The Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands is an annual music competition for amateur company-sponsored bands in the United States, Europe and Australia. Created in 2001, the contest's proceeds benefit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, which also serves as the location for the final round of the competition. The Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands is presented through a partnership with Fortune magazine and the Hall of Fame, and is sponsored by the NAMM Foundation, Gibson Guitars, Marshall Fridge and Fender Premium Audio.
The competition is sometimes billed as a "celebration of musicians with day jobs". As of 2013, a requirement is that all participants must be employees of the submitting company.
The Battle of the Corporate Bands was developed as a joint effort between Fortune magazine and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to enhance the museum's profile in the business community. The two executives most responsible for its creation were Kip Meyer, director of integrated programs for Fortune and Fortune Small Business magazines, and Steve Dobo, director of sponsorships and promotions at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The competition serves multiple purposes. First, it serves as a fundraiser for the museum's Educational Fund. In the 2007 contest, each entrant submitted a $200 entry fee, and each finalist's company donated $7,300 to take part in the final round. The museum also earns contributions from the competition's corporate sponsors and from ticket sales.
The contest also provides increased exposure to the companies which sponsor the bands, via the media attention generated by the contest, and via recaps of the contest that appear in Fortune.
The contest entry process begins early in the year, when bands submit a three-song CD to a panel of judges, typically due in late April. During the first three years of the contest, this panel selected the eight national finalists. For every year since then, the judging panel selects 18 US bands to participate in one of three qualifying US regional "Battles" which are held in the summer. Locations for the US regional contests vary from year to year—the 2007 regionals were held in Nashville, Tennessee, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas. In 2008 a European regional was added for the first time, in London, UK. Six bands from around Europe are selected for the European regional.
At each regional event, each of the six bands performs a 20-minute set. The judges then choose two finalists from each US regional, plus the one winner of the European regional. After all of the regionals have been completed, the judges choose an additional one or two bands as "wild card" finalists, typically making eight finalists in all.
In some years, a finalist is included from Australia. Since 2004, Telstra, an Australian telecommunications and information services company, has sponsored their own national competition, called RockInc. The winner of RockInc is automatically entitled to a spot in the Fortune competition final.
On the day of the finals, held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October, each band performs a 30-minute non-judged showcase for the public during the day. That evening, each band plays a 15-minute set for a panel of music industry judges. The judges will then select a winner, dubbed "The Best Corporate Band in America" for that year, along with 2nd and 3rd-place winners.
Members of the winning band receive an expenses-paid trip to the annual NAMM Show, where they will be a featured performer. In 2007, Continental Airlines also awarded two airline tickets for each member of the winning band. The band also has its name and photo displayed at the Rock Hall of Fame for one year as part of a permanent exhibit honoring the event. The winning band also receives a "gold record" trophy, along with varsity jackets embroidered with their band's name and the contest logo. First-place bands are not allowed to enter the competition again.
Awards are also given to individuals for Best Guitarist, Best Bass Player, Best Keyboardist, Best Vocalist, Best Horn and Best Drummer.
| Result | Band | Corporate affiliation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014, 6 September | |||
| 1st | Cleyson Brown Unlimited | Overland Park, Kansas | |
| 2nd | Toy Box | Hello World | Pleasant Ridge, Michigan |
| 3rd | The Toys | El Segundo, California | |
| Kings of the Phone Age | Broomfield, Colorado | ||
| DaVita Blues All Stars | Brentwood, Tennessee | ||
| Toys 2 Men | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | ||
| Gwen & the Boys | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
| Peripheral Vison | Center Valley, Pennsylvania | ||
| Best Vocalist | Terri Lowe (DaVita Blues All Stars / DaVita) | ||
| Best Guitarist | David Gullo (Toy Box / Hello World) | ||
| Best Drummer | Jason Smith (Cleyson Brown Unlimited / Sprint Corporation) | ||
| Best Bassist | Frank Minolfo (Cleyson Brown Unlimited / Sprint Corporation) | ||
| Best Keyboardist | Dan Sanfillipo (Toys 2 Men / Hasbro) | ||
| Best Horn Player | David Freeland (Cleyson Brown Unlimited / Sprint Corporation) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Jeff Carlisi | Founding member of 38 Special | ||
| Ricky Byrd | Guitarist for Joan Jett and Roger Daltrey | ||
| Liberty Devitto | Drummer for Billy Joel | ||
| John Regan | Bass player for Peter Frampton and Ace Frehley | ||
| Rob Arthur | Keyboards for Peter Frampton | ||
| Antoinette Follet | Editor of Making Music | ||
| 2013, 28 September | |||
| 1st | OTN Speedwagon | Hanover, Maryland | |
| 2nd | Detached Retina | Arlington, Virginia | |
| 3rd | Cassius King | Chicago, Illinois | |
| The Telematics | Valley, Nebraska | ||
| Toy Box | ePrize | Pleasant Ridge, Michigan | |
| Toys 2 Men | Pawtucket, Rhode Island | ||
| Class Action | King of Prussia, Pennsylvania | ||
| Peripheral Vison | Olympus | Center Valley, Pennsylvania | |
| Best Vocalist | Gina Bloom (Cassius King / Mesirow Financial) | ||
| Best Guitarist | Paul Bullock (OTN Speedwagon / Ciena Corporation) | ||
| Best Drummer | Jonathan Bruskin (Detached Retina / Excella Consulting) | ||
| Best Bassist | Lori Stassin (Cassius King/ Mesirow Financial) | ||
| Best Keyboardist | Nicolai Schurko (Class Action / Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin) | ||
| Best Horn Player | Steve Darflinger (OTN Speedwagon / Ciena Corporation) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Jeff Carlisi | Founding member of .38 Special | ||
| Ricky Byrd | Guitarist for Joan Jett and Roger Daltrey | ||
| Liberty Devitto | Drummer for Billy Joel | ||
| Rob Arthur | Keyboards for Peter Frampton | ||
| Antoinette Follet | Editor of Making Music | ||
| 2010, 2 October[1] | |||
| 1st | Shaleplay | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| 2nd | D7 | Farmington, Connecticut | |
| 3rd | The Nuisance | Hinshaw & Culbertson | Chicago, Illinois |
| Pete Dale & the Dealmakers | Ottawa, Ontario | ||
| DaVita Blues All Stars | Brentwood, Tennessee | ||
| Unrestricted Entity | New York City, New York | ||
| Title 14 | Hamilton, Ohio | ||
| Underpaid | itelligence, Inc. | Cincinnati, Ohio | |
| Best Vocalist | Katy Igarta (Chesapeake Energy / Shaleplay) | ||
| Best Guitarist | Ryan Schisler (iTelligence / Underpaid) | ||
| Best Drummer | Tom Brodeur (BTI Systems / Pete Dale & the Dealmakers) | ||
| Best Bassist | Chuck Hanley (GE Aviation / Title 14) | ||
| Best Keyboardist | Orlando Luckey (GE Aviation / Title 14) | ||
| Best Horn Player | Daryl Wagner (DaVita / DaVita Blues All Stars) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Audio engineer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. | |||
| Drummer for Billy Joel | |||
| Antoinette Follett | Editor of Making Music | ||
| 2008, 4 October[2] | |||
| 1st | The Consumer Republic | Geneva, Switzerland | |
| 2nd | 4 Inch Studs | Alameda, California | |
| 3rd | D7 | Darwin Professional Underwriters | Farmington, Connecticut |
| EneROCK | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| High Definition | Burbank, California | ||
| Looming LARGER | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||
| Second Shift | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Strat 5 | Healthways | Nashville, Tennessee | |
| Best Vocalist | Michel Jouveaux (Procter & Gamble / The Consumer Republic) | ||
| Best Guitarist | Bruce Clement (4 Inch Studs / MBH Architects) | ||
| Best Drummer (tie) | Mike Aldridge (Procter & Gamble / The Consumer Republic) | ||
| Theo Mordley (NBCUniversal / High Definition) | |||
| Best Bassist | Mike Mann (EnerNOC / EneROCK) | ||
| Best Keyboardist | Roger Rivas (NBCUniversal / High Definition) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Kip Meyer | Co-founder of Fortune Battle of Corporate Bands | ||
| Felix Cavaliere | Vocalist and Keyboardist for the Rascals | ||
| Ian Ruddle | Deloitte Consulting | ||
| 2007, 6 October[3] | |||
| 1st | Soul Focus | Kansas City, Missouri | |
| 2nd (tie) | Full Mesh | Herndon, Virginia | |
| The Subliminals | New York City | ||
| 3rd | Band Turismo | Foster City, California | |
| Trainwreck | Calzone Case Company | Bridgeport, Connecticut | |
| Unrestricted Entity | New York City | ||
| High Definition | Burbank, California | ||
| Fan's Choice Award | Soul Focus (American Century Investments) | ||
| Best Vocalist | Amanda Bohn, Ivy Mitchell, Maggie Ryder, Denise Raspberry and Erin Sweeney (Grey) | ||
| Best Guitarist | Larry Thomas (American Century Investments) | ||
| Best Drummer | Joe Calzone (Calzone Case Company) | ||
| Best Bassist | Myke "Shyndigg" Heni (Grey) | ||
| Best Keyboardist | Joe Dingwerth (American Century Investments) | ||
| Best Horn Player | Matt Caporaletti and Dave Mullen (Grey) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Ed Bailey | Austin City Limits VP of Brand Development | ||
| guitarist for Kid Rock | |||
| Jim Fox | drummer for the James Gang | ||
| 2006, 7 October[4] | |||
| 1st | Suit Tie Hi-Fi | Cambridge Australia | Sydney, Australia |
| 2nd | SAS Band | Cary, North Carolina | |
| 3rd | Soul Focus | Kansas City, Missouri | |
| 4-Inch Studs | MBH Architects | Alameda, California | |
| Full Mesh | Herndon, Virginia | ||
| The Loaners | Livonia, Michigan | ||
| Rage the Machine Again | Oxnard, California | ||
| Second Shift | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Unrestricted Entity | New York City | ||
| Fan's Choice Award | Soul Focus (American Century Investments) | ||
| Best Vocalist | Mark Potter (Cambridge Australia) | ||
| Best Guitarist | Dana Rafiee (SAS/Destiny) | ||
| Best Drummer | Al Mannarino (SAS) | ||
| Best Bassist | David Leoncavallo (DW Drums) | ||
| Best Keyboardist | Joe Dingwerth (American Century Investments) | ||
| Best Horn Player | Adam Adelkopf (Deloitte) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Jeff Carlisi | 38 Special guitarist and founder of Camp Jam Co. | ||
| drummer for Billy Joel and other Hall of Fame artists | |||
| vocalist and guitarist for Ted Nugent | |||
| Ricky Byrd | guitarist for Joan Jett and Roger Daltrey | ||
| guitarist with the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan | |||
| 2005, 8 October[5] | |||
| 1st | PANTS! | Durham, North Carolina | |
| 2nd | The Loaners | Livonia, Michigan | |
| 3rd | Spurious Freedom | Tucson, Arizona | |
| U2 Seaters | Fantastic Furniture | Sydney, Australia | |
| Second Shift Band | Phoenix, Arizona | ||
| Direct Connectors | Reston, Virginia | ||
| Renal Rockers | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
| The Fifth | New York City | ||
| Best Guitar | Brian Stapp (Quicken Loans) | ||
| Best Drummer | Tony Zizzo (Texas Instruments) | ||
| Best Keyboards | Chris Longton (Renal Care Group) | ||
| Best Bass | Wes Whitener (McKinney) | ||
| Best Horn | Gene Meros (Nextel) | ||
| Best Vocals | Thomas Armendarez (Texas Instruments) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Jeff Carlisi | 38 Special guitarist and founder of Camp Jam Co. | ||
| Liberty DeVito | drummer for Billy Joel and other Hall of Fame artists | ||
| longtime musical director for NBC's Saturday Night Live | |||
| founder and vocalist for Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes | |||
| 2004, 2 October | |||
| 1st | Negative Feedback | San Jose, California | |
| 2nd | Center Stage | ||
| 3rd | Direct Connectors | Reston, Virginia | |
| The Dinosaurs | CXtec | Syracuse, New York | |
| The Loomers | Partners & Simon | New York City | |
| Pulp It Up KC | Sydney, Australia | ||
| OVP | |||
| The CopenDavis Band | Davis, California & Copenhagen, Denmark | ||
| Best Guitarist | Mark Rongers (OVP) | ||
| Best Bass Player | Mark Holderness (eBay) | ||
| Best Keyboards | Jerry Gray (Wells Fargo) | ||
| Best Drummer | Mike Dorshak (Wells Fargo) | ||
| Best Vocals | Shane McLaughlin (Nextel) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Alan Light | editor-in-chief of Tracks | ||
| Allan Slutsky | producer, author, musician and Grammy winner | ||
| Chuck Leavell | musician with the Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers | ||
| John Shiely | President and CEO of Briggs & Stratton | ||
| Australian musician | |||
| 2003, 8 October | |||
| 1st | The Residuals | Fleet Capital Leasing | Providence, Rhode Island |
| 2nd | chaingarden | Discreet Logic, Inc., an AutoDesk company | San Rafael, California |
| 3rd | The Briggs Bluesbusters | Briggs & Stratton Corp. | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin |
| The Davita Blues All-Stars | Torrance, California | ||
| Blue Truck | American Express Financial Advisors, Inc. | Minneapolis, Minnesota | |
| Parts Rock And Accessories Roll | Harley-Davidson Inc. | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | |
| Yield to Maturity | Cleveland, Ohio | ||
| SonicTones | Sonic Industries | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | |
| Best Guitarist | Morgwn McCarty (Autodesk) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Chairman of London-Sire Records and President of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation | |||
| drummer for the Ramones | |||
| Roger McNamee | executive with Integral Capital Partners and member of the Flying Other Brothers | ||
| Johnny A. | renowned session and solo guitarist | ||
| 2002, 5 October | |||
| 1st | The Raving Daves | Pleasanton, California | |
| 2nd | The Marsh Bluesbrokers | New York City | |
| 3rd | The Briggs Bluesbusters | Briggs & Stratton Corp. | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin |
| DC-Nine | |||
| Parts Rock And Accessories Roll | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||
| The Rolling Bones (AKA the Off Wall Street Jam Band) | New York City | ||
| Invacare | Elyria, Ohio | ||
| The MCSi Band | MCSi | Vista, California | |
| The Soul City Survivors | Daum Commercial Real Estate | Valencia, California | |
| Proxy | Birmingham, Alabama | ||
| Best Guitarist | Ira Stanley (the MCSI Band) | ||
| Best Bass Player | Vince Orange (Parts Rock And Accessories Roll) | ||
| Best Vocalist | Jonda Madison (the Marsh Bluesbrokers) | ||
| Best Drummer | Kirk Sarkisian (the Marsh Bluesbrokers) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Chairman of London-Sire Records and President of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation | |||
| Jimmy Fox | former drummer for the James Gang and the Outsiders | ||
| member of soul group Sam & Dave | |||
| 2001, 6 October[6] | |||
| 1st | The Difference | Allentown, Pennsylvania | |
| 2nd | The Briggs Bluesbusters | Briggs & Stratton Corp. | Wauwatosa, Wisconsin |
| EnteraRocks | Andover, Massachusetts | ||
| various Silicon Valley firms | California | ||
| The James O Band | |||
| The Raving Daves | Pleasanton, California | ||
| DC-Nine | |||
| Parts Rock And Accessories Roll | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | ||
| The Rolling Bones | various Wall Street firms | New York City | |
| Best Guitarist | John Rachkoskie (Enterasys) | ||
| Judges | |||
| Chairman of London-Sire Records and President of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation | |||
| Tom Zito | co-founder of GarageBand.com | ||
| rock critic, producer and guitarist for Patti Smith | |||