This Be the Beat

Giving impetus to the thriving indie scene in the country is yet another competition ”“ the Yamaha Asian Beat Championship. A competition that spans 10 countries throughout Asia, the competition will see up-and-coming bands battle it out for a place in the grand finale which will be held in Bangkok in November.

“Yamaha started this competition in 1998 as promote new talent and unsigned bands ,” says Rahul Raj Singh, Planning and Marketing, Yamaha Music. “We’ve kick-started this endeavour in every new country that Yamaha Music has entered and since we’ve been in India for the last two years, we thought the time was right to introduce Asian Beat to the country.” This year marks the 13^th anniversary of Asian Beat. The registrations for the event were open from June 1 to June 30 and Singh says considerable entries were received for the same. “We had extensive online promotions going, we also put up posters and promoted it on the radio so the entries really picked up towards the end,” says Singh. “We currently have more than 250 entries.”

The bands shortlisted in the first round will compete in the regional heats to be held in six Indian cities ”“ Mumbai (July 10), Chennai (July 17), Bangalore (July 24), Delhi (July 31), Kolkata (August 7) and Guwahati (August 21). One band from each city will get an all-expenses paid opportunity to compete in the National Finals in Mumbai on September 2. The winning bands at all levels will be awarded with Yamaha musical instruments, Canon digital cameras and Yamaha biking accessories. The winner of the national finals will compete with bands from the rest of Asia for the grand prize. In the past, world famous musicians such as Nathan East, Wes Borland, Tommy Aldridge and Billy Sheehan have been involved as judges for Asian Beat.