The John Lennon Songwriting Contest Tour Bus Joins Woodstock '99 July 23-25 at Griffiss Park in Rome, NY; JLSC Bus to host exclusive artist interviews for Woodstock.com webcast

Business Wire, July 21, 1999

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--July 21, 1999--

The plush mobile recording studio affiliated with the John Lennon Songwriting Contest is set to join Woodstock '99 at Griffiss Park in Rome, NY, July 23-25, 1999.

Marking the 30th Anniversary of the original '69 festival, Woodstock '99 is the virtual who's who of contemporary music. Artists scheduled to perform at the festival include: Buckcherry, Bush, The Chemical Brothers, George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Collective Soul, Counting Crows, Creed, Sheryl Crow, DMX, Elvis Costello, Everlast, Everclear, Fatboy Slim, Godsmack, Al Green, Guster, Mickey Hart-Planet Drum, The Bruce Hornsby Group, Ice Cube, Insane Clown Posse, Jamiroquai, Wyclef Jean & the Refugee Allstars, Jewel, Kid Rock, Korn, Limp Bizkit, Lit, Live, Los Lobos, Dave Matthews Band, Megadeth, Metallica, Moby, moe., Alanis Morrissette, Willie Nelson, Mike Ness, Oleander, Our Lady Peace, Rage Against The Machine, Sugar Ray, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots, Rusted Root, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Sevendust, The Offspring and The Tragically Hip. The John Lennon Songwriting Contest Tour Bus will park backstage at the artists' compound for an exclusive and behind-the-scenes look into Woodstock '99.

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest Tour Bus serves as the online headquarters for Woodstock.com, the official website for the Woodstock '99 festival. Woodstock.com will webcast exclusive interviews and jam sessions on the bus with some of the artists featured on the festival's line-up. In a joint partnership, the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and Woodstock.com will present groundbreaking music events on the Internet. Woodstock.com has built an exclusive addition to their web site for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest which allows readers direct access to profile Contest winners and unlimited Internet exposure to the winning compositions (available in MP3 and Real Audio formats).

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest Tour Bus also serves as the studio for recording "Message To The World," a song written by David and Sue Cassidy to help benefit WARCHILD, the charity for children of war. Sponsored by Maxell, Yamaha, and Guitar Center, the JLSC tour bus is traveling around the country allowing celebrities and the general public to lend their voices to the song. The completed recording, produced by Grammy-winning producer Narada Michael Walden, will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Fred Durst, Rosie O'Donnell, Martin Sheen, Dyan Cannon, and many of the artists appearing at Woodstock '99 as well as the voices from over 250,000 people expected to attend the festival.

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest's famous mobile recording studio has given an exciting hands-on, educational element to aspiring songwriters by allowing them the rare opportunity to work inside a fully equipped recording studio. The goal is to educate audiences about the art of songwriting and encourage them to learn how to compose and write songs using both traditional and high technology methods. And after working on the bus, individuals leave with a Maxell CD of their own recorded material.

Both amateur and professional songwriters are encouraged to submit original songs in twelve categories: Rock, Pop, Folk, Hip-Hop, Country, R&B, World, Jazz, Latin, Gospel, Dance and Children's. Contestants are judged by an Executive Committee comprised of musical stars such as the Foo Fighters, The Fugees, Blues Traveler, Brooks & Dunn, Barenaked Ladies, Paula Cole, Joan Osborne, Bjork, Enrique Iglesias and Luther Vandross. The twelve winners each receive $2,000 in cash, $5,000 in Yamaha Project Studio Equipment, and are offered a $5,000 advance on a publishing contract from EMI Music Publishing. Of the twelve Grand Prize winners, one is chosen for the honorary Maxell "Song Of The Year," which boasts a $20,000 cash prize.

The deadline for contest entries is August 31, 1999, and twelve Grand Prize winners will be announced in January 2000. Applications for this year's Contest and more information can be obtained at or by calling 1-888-884-5572.