(7 January 2008 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: The Recording Academy in the US has tied up with CBS Interactive, video sharing site Youtube and rock band Foo Fighters for the "My Grammy Moment 2008" contest.

The contest will enable undiscovered talent to vie for a chance to perform on stage with the Foo Fighters at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. The US music industry's most prestigious event takes place on 10 February 2008 and will air in India on Star World.

As part of the five-and-a-half-week event, the Recording 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 narrowing the field down to 20 semi-finalists who will perform with the Foo Fighters. The voting public will eventually select one winner to be the featured instrumentalist.

Users may log on to CBS.com or directly to YouTube.com to access the video submissions, video viewing and voting site http://youtube.com/mygrammymoment. "My Grammy Moment 2008" will also be available on the CBS Audience Network and its more than 200 online partners.

The Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow says, "We are pleased to once again provide talented and unsigned musicians the chance to grace the Grammy stage. 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."

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

YouTube CEO and co-founder Chad Hurley says, "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. '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."