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Hard Rock Hunts For Rising Rock Stars

HardRock-RisingA contest conducted by Hard Rock will give an up-and-coming rock group the chance to appear in a major music festival.

The grand prize of the contest, “Hard Rock Rising,” includes performing at the 2012 Hard Rock Calling music festival in London's Hyde Park on the same bill with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Hard Rock, in a partnership with online music services company ReverbNation, is hosting an open registration through Jan. 17 for bands wishing to participate in the global battle. The hotel/casino empire with restaurants at its core is promoting the contest on its main Facebook page via a special subsection.

"Hard Rock believes it is critical to support emerging artists and discover new musical talent through the Hard Rock Rising program," said John Galloway, vice president and chief marketing officer for Hard Rock International, in a release.

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To register, future rock stars can visit one of 86 participating Hard Rock Cafe Facebook pages. Following open registration, fans decide who moves on to the live performance phase of the program and can vote on any Hard Rock's city-specific, Facebook page by downloading free tracks from bands of their choice. For full rules and a list of participating locations, visit www.hardrock.com.

After fans choose their favorites, participating Hard Rock Cafe locations around the world will host a series of live competitions featuring these local bands. One winner will be selected from each location by the other participating bands. These local winners will be narrowed down to the top 10 bands worldwide via fan voting on participating Hard Rock Facebook fan pages. Finally, a panel of celebrity judges and music industry professionals will select the top three winners.

The first place winner will be flown to London for the ultimate rock star treatment, including a spot on the bill at Hard Rock Calling 2012. Second and third prize winners will receive $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, in ReverbNation Promote It credits for Facebook ad campaigns specialized for musicians and venues promoting songs, Facebook pages and concerts.

Hard Rock Calling, now in its seventh consecutive year, will take place from July 13 to 15 in London's Hyde Park. The show is produced by Live Nation and presented by Hard Rock International, which has a total of 174 venues in 53 countries, including 137 cafes and 15 hotels/casinos.

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