MUSIC TRADES - JANUARY 1989

The Los Angeles Universal Amphitheater was the site for the eight finalist bands who played to a full house of 6,500 in the recent Yamaha Soundcheck competition. The final was the culmination of months of preparation, entry submission, and judging of more than 5,000 bands across the country. (Last year the competition was limited to California entrants.)

The eight finalists were selected by panels of music industry professionals including musicians, record company executives, agents, publicists, managers, and producers. These professionals, as well as other special guests that evening, donated their time to support of the goals of Soundcheck: to raise funds for the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer, and AIDS Research, and to offer a realistic opportunity to undiscovered musicians.

Soundcheck was created by Yamaha Corporation of America to offer unsigned bands a forum in which they could perform and be heard by the people who have the power to make a difference in their careers.

“Through Soundcheck, Yamaha encourages the work of young American rock musicians,” said M. Arimoto, president of Yamaha Corporation of America. “These bands are among the world’s most resourceful and talented, and it is a pleasure to offer them an opportunity they might otherwise not have.”

The winning band was the group called “Giraffe” from San Jose, California, and the group will go on to compete in Japan in early 1989. The U.S. grand prize winner received $25,000 in cash or equipment, consultations with music industry experts, and a 24-track demo recording. Outstanding individual performers received cash prizes, too. The winning group in Japan will receive $15,000 in cash and $15,000 in equipment, plus additional expert advice and assistance in furthering their careers. Second and third place will receive cash prizes, as will outstanding individual performers.

The judges for the U.S. finalists included: Peter Asher, Paul Atkinson, Jon Bon Jovi, Walter Becker, Larry Carlton, John Carter, Michael Chapman, Lamont Dozier, David Foster, Trudy Green, Vicky Hamilton, Ira Jaffe, Quincy Jones, Doc McGhee, Keith Olsen, Jeffrey Osbourne, Michael Ostin, David Paich, Phil Ramone, Brenda Russell, Tom Werman, Brian Wilson, Richie Zito, and Tom Zutaut.

Following the performances by the eight finalists, the headliner band, “Cheap Trick,” thrilled the audience only to be capped by the addition of more all-stars: Tommy Aldridge, David Bryan, Vivian Campbell, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Rudy Sarzo, David Coverdale, and Vince Neil.

Bands entered the Soundcheck competition by obtaining entry forms from authorized participating Yamaha dealers. These unsigned bands of two or more members submitted a cassette tape containing two original songs with the completed form. For purposes of the competition, the country was divided into four regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. Two bands are selected from each region. The tapes were divided by region and evaluated by panels of music industry professionals on the same four criteria used throughout the competition. After several levels of judging and verification of performance ability, the eight finalists were selected; they were bands from Champaign, Illinois; Richfield, Minnesota; Tampa, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; Newark, California; Woodstock, New York; Houston, Texas; and San Jose, California.

Doug Buttleman, Yamaha employee and full-time executive producer of Soundcheck, said, “It’s tremendously gratifying personally to give so many unsigned bands an opportunity to be heard by these talented judges and industry experts.”