts take place at McDonald's restaurants or nearby local venues. Performances were promoted on the number one online music destination, Yahoo! Music. McDonald's Live was also featured on the back of McDonald's large and medium French fry boxes from August 8 until supplies ran out in September. Concert footage, artist messages and additional information can be found on mcdlive.com.

About Keri Hilson

This talented singer/songwriter has written hits for superstar performers, but this year she has taken center stage for herself. Keri is featured in one of the summer's top singles, "The Way I Are," which is also part of a McDonald's summer ad campaign. Keri, a self-proclaimed "musical flowerchild," gives birth to a fresh and unique style of R&B and will be mixing her talents with some notable entertainers to create her highly anticipated debut album. She will release her solo debut album in 2008 on Timbaland's Mosley Music Group and Polow Da Don's new joint venture, Zone 4 Inc. (MMG/Zone4/Interscope).

About OneRepublic

For a band that has yet to release an album, OneRepublic has already had a ton of exposure.

OneRepublic is the no. 1 band on MySpace and has been in MySpace Music's Top Artists since summer 2006, with over 12 million total song plays and counting. This pop-rock band was formed in Colorado by high school friends Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins. Now a quintet, they are gearing up for their self-titled debut album to be released later this year.

About McDonald's

McDonald's USA, LLC is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For more information about McDonald's visit http://www.mcdonalds.com/.

   For more information contact:    Molly McKenna, McDonald's USA   630-623-6593    Kelli Anderson, GolinHarris   312-729-4432  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: McDonald's USA

CONTACT: Molly McKenna of McDonald's USA, +1-630-623-6593; or Kelli
Anderson of GolinHarris, +1-312-729-4432, for McDonald's USA

Web site: http://www.mcdlive.com/
http://www.mcdonalds.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment