Audio Video News

To commemorate its 40th anniversary, Polk Audio has launched the “Listen to the Music” competition inviting independent musicians of all genres to reinterpret the Doobie Brothers rock classic of the same name. Contestants will submit performance videos to vie for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to open for the Canadian pop-rock band Walk Off the Earth and John Legend at the Hard Rock Cafe in early January.

Click here for details on how to enter the contest, which is a collaboration with Walk Off the Earth, whose 2012 cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” garnered more than 155 million hits on YouTube. The band recently released R.E.V.O., a full-length album of original songs on Columbia Records featuring the hit single “Red Hands,” and helped kick off the contest with its own interpretation of “Listen to the Music.” Members of the band will serve as contest judges, helping to narrow the field to 10 finalists, with a public vote determining the winner.

Contestants can make and submit their own video or schedule a recording session at a mobile recording studio that will make a dozen stops around the country through next spring. Click here for a list of tour stops. The deadline for video submissions is December 2; the winner will be announced on December 20.

On Oct. 12, the mobile recording studio will travel to State College, PA for the Penn State vs. Michigan game. From there it will travel to five more states and dovetail with the following games: Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville, FL, Nov. 3; Arizona State vs. Oregon State in Phoenix, Nov. 16; UCLA vs. Arizona State University in Los Angeles, Nov. 23; Stanford vs. Notre Dame in San Jose, Nov. 30. The tour will continue Dec. 30 at The Holiday Bowl in San Diego and make the following stops through spring 2014: International CES in Las Vegas in January, the Super Bowl, The Daytona 500 in February, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and SXSW in Austin, TX in March.

“This campaign is by far Polk’s largest and most exciting undertaking in its 40 years, and all elements are intended to support and celebrate the independent artist who shares our love of listening to music,” said Blair Tripodi, chief marketing officer for Sound United, the parent company of Polk. “The Doobie Brothers’ track has always been a bit of an anthem for our brand, and we can’t wait to hear how musicians reimagine the song and make it their own. We are also thrilled to have Walk Off the Earth as a partner on this project. The band embodies the fresh approach to music that we celebrate as a brand.”