We are grateful to the industry-leading organizations who make Young Guns 2008 possible. Please take a moment to learn more about them.

The Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to redefining and supporting music education.

The Foundation helps students turn their passion for music into real world opportunities—by providing teens with new and exciting programs focused on all aspects of the music business.

We have created a variety of programs that reach students on a national and local level.  Some of the programs Heart & Soul provides are:

Battle of the Bands

The Battle of the Bands is a contest in which high school bands compete for the title of “best band”.

By sponsoring a Battle of the Bands, the Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation is able to benefit students interested in the music industry by giving them the opportunity to be recognized and perfect their performance skills.

The Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation will host two live Battle of the Bands events in Charlotte and Nashville in 2008.   

Noise!

Noise! is a unique summer program for teens who long to understand and someday be a part of the music industry. Noise! is loud! Not to mention life altering, mind-bending and dream-inspiring.

At Noise! teens 15 to 17 years old learn from a wide range of role models including artist managers, record label producers, music critics, audio architects and other industry insiders.

The students also receive a first-hand look at the environments within which these industry professionals work. They are given the opportunity to explore various careers within the music industry—better equipping them to pursue their dreams and turning those dreams into real world opportunity.

Thirty-two students with a passion for music are selected from all over the country each year and given a full scholarship to attend Noise!

Local Efforts

The Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation continues to support music education in the form of a grant program focused on giving money to Public school programs or non-profit/501(c)(3) programs directly funding music education.  We do this through purchasing instruments, building music departments, supplemental music materials and more.

Grant applications will be available in January 2008. Since the inception of Heart & Soul in 1998, the Foundation has given over $1 million dollars to over 75 schools
nationwide in support of local music programs.

The Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation was founded by Muzak—the world’s largest business music provider, which uses the power of music to create audio experiences for more than 400,000 businesses around the world.

Muzak understands the extraordinary power of music and works to expand the scope of music education—providing students with the opportunity to apply their passion for music to their professional futures.

For more information on the Muzak Heart & Soul Foundation and the programs it provides visit heart.muzak.com.

Using design and imagery that appeals to students, In Tune gives young musicians essential insights into a wide variety of musical genres, instruments and technology. It explores the music they are passionate about and explains in the simplest terms how it is made, learned, performed, recorded, and distributed.

What is J.A.M.?

The J.A.M. Program (Junior ASCAP Members) was started so that teenagers who are interested in music, both its creation and the business, would have a place to learn about different aspects of the music industry. J.A.M. gives teens the opportunity to get involved in a real music business organization, while keeping up with their favorite music creators, and hopefully learning a thing or two from them. As a member, you'll be eligible to receive cool stuff, select discounts, and special benefits. The site features helpful and informative articles that give you an inside look at the inner workings of the music industry, interviews with professional songwriters and composers, and articles on the craft of songwriting.

What is ASCAP?

ASCAP stands for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. We are a membership association with more than 300,000 composer, lyricist and music publisher members spanning all genres of music.

ASCAP represents its members by collecting license fees from radio and television stations, web sites, clubs, shopping malls, concert halls and other places where music is played. We then distribute that money as royalties to our members whose music was played. This is one of the most important ways songwriters and composers make a living.

ASCAP is home to the greatest names in music. Members include famous artists who write their own songs, writers whose works are performed and recorded by others, and thousands of writers in the early stages of their careers.

Alanis Morissette, Madonna, the Beastie Boys, No Doubt, Jason Mraz, the Killers, Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Enrique Iglesias, Pearl Jam, Blink 182, Lit, Will Smith, Garth Brooks, Lee Ann Womack, Metallica, Dave Matthews and Nine Inch Nails are all members of ASCAP.

Hear Technologies is the new Pro Audio product division of Quantum Technologies Inc., a world leader in custom audio/video systems. Our mission is to offer unique and affordable solutions for personal and professional systems and support them with the industry's best customer service.

We have recently launched our new personal monitor mixer system, Hear Back, giving you the control to get your mix exactly the way you want it, the first time. Other various lines of products include Talk Back, a system which controls talkback and control room dimming with optional remotes; Extreme Extenders, units designed to extend ADAT optical up to 500 feet with no loss of audio quality; and the Hearbud & Hearbud Headset Monitor, audiologically designed in-ear monitor headset delivering professional performance, comfort, and versatility.

HostBaby helps musicians have the best website possible, without needing to be a computer expert.

Fancy tools like an email list mailer, concert calendar, streaming audio, guestbook, news/journal, and more are ready to use directly on your site!

In addition to being a full-service CD replicator, Disc Makers is the fastest and easiest CD duplicator around. When you need help with short-run CD duplication, CD duplicators, CD printers, or affordable blank CDs look no further.

Disc Makers does everything in house: from glass mastering and replication to printing, packaging, and poly wrap. Plus, they offer other services like authoring, encoding, graphic design, and menu design.