“Asia’s No. 1 Band Competition” with the Participation of Representative Amateur Bands from 11 Countries and Regions. Asia’s Top Competition!

International Interchange among the Youth of Asia through Band Performances

To be held on November 8 (Sunday) in the National Convention Hall of Yokohama

Yamaha Corporation (Headquarters: 10-1, Nakazawa-cho, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture; President Mitsuru Umemura; hereinafter, Yamaha) will sponsor an event, “Asia’s No. 1 Amateur Band Competition,” with the participation of representative young amateur bands, mainly from 11 countries in Asia, including Japan. The title of the event will be “Tokyo Band Summit 2009 vs. Asian Beat,” and it will be held on November 8 (Sunday) in the National Convention Hall of Yokohama.

Yamaha has sponsored its “Tokyo Band Summit,” which is intended to promote musical culture through providing support for the activities of bands composed of young members, since 2004. Bands that practice in music studios in the Tokyo metropolitan area appeal to audiences via the Internet and compete on stage during the Tokyo Band Summit event. The scale of this event has grown year by year, as evidenced by the fact that 721 bands submitted applications to participate, and, over the last five years, in total more than 2,000 bands have participated in the event.

As a parallel activity, Yamaha’s overseas subsidiaries call for the participation of bands in other countries in Asia in an overall band competition. After area competitions and area finals, the winning bands from each country and region come together in one hall to compete for the No. 1 position in Asian Beat, which is an event held in differing locations each year. The 2008 Asian Beat marked this event’s 11th anniversary. Each year, the best band of the Tokyo Band Summit is invited and performs as a guest at the Asian Best Grand Final, where the No. 1 band in Asia is chosen.

Bands from nine countries and regions participated in the Grand Final of the Asian Beat 2008-2009, which was held in February 2009 in Hong Kong, and the winner of the competition was “BROKEN VALENTINE,” a band from Korea.

This year, the “Tokyo Band Summit 2009 vs. Asian Beat” marks important milestones because these two big band competitions have never been held together, and this will be the first time to hold the expanded version of the two band events. The top three winners from Japan and the top winners from 10 Asian countries and regions (Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Korea, Thailand, and Mongolia, plus Mexico) will each perform an original piece, and the top band in Asia will be decided in what might be called the “Amateur Band Asian Top Competition.” The event will take place at the time of the 2009 Musical Instruments Fair, which will also be held in the National Convention Hall of Yokohama from November 5 through November 8. A total of about 5,000 participants are expected to attend, including members of the general public (for whom admission is free), the bands, and their supporters.

The embassies and consulates of the home countries and regions of the participating bands are also scheduled to offer their cooperation, and their support for the proceedings is expected to result in a highly international event on that day suited to the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Port of Yokohama celebration, which will be held around this time. Please note that bassist Billy Sheehan of the popular band “Mr. Big,” which will get together again this year, will be invited as a special judge for the contest. He will participate with the other guest judges in judging the performances and is scheduled to hold a music clinic.

Outline: The largest amateur band contest in Asia, sponsored by Yamaha beginning in 1998. Bands from the countries of Asia are invited to participate, and winners of the finals are selected following regional competitions. The top bands selected in each area final then come together at the Asian Beat Grand Final, which is held on a rotating basis in a different country of the region each year, for the selection of the No. 1 band in Asia. Asian Beat marked its 11th anniversary in 2008, and this year’s event is expected to create much excitement and interest.

Participating countries and regions include: Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Hong Kong, Mongolia, India, Thailand, and others

* Product names and company names that appear in the text are trade names or trademarks of the respective companies.

For further information, please contact

Yamaha Corporation

Corporate Communications Division, Public Relations Group

• TEL. +81-3-5488-6601
• FAX. +81-3-5488-5060