Charter's 'Center Stage Battle of the Bands' to Reward Winner with Opening Act Slot at St. Louis Festival

The winner of its online music competition will open for The All-American Rejects at the Charter Taste of St. Louis festival in September.
The concert will be held at the MSO-sponsored festival in downtown St. Louis on Sept. 29 that will be webcast live on its Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/chartercom.
Headlined by The All-American Rejects, the free concert at Soldiers' Memorial in St. Louis caps off the second annual "Charter Center Stage Battle of the Bands" contest in which hundreds of aspiring musicians from across the country are competing for a chance to appear as the opening act. Throughout the summer, bands have been submitting videos online, while music fans found new musical favorites and voted for those they hope to help launch to stardom.
Last year, Sunderland was the winner of the "Charter Center Stage" digital battle of the bands contest that saw the Pacific Northwest group open up for Panic! At The Disco at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisc. on Oct. 15. That initiative was the centerpiece for a back-to-school, high-speed acquisition campaign that showcased Charter's online speed and capabilities throughout its 11-territory footprint

 "As the leading provider of Internet services in markets across the country, we created the Charter Center Stage contest as a way to bring bands and fans together online. We give bands new ways to showcase their talent while providing fans with a fun way to discover and share the music that is an increasingly important part of their lives," said Allan Samson, Charter senior vice president of marketing in a statement.

"By providing bands with social sharing tools for Facebook and Twitter along with other promotional materials to draw fans in to view and to vote on their uploaded videos, we had more than 55,000 fan votes in our inaugural year and we're expecting to more than quadruple that number this year," he continued. "Our Internet speeds make it incredibly easy to upload and download videos, and to stream and listen to music without lags or interruptions, so Charter Center Stage Battle of the Bands is the ideal way to demonstrate the power of our Internet service."
The winning band also walks away with a prize package valued at up to $25,000, which includes a $10,000 gift card, plus travel expenses to perform at the free concert.

Besides casting a vote for a favorite band, voters in Charter's service areas can register to participate in the Charter Center Stage Sweepstakes for an opportunity to win a gift card of up to $2,500. Fans can vote one time every day. See complete contest rules at https://connect.charter.com/CenterStage/Home/HowItWorks#contest_rules

Key Contest Dates:
Band Submissions - Ends July 30
National Voting - Ends August 20
Finalist Voting - August 27 through September 10
Winner Announced - On or around September 12
Charter Center Stage Concert - September 29
Charter Presents Taste of St. Louis Festival - September 28-30

More information available at charter.com/centerstage.