Artists:

Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands is 100% free to enter! Sign up here.

Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands will award 44 bands a spot on the 2009 Rockstar Taste of Chaos lineup (one band for each of the 44 tour cities). Bands may choose up to three cities in which to compete for a spot. To enter, bands must complete a short informational profile and then upload at least one MP3 or video file to the profile. Each band may upload as many files as it desires, but must designate only one MP3 or video file as its official contest entry for each city. Any additional files that a band uploads will reside on the band's Backstage page.

Ernie Ball Battle of Bands' first round is determined by a combination of fan votes and Buzz Factor. Entrants can use the widgets provided in their account manager to promote their entry all over the Web and drive fans to vote. Fans can also grab the "Spread the Word" banner from their favorite artist's Backstage and embed it on other sites to help promote. The 20 bands in each city earning the highest combination of votes and Buzz Factor during the online voting period will advance to the next round of competition. These bands will then be reviewed by a panel of industry professionals comprised of our partners, Taste of Chaos Organizers, and Ernie Ball Inc. One band in each city will then be selected for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of performing live on the main stage of the 2009 Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour playing in front of thousands of fans alongside Thursday, Pierce the Veil, Bring me the Horizon, Four Year Strong, Cancer Bats, and more. The 2009 Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour, brought to you by the organizers of the Vans Warped Tour, is shaping up to be the winter's largest lifestyle music festival. The winning band will also win a full Ernie Ball Music Man endorsement, a year's supply of Rockstar Energy Drink, and a Custom Hurley Apparel Package.

All competing artists must be unsigned, or signed to an independent label that does not have prominent international distribution.

Fans:

Your votes will determine which artists become eligible to win this contest. Each vote you cast will serve as your entry to win a brand new, custom-designed Ernie Ball Music Man guitar. You will be able to cast one vote per artist, per day. Register here to get started