Tampa Music Awards And Its Associated Music Conference Names the MusiCares® Foundation as Beneficiary

Tampa, FL (Billboard Publicity Wire) April 9, 2008 -- Officials have announced MusiCares® as the charitable beneficiary for the Tampa Music Awards. A portion of all ticket sales to the conference and awards show will be given directly to MusiCares, which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.

"We are proud to be able to help MusiCares, one of The Recording Academy®'s two nonprofit organizations, with our event," said Maurice 'Hot City' Evans, the event's executive producer, "We knew we were going to assist a charity with this event. I just really wanted to make sure it was going to a foundation that focused its efforts on music people and I feel MusiCares, is by far, one of the most helpful organizations that has helped thousands of musicians. I think they are a great fit for us."

The 2008 Tampa Music Awards (TMA's) will be held on November 13, 2008 at 7 p.m. at the Kapok Pavilion Special Events Center (http://www.KapokSpecialEvents.com) in Clearwater, FL. The TMA's recognize creativity in seven major genres of music: Rock, Country, R&B, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Christian and Latin. The ceremony will be simulcast live via the Internet and broadcast on television through the CW Network Affiliate in Tampa.

Nominations have begun and are open to musical artists and groups who have at least 50% of its members residing in the Tampa Bay Counties of: Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk, Hernando, Manatee, Citrus and Sarasota. Nominations are made online via the website or at select retail locations. Nominations and voting can come from fans or the artists themselves. Voting is done through SMS text Messaging, provided by Interactive Mediums, LLC. Details can be found on the event's official website at http://www.TampaMusicAwards.com.

Tampa holds its Biggest Music Conference on November 12, 2008, the day before the Tamps Music Award Show, also at the Kapok. The music conference brings to Tampa Bay several dozen major music professionals from companies such as: Jive Records, Def Jam, and EMI Music Publishing, as well as many of today's top songwriters and producers.

"The purpose of the music conference is to get the Industry itself to pay attention to the plethora of talent in our top-20 ranked marketplace. In addition, we want to educate all the aspiring artists on what they need to do to make a living in this business. When you think music biz and Florida, 'Miami', should not be the only name that comes to mind. Tampa needs to be right up there with them. The music industry has been very responsive and supportive in making this the biggest music industry event to hit this area. I am very thankful to all who are participating, as this would not even be possible without all the Major Labels, Agents, Mangers, Songwriters and Producers involved", said Evans. "We are also discussing the possibility of doing an exclusive celebrity fund-raiser, in conjunction with the TMAs, specifically to benefit MusiCares. It just really depends on the Artists and the Industry's response to the idea."

The music conference starts at 10:30am on Wednesday, November 12, 2008. The music awards have its red carpet opening at 7:00pm on Thursday, November 13, 2008.

Ticketing and updated information on the music conference and the music awards ceremony can be found on the Official Web site at http://www.TampaMusicAwards.com.

About Tampa Music Awards, LLC

The 2008 Tampa Music Awards (TMA's) is produced by Tampa Music Awards, LLC. Its mission is to be the premier event of the year for the Greater Tampa Bay Area of Florida. The TMA's hosts Tampa Bay's biggest music business conference in conjunction with the music awards as an annual celebration designed to educate aspiring musicians and recognize creative excellence in the Tampa Bay, Florida music scene.

About MusiCares

Established in 1989 by The Recording Academy®, MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community. For more information, please visit www.musicares.com.

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