Taco Bell announces 2011 Feed the Beat lineup

Tacos and tunes continue to make a dynamic duo – and this time teaming up to make a difference – as Taco Bell® Feed the Beat® artists are helping to raise awareness and donations to end world hunger.

To mark the announcement of the 2011 Feed the Beat lineup, Taco Bell (@TacoBell) is launching a social media effort for World Hunger Relief and inviting its Feed the Beat (@FeedtheBeat) artists to join the movement to #beathunger. Taco Bell Feed the Beat artists, which include musicians from across the United States and varying musical genres, receive $500 in Taco Bell gift cards and the chance to be included in the brand’s unique marketing campaigns. As its sixth-annual lineup is announced, Feed the Beat artists can pass along the goodwill by directing their fans in posts and tweets to an online donation page, www.bit.ly/TBBeatHunger, where just one dollar helps feed four hungry children one meal per day.

Participating Feed the Beat artists will share messaging via their social media communities starting today through Oct. 20 to spread the word about the World Hunger Relief campaign, the world’s largest private sector hunger relief effort in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). These artists will be featured on Taco Bell’s Facebook page, which currently has more than 7 million fans. Participating Taco Bell restaurants will also accept donations during that timeframe.

“Feed the Beat is an organic effort that began to help up-and-coming artists by giving them free Taco Bell, and it’s so meaningful for us to unite it with a cause at the core of our brand: feeding the world,” said Greg Creed, CEO, Taco Bell Corp. “We are grateful for the artists who are enthusiastically joining us in this movement for World Hunger Relief and encourage others to spread the word of how everyone can help make a difference.”

"My life is made out of what I love, and I love music, tacos, nachos, burritos and partying,” said Andrew W.K., Taco Bell Feed the Beat artist. “I've partied and worked with Taco Bell before and it was a dream come true. Taco Bell's excellent food, original aesthetics and fun-loving culture has been an inspiration to me for years. For me, Taco Bell has always represented joy and celebration as my friends and I could always count on Taco Bell for late night feast treats. Early on, I had a vision that someday I'd be able to work directly with this wonderful company, and now I've been lucky enough to see that vision realized. I'm very pleased to be part of Feed the Beat."

Yum! Brand's World Hunger Relief effort has raised nearly $85 million for WFP and other hunger relief organizations, and is helping to provide more than 350 million meals and save the lives of millions of people in remote corners of the world. The campaign spans 110 countries, nearly 38,000 restaurants and over 1 million employees to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds for the United Nations’ WFP and other hunger relief agencies.

2011 Taco Bell Feed the Beat Lineup

Since Feed the Beat began in 2005 as an effort to help feed up-and-coming artists on tour already hungry for Fourthmeal, the program has since expanded beyond just food, now leveraging the brand’s relationships with its network partners, sports sponsorships and music – as well as supporting the artists through its strong online presence.

Below is a list of all 100 artists in Taco Bell’s 2011 Feed the Beat lineup, ranging from singer-songwriter to heavy metal, and from Alaska to New York. In total, Feed the Beat has supported nearly 500 artists since its inception in 2005, including Passion Pit, Girl Talk and The Gaslight Anthem.

2011 Feed the Beat Artists:

1,2,3

A Rocket To The Moon

Action Item

All Get Out

Andrew WK

As I Lay Dying

Attila

Balkans

Battles

Beast Make Bomb

Black Tusk

Black Veil Brides

Body Language

Bosco Delrey

Chiddy Bang

Cobra Starship

Cults

Dale Earhardt Jr Jr

DAVILA 666

Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross

Delta Spirit

Diamond Rings

Dr Dog

Fake Problems

Family Of The Year

Fang Island

Fireworks

For Today

FreeSol

Funeral Party

Gardens & Villa

Generationals

Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad

G-Side

Gym Class Heroes

Hot Chelle Rae

I See Stars

Into It. Over It.

Ivan & Alyosha

Iwrestledabearonce

Jack and White

Kevin Hammond

Kreayshawn

Le Butcherettes

little hurricane

Lord Huron

Man Overboard

Mariachi El Bronx

Math The Band

matt pond PA

MeTalkPretty

Miami Horror

Milo Greene

Mose Giganticus

Mr. Dream

Neon Trees

No Joy

Now, Now

O' Brother

Parachute

Pentimento

People Under The Stairs

Peter Wolf Crier

Plug in Stereo

Portugal. The Man

Powerglove

Ra Ra Riot

Rebelution

Set Your Goals

Sleeper Agent

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

SPEAK

Speakers

The Aggrolites

The Apache Relay

The Dodos

The Drums

The Front Bottoms

The Last Vegas

The Rosebuds

The Young Evils

This Is Hell

This Providence

This Time Next Year Title Fight

Trenchtown

Tumbledown

Veara

Vonnegutt

Walk The Moon

Wavves

We Are Augustines

We Are Scientists

We Barbarians

White Arrows

White Denim

White Rabbits

XV

Young Man

Young the Giant

Artists from across the country applied for the Feed the Beat program by filling out an online submission form on http://www.feedthebeat.com . To be eligible, artists needed to have a dedicated fan base, be on tour during the fall and have a dedicated Web page. Feed the Beat artists were selected by a panel of judges based on performance and musicianship, originality and material selection, as well as overall appeal and personality. Through the submission, artists also have the opportunity to express their hunger for Taco Bell and share why they should be part of a program that feeds them Fourthmeal while touring.

Fans and interested artists can head to www.feedthebeat.com for more information and to find more about the full list of 2011 Feed the Beat artists and alumni, as well as follow along with their involvement in the program on Twitter @FeedtheBeat.