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The final countdown is on: the Sennheiser Soundlogo Contest is now entering its crucial phase
30 June 2008

Professional and amateur musicians have until July 17 to submit their creative sound ideas

Wedemark, June 30, 2008 – It can be a mini melody, a compact sequence of notes or a chord – the main thing is that the new Sennheiser Sound Logo sticks in your mind. All around the world, professional and amateur musicians are busy composing and mixing to find the sound that best embodies the qualities of the audio specialist. The international event is now entering its crucial phase, as music fans have just two weeks left until July 17 to take part in the Sound Logo Contest and upload their creative ideas in MP3 format onto the Sennheiser website www.sennheiser.com/soundlogo. The winner will receive a prize of €5,000, plus an optional €30,000 should Sennheiser choose to acquire the unlimited user rights to the submitted sound logo.

Sennheiser launched the Sound Logo Contest in January with the aim of finding a sound that best embodies Sennheiser products. "Around 700 participants from 60 countries have already submitted their sound logos since the start of the competition," said Susanne Seidel, President of Global Marketing at Sennheiser. "We are delighted to have received so many creative suggestions from all over the world and look forward to further sound ideas."

The final countdown is now on. Music fans have until July 17 to take part in the competition and submit their audio ideas. Each entrant can upload a maximum of five tracks, each of which can be up to eight seconds long, in MP3 format (stereo, 128, 192 or 256 kb/s, max. 10 MB) onto the Sennheiser website www.sennheiser.com/soundlogo. The logo should be unmistakeable and innovative, top-class and contemporary – an "acoustic trademark" that embodies the same impressive qualities as Sennheiser products.

Every contest has its prizes ...

Creativity has its rewards, of course. The winner will receive a prize of €5,000 as well as an optional €30,000 should Sennheiser choose to acquire the unlimited user rights to the submitted sound logo. Second to tenth places will be rewarded with top-quality Sennheiser sound: they can choose between a pair of Sennheiser’s dynamic top-of-the-range HD 650 headphones or an evolution wireless ew 300 G2 microphone system for their rehearsal room.

By the middle of August, 30 finalists will be chosen from among the contributions submitted. And then it gets really exciting as the favourite sound logos are appraised by an international jury. The panel includes some renowned sound specialists: Paul Sandweiss is one of the most famous American sound designers and has mixed almost all music industry highlights for TV broadcasting – from the American Music Awards and the Grammys to the MTV Music Awards and American Idol. The jury of five also includes Jon Thornton, Head of Sound Technology at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. He has been teaching students all there is to know about miking, mixing and studio work for twelve years now. Sennheiser is represented on the panel by Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and Susanne Seidel, President of Global Marketing. The fifth jury vote will be the result of online voting by the public on the Sennheiser website. From August 15 onwards, music fans will be able to vote for their acoustic favourites and have the chance to win one of ten pairs of CX ear canal head-phones.

Background Information: Sound Logo

We are all familiar with them and hear them every day: sound logos are catchy sounds that stick in our memory – from the acoustic trademark of a radio station and the theme tune of a news programme right through to mobile phone ring tones and advertising jingles. They are short, unmistakeable and above all unforgettable sequences of sounds. "A sound logo can be a melody, a characteristic and self-contained sound or simply a noise. What is most important, however, is a strong idea. And that can be as bold and unconventional as you like," said Jan Lohrengel Head of Soundbranding at Hastings Audio Network. These qualities turn them into acoustic trademarks.

Centuries ago, bells or trumpet fanfares were already used for what we now call audio branding: acoustic trademarks that announce something and have a symbolic value. For many companies today, an acoustic trademark is just as much a part of their corporate image as their logo, their letterhead or the sign on their office building. "It should emotionally support the graphical trademark or brand image," Lohrengel continued. "And if it also works on its own, all the better."

 
The Sennheiser Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. A family firm established in 1945 and based in Wedemark near Hanover, the company recorded sales of over 356 million euros in 2006, 82% of which was generated abroad. Sennheiser employs over 1,800 people worldwide, around 55% of whom are in Germany. The Group has manufacturing plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA and is represented worldwide by subsidiaries in France, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as through trading partners in other countries. Also part of the Sennheiser Group are Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin (studio microphones), K + H Vertriebs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (Klein + Hummel studio monitors, installed sound) and the joint venture Sennheiser Communications A/S (headsets for PCs, offices and call centers).

For further information about Sennheiser Asia, please visit us on the Internet at www.sennheiserasia.com or contact:

Marketing Department
Joey Goh
Sennheiser Electronic Asia Pte Ltd
438B Alexandra Road #01-06 / 08
Alexandra Technopark Singapore 119968
Tel: +65 6273 5202
Fax: +65 6273 5038
E-mail: joey.goh@sennasia.com.sg
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