MUMBAI:  Sennheiser announced its third edition of Sennheiser Top 50-a battle of Indian bands to compete and make their way to the coveted list of Top 50 best bands in India. Since its inception around two years ago, Sennheiser Top 50 is strengthening its commitment to building a platform for independent music in India. The jury this year constitutes of the stalwarts of the music industry – Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Raghu Dixit and Papon. The registration period for the most coveted trophy starts from 1 June 2017 and goes on till 1 July 2017.

Renowned composer and singer trio, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy said, “We are very excited to be a part of this innovative hunt for India’s best bands for the third time in a row. It is a great initiative by Sennheiser in providing a platform for budding musicians to not just showcase their talent but also start their journey to become the next big thing in the music industry. We are expecting diverse talent across genres and can’t wait to start this journey.”

Making it bigger and better Sennheiser Top 50 Season 3 will hold on ground battle amongst four zones, North- Delhi, South- Bengaluru, East- Shillong and West- Pune. Sennheiser is further raising the stakes this year with the most credible jury in the music fraternity, two-year endorsement by Sennheiser which will give them access to Sennheiser gear by being the face of Sennheiser for the next year and prizes worth 20 lakhs that will leave you drooling. Not just this! The winning band will take home a Trophy which will be witnessed via a grand finale in Mumbai where top four bands (winners of the zonal finals) will battle it out to be number one.

Internationally reputed singer-songwriter, Raghu Dixit, said, “It is a great effort by Sennheiser of bringing the Independent music scene to the forefront. In the previous editions also the bands have showcased great potential and zeal to make it big in the professional music industry. I wish all the bands luck and hope to see more bands coming ahead and using platforms like Sennheiser Top 50.”

All this makes Sennheiser Top 50 a perfect platform for Indian bands to showcase their talent and create a place for themselves in the competitive and growing music industry. The last two editions of Sennheiser Top 50 saw tremendous response and engagement. Over 2000 musicians from 75 cities across all genres - pop, rock, fusion, classic, metal, jazz and blues engaged through this initiative by Sennheiser, thereby, providing them with a great platform to showcase their talent.

Sennheiser Professional Segment India director Vipin Pungalia commented, "The overwhelming response from the last two editions has encouraged us to come back with yet another season of Sennheiser Top 50 in helping in bands recognition across various genres. We are very excited to bring the best jury on board to recognise our Top 50 and believe that we will be witnessing some potential and great talent through this journey. We are also hoping for a great response from different zones, as there is enormous talent everywhere but not enough platforms to showcase it, thereby encouraging us to have zonal finals along with the grand finale this year.”

Sennheiser India marketing head Saahil Kumar added, “As a company, we are known for innovations and shaping the future of audio. Hence, it is but obvious that our marketing efforts are also aligned to the same. We see Sennheiser Top 50 as a platform for young talented musicians, semi-professional bands who have the grit and guts to pursue music as a career but might lack the right support and resources. Our every endeavour is to help these bands scale up, get known better and produce or create better music with the help of quality equipment. Our strategy is simple – to support the emerging independent music scene in India and enable these bands to explore their talent. We only plan to scale it up further from here.”

Popular singer and composer, Papon, who is also a part of the jury members, expressed his excitement saying, “Music is an integral part of the fabric of India and the North East is no exception. Assam, where I was born and a place I proudly call home, has a lot of talented musicians and bands waiting for the right platform to help them turn their dreams into reality. Sennheiser as a brand has always focused on revolutionising the music industry, which is something I appreciate. And I really hope that all the talent out there in North East gets recognised and we have a winner from my region.”

Registrations begin on 1 June and will be on until 1 July post which the top 100 shortlist will be announced on 12 July basis selection by both internal as well as external jury from the entries submitted. The next phase will involve voting within zones to choose top three bands from each zone, which will then battle out at regional finals to get into top four as well as revealing ranks from five to fifty basis 70 per cent jury decision and 30 per cent public voting. The winners of each zone will be announced followed by a grand finale in Mumbai where the top four bands will battle out in front of the jury to become number one.

Bands can register on Sennheiser website.