Converse - Rubber Tracks - Time Lapse Video

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (July 13, 2011) - Today, Converse Inc. announced the official opening of Converse Rubber Tracks, a new state-of-the-art recording studio in Brooklyn, NY. Converse Rubber Tracks will provide dedicated artists of all genres the opportunity to record their original music in a high quality studio alongside a team of experienced engineers at no cost. Converse Rubber Tracks is providing a new platform for musicians by helping them overcome one of the biggest hurdles in their career -- affording studio time.

"We're incredibly thrilled to announce the official opening of Converse Rubber Tracks," said Geoff Cottrill, Chief Marketing Officer, Converse. "One of our goals as a brand is to give back and help inspire a new generation of musicians. By opening Converse Rubber Tracks, it's a way for us to say thank you to musicians all over who have helped us become the brand we are and to provide a place for new artists to have access to
resources they may not be able to afford. This is our way to invest in the future of music
and we couldn't be more excited about it."

Converse will support the local New York music scene with the first round of emerging bands set to record at Converse Rubber Tracks. Kicking off today, five emerging New York area bands including the funk/R&B group Aabaraki (Brooklyn, NY), psychedelic rock group Majuscules (Brooklyn, NY), hip/hop funk group G.I.C & Funk Face (Brooklyn, NY), R&B pop artist Andre Henry (New York, NY) and the pop/punk band Super Rocket Car (New Brunswick, NJ) will begin recording at the space. They will work alongside a team of experienced and professional engineers to lay down original music that the artists themselves will retain all rights for.

"Knowing how hard it is to make a living as a musician and the amount of money it takes to get into a studio of that caliber, it's unbelievably generous for Converse to provide it for free," said Ra Ra Riot indie rock band member and Brooklyn resident Rebecca Zeller. "Coupled with the fact that artists retain all rights to their music is a testament to Converse."

Every artist entering the studio will be afforded the unique opportunity to record their original music using state of the art equipment and instruments supplied solely by Guitar Center, the world's largest musical instrument retailer. As an exclusive, Guitar Center has provided Converse Rubber Tracks with the Ocean Way HR2 large-format monitor system, making the studio the only one in all of New York City to offer the use of the state-of-the-art system designed by multi-GRAMMY award winning producer/engineer Allen Sides. In addition, high-quality guitars and amps by Fender, Gibson, Ernie Ball, BlackStar, Marshall and Schecter among others will also be available for all musicians to use. For more information about Guitar Center visit www.guitarcenter.com.

This summer, in addition to giving musicians the chance to record in a state-of-the-art environment, Converse Rubber Tracks will also host the GRAMMY Foundation®'s annual GRAMMY Camp®. Held for the past six years in Los Angeles, the program is expanding to the East Coast to reach a broader range of students. This summer, GRAMMY Camps are being held in Los Angeles from July 9 -18 and Brooklyn from August 2 - 8 at Converse Rubber Tracks. During this week, students will get to experience an in-depth look at the entire creative process from the first spark of original material through the promotion of a finished product, and will culminate in a launch party at a theater in Times Square.

Converse Rubber Tracks will also give bands the means to expose their music to a much larger audience through compelling content captured at the studio, including exclusive in-studio video testimonials, track- of-the-week features, behind-the-scenes footage, and unique rehearsal session clips. Converse's Rubber Tracks will be a catalyst for creativity and will provide a window to see into an artist's experience, again all at www.converse.com/rubbertracks.

Musicians can visit www.converse.com/rubbertracks to receive more information about Converse Rubber Tracks studio and details on the registration process