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CartTaco Bell Announces 2012 Feed the Beat Line Up
Fri, 03 Aug 2012 15:31:26
Taco Bell is committed to music and supporting bands. The fast food chain has announced its 2012 Feed the Beat® roster, which includes 100 up-and-coming artists from across the United States who will receive $500 in Taco Bell gift cards to keep their hunger satisfied on the road. That's a huge deal for bands that make their living on the road.
The new lineup marks the most diverse Feed the Beat group yet – ranging from rock bands, to DJs to country artists – some of whom will be given the unique opportunity to be a part of the brand's ground-breaking marketing campaigns.
"I've been a lover of all things Taco Bell for a LONG time, so having them support us through Feed the Beat has been a pleasure and a privilege," said Neon Trees drummer and percussionist, Elaine Bradley. "It's fun to travel across the country and find the very best Taco Bell restaurants. Shout out to my favorite so far on S. Perkins Rd in Memphis, Tenn.!"
Taco Bell's footprint continues to grow within the music industry from its ongoing support of Feed the Beat artists on tour, to activations at some of the most notable music festivals, to leveraging its partnership with MTV. In 2011, Taco Bell featured Feed the Beat alumnus Chiddy Bang for the first time in a national commercial, introducing millions of fans to "The Good Life." As a result, Taco Bell advertisements continue to incorporate music from Feed the Beat artists.
This year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s "Morning Thought" was featured in a commercial for Doritos® Locos Tacos, titled Nacho Superstar, Palenke Soultribe's "Te Veo" set the tone for the current Cantina Bell™ Menu ad, and "5, 6, 7, 8" by Fake Problems was used in another national commercial, Pockets, which helped launch the new Taco Bell brand campaign, Live Más.
"It doesn't get much better than FourthMeal and great music," said, Brian Niccol, Chief Marketing Officer, Taco Bell Corp. "We encourage our consumers to discover innovative tastes and music, and we hope that our support of these artists can help them achieve their dreams and Live Más."
Fans across the nation can receive all the latest news and music updates on Feed the Beat artists by following @FeedtheBeat on Twitter and liking the Feed the Beat Facebook page.
Feed the Beat has supported nearly 600 artists since its inception in 2005. Below is a list of all 100 artists in Taco Bell's 2012 Feed the Beat lineup.
3LAU
A Great Big Pile of Leaves
Adelitas Way
Ambassadors
American Authors
Animal Kingdom
Balance & Composure
Bearcat
Birds & Batteries
Blondfire
Bonaventure
Brick + Mortar
Bronze Radio Return
Brothers of Brazil
Caveman
Chelsea Grin
Chelsea Wolfe
Civil Twilight
Cold Fronts
Crystal Antlers
Cursive
Datsik
Daytrader
Dee Goodz
Devin
Dillon Francis
Downtown Struts
Dry the River
Easy Star All-Stars
Empires
FAWN
FIDLAR
Fort Lean
Foy Vance
Frankie Ballard
Geographer
Girl in a Coma
Hacienda
Heavy Cream
Husky
Iamsu
Imaginary Cities
Imagine Dragons
J. Roddy Walston and the Business
JEFF the Brotherhood
JJAMZ
Jon Pardi
Josh Thompson
Kate Miller-Heidke
Kids These Days
Killer Mike
Kinky
KoKo
Kyng
La Vida Boheme
Maggie Rose
Make Do and Mend
Manika
Mason
Mexican Institute of Sound
Midnight Red
Ming
Mustard Pimp
Nortec Collective Presents: Bostich & Fussible
Owen
Palenke Soultribe
Passenger
Periphery
Pomegranates
Ritmo Machine
River City Extension
Rome
Royal Teeth
Sainthood Reps
Savoir Adore
Scars on 45
Shiny Toy Guns
Sirah
Sister Crayon
Slightly Stoopid
Team Spirit
The Dangerous Summer
The Dirty Guv'nahs
The Green
The Hounds Below
The Knocks
The Life and Times
The Lovely Bad Things
The Lumineers
The Rocketboys
The SIlent Comedy
The Story So Far
Tito Lopez
Trapper Schoepp & The Shades
Trouble Andrew
Twenty One Pilots
Vacationer
We Are The Ocean
We Came as Romans
Yung Skeeter
Feed the Beat began as an organic effort to help feed up-and-coming artists on tour by giving them Taco Bell gift cards. The program continues with the same organic roots, still giving Feed the Beat artists Taco Bell gift cards, but has since expanded to leverage the brand's relationships with network partners, sponsorships and MTV, as well as provide support through Taco Bell's strong online presence – a crowd of nearly nine million fans. With Feed the Beat's expansion to various genres of music, there is an artist and sound for nearly everyone to enjoy.
Artists from across the country applied for the Feed the Beat program by filling out an online submission form. To be eligible, artists needed to have a dedicated fan base, be on tour during the fall and have a dedicated Web page. The submission also gave artists the opportunity to express their hunger for Taco Bell and share their own stories about eating FourthMeal while touring. A panel of judges selected Feed the Beat artists based on performance and musicianship, originality and material selection, in addition to overall appeal and personality.
Fans and interested artists can head feedthebeat.com for more information and to find more about the full list of 2012 Feed the Beat artists and alumni, as well as follow along with their involvement in the program on Twitter @FeedtheBeat. Previous Feed the Beat artists include: Andrew W.K., Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Girl Talk, Passion Pit, Best Coast, Walk the Moon, Fun., Young the Giant, Portugal. The Man, Wavves, Dr. Dog and more.
What is your fave Taco Bell menu item?
—Maggie Pannacione
08.03.12
