Free Concerts Exclusively for College Students Featuring: Chiddy Bang, Big Boi, T-Pain, Dev, Big Sean and More

Santa Monica, CA (January 3, 2011) — College Battle of the Bands is excited to announce the new Textbooks & Tickets Concert Series, presented by Chegg in partnership with Live Nation and GRAMMY U, with over 12,000 free concert tickets to give away to student-exclusive concerts across the nation this winter.

Concert headliners include hip-hip icon and OutKast MC Big Boi, Chiddy Bang, T-Pain, Dev, Big Sean and more, with 2010 College Battle of the Bands winners in the opening slots. The shows will be hosted by Scion Hypeman of the Year (and college favorite) Flula Borg, and feature the hypnotic sounds of ESPN GameDay's DJ Rhythm.

CURRENT TOUR DATES
Orlando, FL: Big Boi @ Orlando House of Blues (1/14)
Atlanta: Big Boi @ Center Stage (1/20)
Tempe, AZ: T-Pain Live DJ Set @ Marquee Theatre (1/22)
Austin, TX: Big Sean + special guest Xaphoon Jones @ Republic Live (1/27)
New York: Chiddy Bang @ Irving Plaza (1/29)
San Francisco: Chiddy Bang + special guest Dev @ The Fillmore (2/3)

ALL current college students in the concert regions, age 18 and over are eligible for free tickets to the shows, and can visit www.TextbooksAndTickets.com to claim free tickets by texting or entering online. Additionally, each concert will feature a Backstage VIP Meet 'n' Greet for 5 lucky winners in each market, along with photos.

About Textbooks & Tickets

The free concert series was envisioned as a way to create a special event just for college students, and also to promote the yearly battles between the nation's best college musicians as part of College Battle of the Bands. The annual tour kicks off this Winter.

"Chegg wanted to sponsor the Textbooks & Tickets Tour because we loved the concept of giving away free tickets to see college students' favorite music artists," said James Sleeman, Business Development Manager at Chegg. "We want to not only save students money on textbooks and education, but we also understand that students need to have a little fun too and sometimes that can be expensive especially seeing high calibre artists."

Besides the big names like T-Pain, Big Boi, Chiddy Bang, Dev and Big Sean, students will also get a preview of tomorrow's music stars, since many of 2010's College Battle of the Bands winners will be performing in the opening slots. “We are thrilled to showcase last year's winning artists opening up for major headliners in this winter's Textbooks & Tickets concerts," said Evan Shapiro, co-founder of College Battle of the Bands. "For many of these emerging-artists, this is the biggest venue or stage they will have played so far.”

"Seeing students so excited that they get to see their favorite bands totally free has been the most exciting aspect," Sleeman added. "Students don't believe it at first. We have to explain a couple of times over to them that there is no catch -- it's all free. It's very similar to the response we hear from students when we tell them how much money they can save using Chegg."

With the continued support of Chegg, the presenting sponsor, the roster of stars for 2011's free concert series is not to be missed, and the upcoming College Battle of the Bands is also positioned for serious industry impact. Supporting partners for this spring's music competition include AT&T, GRAMMY U, Gibson Guitar, SESAC and the Elfenworks Foundation.

The quickly growing national competition is entering its third year, and has already awarded over $100,000 in prizes to student artists. “I have judged College Battle of the Bands for the past two years, and am always blown away by the level of talent," said Rob Accatino, of GRAMMY U. "This competition is the premier event for any college student or band looking to get exposure on a national level."

College Battle of the Bands is accepting sign-ups for the 2011 contest this Spring, which is ramping up to be bigger than ever. Student bands, singer-songwriters, MCs and musicians of all genres are encouraged to upload a music track and video and enter for a chance to win the national competition. Sign-ups are at the main College Battle of the Bands site: www.CollegeBattleoftheBands.com. The competition is a great way to encourage student spirit and foster the arts at the college level. Also, it's a not-to-be-missed opportunity for student music artists to gain massive industry exposure and huge prizing.

CONTACTS

Angela Pontarolo, Chegg.com
angela(at)chegg(dot)com
509.954.9315

Jennifer Keppel, GRAMMY U
jenniferk(at)grammy(dot)com
310.581.8769

About College Battle of the Bands

College Battle of the Bands was launched in 2008 as a way to foster spirit and excitement in the arts at the college level. College Battle is also dedicated to helping top college artists gain exposure and recognition. Any student band or music artist currently enrolled in an undergraduate program can submit music for free at www.CollegeBattleoftheBands.com for a chance to be selected for a regional battle. College Battle of the Bands is presented by Chegg.com with supporting partners AT&T, GRAMMY U®, Gibson Guitar, SESAC and the Elfenworks Foundation, and awards more than $100,000 in total prizing each year. The series began during the 2008-09 school year, and has featured notable college-artist participants including: The Local Natives, Mike Posner, Allison Weiss, Keep Me Conscious, Ben Baxter, Jake Snider, Beyond this Point, Apple Trees & Tangerines / Power and more. For more information, visit www.CollegeBattleoftheBands.com.

About Chegg.com

Started in 2007, Chegg helps solve a pain point for the 18.4 million college students across the U.S. -- the high cost of textbooks. The company has grown into a respected and trusted brand used by college students on campuses nationwide. Students who rent all their textbooks from Chegg can save $500 or more a year, on average. To date, the company has already saved students more than $200 million dollars. Chegg gives students access to 4.2 million textbook titles from their online catalog, lightning fast shipping and free returns. In addition, every time a student rents from Chegg, the company plants a tree on the student’s behalf. For more information, visit www.Chegg.com.

About GRAMMY U

Created by the music community's leading membership organization, The Recording Academy®, GRAMMY University Network (GRAMMY U) aims to prepare students for careers in the recording industry through networking, educational programs, and performance and career opportunities. This network, designed to enhance students' current academic curriculum with access to recording industry professionals to give an "out of classroom" perspective on the recording industry, is a unique and fast-growing community of college students who are pursuing a career in the music industry. For information, visit www.grammy365.com/grammy-u.