UNSIGNED MUSICIANS VIE FOR A PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITY WITH THE GRAMMY-NOMINATED BAND ON "THE 50TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS," SCHEDULED TO BE BROADCAST SUNDAY, FEB. 10 ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

Beginning Today Musicians Can Submit An Instrumental Performance Online At www.youtube.com/mygrammymoment For A Chance To Perform With GRAMMY-Nominated Foo Fighters In A Special Segment On Music's Biggest Night^TM

Fans To Vote Online and Via Text Messaging to Determine Who Will Be the Featured Instrumentalist

Content Also Available On The CBS Audience Network

Following the successful "My GRAMMY® Moment" segment with Justin Timberlake on last year's telecast, The Recording Academy, CBS Interactive and YouTube will present the second installment: "My GRAMMY Moment" 2008 for THE 50th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS, scheduled to be broadcast live from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, Sunday, Feb. 10 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. 

Continuing its mission of discovering and nurturing music makers, this year The Academy is giving unsigned instrumentalists the opportunity to vie for a performance slot with current five-time GRAMMY-nominated rock band Foo Fighters. Interested musicians should upload onto YouTube (www.youtube.com/mygrammymoment) - the official online partner of "My GRAMMY Moment" 2008 - up to a 60-second solo performance video showcasing their talent.  Performers and presenters for THE 50th ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS will be announced in the coming weeks. 

As part of a five-and-a-half-week event, which begins today and culminates on the Grammy Awards telecast, The Academy will work with CBS Interactive and YouTube to conduct a nationwide search with musicians uploading user-generated performance videos.  The top 45 artists will be determined by a Grammy Blue Ribbon Panel, with the public voting and representatives of The Recording Academy to narrow the field to up to 20 semi-finalists who will perform with the Foo Fighters as part of an orchestra.  The voting public will eventually select one winner to be the featured instrumentalist.  Users may log on to CBS.com or directly to YouTube to access the video submissions, video viewing and voting site http://youtube.com/mygrammymoment.  "My GRAMMY Moment" 2008 content will also be available on the CBS Audience Network and its more than 200 online partners.

"This is an incredible opportunity for an up-and-coming musician to perform live on the GRAMMY stage on Music's Biggest Night^TM with one of the most creative and successful rock bands today," said Jack Sussman, Executive Vice President, Specials, Music and Live Events, CBS. 

"We are pleased to once again provide talented and unsigned musicians the chance to grace the GRAMMY stage," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year, we reach even deeper into the incredibly diverse musical community by giving an ensemble of instrumentalists the chance to participate in another special and unique 'GRAMMY Moment.' The Academy and our GRAMMY Foundation have made music education and career enhancement a priority 365 days of the year, and this interactive component is yet another reflection of our mission to directly engage young musicians with the opportunity of a lifetime."

"An appearance on the GRAMMY Awards is one of the highest honors a musical artist can achieve," said Ken Ehrlich, co-executive producer of the GRAMMY Awards. "By opening our show to a new generation of young musicians who will realize their dreams early in their career, we hope to inspire a generation of future music makers who will see that anything is possible."

"Bringing all these powerhouse brands together - CBS, The GRAMMYs, the Foo Fighters and YouTube - to allow fans to be an integral part of the Grammys experience, is what the interactive community is all about," said Joe Ferreira, Sr. Vice President, GM CBS Audience Network.

"From the classical cellist to the emerging rock star, YouTube provides a unique opportunity for all musicians to market and promote their music and directly engage their fans," said Chad Hurley, CEO and co-founder, YouTube. "'My GRAMMY Moment' 2008 is an amazing opportunity for a talented group of people to play on stage with one of the most iconic bands today, and I'm excited to see the performance."

Following is information about submissions, voting and performing for the competition:

Submission Information

•·        Musicians - 18 years and older, U.S. residents, and not signed (nor ever been signed) to an independent or major music company - can submit up to a 60-second video of a solo, instrumental performance of the Foo Fighters' current GRAMMY-nominated song, "The Pretender."

•·        Only one of the following instruments can be used in the video (with no background track):

•o       Strings: Viola, Violin, Cello, Upright Bass

•o       Woodwinds: Bassoon, Clarinet, Flute/Piccolo, Oboe, Soprano/Alto/Tenor/Baritone Saxophone

•o       Brass: Trombone, Trumpet/Flugelhorn, French Horn

•·        Videos should be submitted and uploaded to YouTube (www.youtube.com/mygrammymoment) beginning Jan. 3, 2008, at 12:01 AM, ET and no later than Jan. 20, 2008, 11:59 PM, ET.

Voting and Performance Information

•·        Music fans can log on to CBS.com or directly to YouTube (www.youtube.com/mygrammymoment) to access the video submissions, video viewing and voting site beginning Jan. 3, 2008.

•·        Original group of video submissions will be evaluated and judged by a VIP Blue Ribbon Committee (comprised of singers, songwriters, producers, music industry executives, as well as key Recording Academy executives) who will choose the 45 quarter finalists.

•·        The 45 quarter finalists will be announced on Jan. 24, 2008.  Voting for up to 20 semi-finalists will take place through Feb. 1, 2008 at 11:59 PM, ET.

•·        Up to 20 semi-finalists will be announced on Feb. 2, 2008. These musicians have earned a spot in the Foo Fighters orchestra and will fly to Los Angeles during GRAMMY Week to rehearse with the band.

•·        The Top three finalists are announced on Feb. 4, 2008.

•·        Fan voting for the featured instrumentalist will take place beginning Feb. 4, 2008, through Feb. 10, 2008, at 12:00 PM, ET on YouTube. After that, voting will be open during the first two hours of the live telecast (8:00-10:00 PM, ET) via text messaging, enabled by VeriSign. The featured instrumentalist will be announced live on stage during the telecast prior to his/her ultimate GRAMMY Moment with the Foo Fighters.

About CBS Interactive and The CBS Audience Network

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corporation, oversees all CBS consumer Interactive properties including CBS.com, CBSSports.com, CBSNews.com, CBS Mobile, CBS EyeLab, Last.fm and Wallstrip and the CBS Audience Network. Aiming to be the most widely distributed professional content on the web, the CBS Audience Network complements the best news, entertainment and sports content with original programming and short-form content and provides an all-embracing opportunity for users to incorporate CBS clips into their profiles, websites, blogs, widgets, wikis and community pages.  The CBS Audience Network consists of online partners such as AOL, Microsoft, CNET Networks, Comcast, Joost, Bebo,  Netvibes, Sling Media and Veoh and social application partners including Automattic, Brightcove, Clearspring, DAVE Networks, Goowy Media, meebo, MeeVee, Musestorm, Ning, RockYou!, Slide, VideoEgg, Voxant and vSocial as well as websites from CBS's 29 owned television, 144 radio, and up to 183 affiliated stations. 

About YouTube

YouTube is the world's most popular online video community allowing millions of people to discover, watch and share originally created videos. YouTube provides a forum for people to connect, inform and inspire others across the globe and acts as a distribution platform for original content creators and advertisers large and small. YouTube, LLC is based in San Bruno, Calif., and is a subsidiary of Google Inc.

About The Recording Academy

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards - the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music - The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. In its 50th year, The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit http://www.grammy.com/.

THE 50TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Walter C. Miller is producer/director, Tisha Fein is the coordinating producer and Tzvi Small is supervising producer.