HARMAN’s AKG Presents Global Rockstar 2014, the World’s Largest Online Music Contest

VIENNA, Austria – The world’s largest online music contest is hosted by globalrockstar.com, a website for singers, bands, songwriters and their supporters. The contest features original music and video content from up-and-coming independent artists from all over the world. Committed to providing musicians of all levels with the finest recording and live sound equipment, HARMAN’s AKG has partnered with Global Rockstar to award AKG microphones and wireless systems to the top three fan-voted winners.

The upload phase of Global Rockstar 2014 is now open to the submissions of original songs from independent musicians until September 30, 2014 on www.globalrockstar.com. The 2014 grand prize winner will receive $25,000 as well as professional microphones and headphones from AKG.

“Global Rockstar is one of the world’s most powerful and far-reaching programs to encourage the growth of an up-and-coming generation of musicians,” commented Walter Rührig, Artist & Key Customer Relations, AKG. “We are honored to award the top three contestants with the very best live sound and recording gear AKG offers to help further their performance and sonic capabilities. Last year’s contest proved to be the best yet and we are excited to continue our partnership with Global Rockstar in 2014.”

Since its inception in 2012, Global Rockstar has gone viral with musicians around the world. Last year’s event saw 73 preliminary winners from countries on every continent advance to the global finals, who then competed for the title of “Global Rockstar of the Year” as well as the grand prize of $10,000 and a package professional equipment from AKG.

“Our goal is to garner international visibility for emerging artists around the world,” commented Christof Straub, Co-Founder of Global Rockstar. “AKG has been a wonderful supporter and partner in our efforts to create a global community dedicated to the promotion and growth of aspiring musicians.”

The 2013 grand-prize winner, KANDIA, a Portuguese rock band, was awarded AKG’s IVM4500 in-ear monitors, a C214 large-diaphragm condenser microphone, a C451 small-diaphragm condenser microphone, four D40 instrumental microphones, a D12 VR kick-drum microphone, and two D7 handheld vocal microphones. The second place winner, Saraha, and third place act were presented with AKG studio packages of microphones and headphones.

For more information on the Global Rockstar contest or to submit an original song, please visit: www.globalrockstar.com

HARMAN (www.HARMAN.com) designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of infotainment and audio solutions for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets. It is a recognized world leader across its customer segments with premium brands including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon®, and Mark Levinson® and leading-edge connectivity, safety and audio technologies. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of 14,800 people across the Americas, Europe, and Asia and reported sales of $4.7 billion for the last twelve months ended December 31, 2013.

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AKG Products On Display At Current Tina Turner World Tour

On Tina Turner’s current world tour, sound engineer Dave Natale deployed AKG C214 microphones as well as a WMS4500 wireless system to provide outstanding audio quality and versatility on stage. Natale initially tested the C214 mic on a sound check in AKG’s hometown of Vienna, Austria and immediately began using the mic on the current tour.


Dave Natale is no stranger to working with some of the world’s biggest stars, including The Rolling Stones, Lionel Richie, Liza Minelli, Joe Cocker, Van Halen as well as engineer for the 1998 Grammy Awards. On the current Tina Turner tour, Tina, Live in Concert, Europe and the US, Natale fell in love with the wide range of capabilities of the C214.

“While touring Austria on the Tina Turner tour, I had the ability to experiment with the C214 as well as other AKG products and I immediately fell in love with the C214’s features and capabilities,” commented Natale. “I am very impressed with the C214 and they are now my new standard. The older mic's that I use become harder and harder to find, and it is great to find alternatives. This is truly the first microphone, ever, that I have used flat!”

In addition to the C214 on the Tina Turner tour, the bassist, Warren McCrae, is very pleased with the wireless capabilities of the WMS4500 wireless system. “The exceptional quality of the wireless system delivers a clear and accurate sound without any distortion, interference or latency,” McCrae states. “I have also taken full advantage of the system’s capabilities to save and recall the previous shows on the tour, which has increased production and efficiency and has saved valuable time on the road.”

The C214 is a cost effective alternative to the revolutionary C414 and is capable of handling the rigors of high-pressure sound, such as amplified guitars, with sensitivity perfect for voice and orchestral instruments as well. The C214 also boasts the highest dynamic range in its class.

The WMS4500 is available in two new frequency bands: Band 7 (500-530 MHz) and Band 8 (570-600 MHz) that offer more options for multi-channel systems in today's crowded RF environment. The system’s components, the SR4500 receiver unit, the PT 4500 emitter, and the HT 4500 handheld microphone unit all offer new features and sleek new construction.

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