Experian Launches Nationwide Talent Search for a New Band to Represent freecreditscore.com™ Association with Gibson Guitar and MTV™ gives unsigned musicians the chance to be one of the most watched bands on television May 26, 2010 04:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time   IRVINE, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--For every band that rocks out in their basement or signs autographs for fans in their neighborhood bar, there is the chance to be discovered during a nationwide search by freecreditscore.com™ for a new freecreditscore.com™ band. As freecreditscore.com increases its consumer focus on providing free credit scores, the company has set its sights on finding a new band to represent the brand and is giving talent from anywhere in the country a chance to enter the search. Freecreditscore.com kicked off the talent search with MTV News reporting on sessions in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles before letting bands across America submit their video entries online. Bands that wish to be considered must submit a demo video in which band members perform one of the freescreditscore.com jingles posted on the website. America will then vote through an online tracker on 16 semi-finalists (four from each of the three cities and four from online submissions) narrowing it down to four finalists and then to one winning band. The search is open to bands with members 21 years of age or older, in any genre from country to blues to hip hop and indie rock. Bands can find freecreditscore.com songs, lyrics and guidelines and upload their video entries at http://www.freecreditscore.com or http://www.freecreditscoreband.com. The four finalist bands will receive national media exposure in commercials on the FOX broadcast of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, as well as a prize package from musical instrument leader Gibson Guitar. The three runners-up will each receive a $7,500 check to be divided among band members. The winning band will receive a $10,000 check, an exclusive Gibson Guitar prize package and a Pearl drum kit valued at $12,000, a studio session with music industry veterans and a chance to walk the red carpet at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and perform on the 2010 VMA Tour. “We pioneered the use of music to communicate how important it is to establish and maintain good credit for personal financial management,” said Chris Moloney, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for the U.S. Consumer Direct business unit of Experian. “Our brand message has really connected with millions of consumers in a groundbreaking way, and this nationwide band search will further cement our advertising as part of pop culture.”  Many consumers don’t know the importance of good credit and the number of ways in which a score can either positively or negatively affect the individual. From buying a house or a car to applying for a credit card or other lines of credit, a credit score is often the key determinant in calculating the ultimate cost to the consumer. If you’re not in control of your credit, you could very well end up living in your parents’ basement indefinitely, or worse. Later this year, freecreditscore.com plans to further emphasize fiscal responsibility through new creative that will air across MTV in support of mtvU’s ongoing public affairs campaign on the subject. In the effort to promote personal financial and credit literacy, freecreditscore.com provides consumers with instant  access to their free credit score when they enroll in Triple Advantage® credit monitoring as well as offering a credit score tracker, access to a fraud resolution agent if needed and other valuable tools that are included in monthly membership. The Martin Agency, a full-service advertising agency based in Richmond, Va., will produce the series of television advertisements that say goodbye to the old band while announcing the nationwide search for new musical talent. The four finalist bands will be featured in advertising during the MLB All-Star Game on July 13, and the winning band will be featured in subsequent television spots over the next year for freecreditscore.com. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The Free Credit Score Band Search is promoted by ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian company. Search is open to unsigned bands or bands signed with an independent label they own and control who are legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, 21 and older. Search begins 12:00:01 a.m. ET on 5/11/2010 and ends 4:59:59 p.m. ET on 6/16/2010. For participation terms, which govern, visit www.freecreditscore.com. About freecreditscore.com™ Freecreditscore.com, together with freecreditreport.com®, is part of a family of online consumer credit reporting sites belonging to ConsumerInfo.com, Inc., an Experian® company. ConsumerInfo was founded in 1995 to give consumers quick, easy and inexpensive access to their credit profile. It is now the leading provider of online consumer credit reports, credit scores, credit monitoring and other credit-related information. ConsumerInfo provides credit monitoring to its more than 3.1 million members and has delivered more than 20 million credit reports on the Web. As part of the Experian family, it continues to grow its membership base and develop innovative products to help consumers better understand their credit. Freecreditscore.com and freecreditreport.com are part of a family of products from Experian that help consumers monitor and manage their personal finances. About Experian Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 90 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score and protect against identity theft. Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended March 31, 2010, was $3.9 billion.  Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 40 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; Costa Mesa, California; and São Paulo, Brazil.  For more information, visit http://www.experianplc.com. Experian and the marks used herein are service marks or registered trademarks of Experian Information Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Contacts Edelman PR Jennifer Banovetz, 323-202-1066 Jennifer.banovetz@edelman.com Permalink: http://eon.businesswire.com/news/eon/20100525006162/en