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Muse to headline Coke Zero Countdown

NCAA Corporate Champion Coke Zero together with the NCAA and Turner Live Events, today announced Muse as headliner with Flo Rida, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Ludacris for the 2013 NCAA Big Dance Concert Series in Atlanta, in conjunction with the 2013 NCAA Men’s Final Four.  The bands will appear on the Coke Zero™ Countdown stage Saturday, April 6, as part of the free, three-day music festival produced by Turner Live Events and the NCAA, taking place at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, April 5-7, 2013.  To access the latest performance announcements and specific times for the Coke Zero™ Countdown, as well as Friday’s AT&T Block Party and Sunday’s Capital One Jam Fest lineups, visit www.NCAA.com/Final-Four.

“The Coke Zero Countdown is all about bringing the passion behind college basketball together with the excitement of awesome music to get fans pumped-up for the NCAA Men’s Final Four,” said Sharon Byers, senior vice president, Sports & Entertainment Marketing, Coca-Cola North America Group. “Coke Zero is proud to partner once again with the NCAA and Turner Sports to rock our hometown of Atlanta with the sounds of Muse, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Flo Rida and Ludacris, some of the world’s best live performance bands and creative minds.

On Saturday, April 6, the three-day musical festival will continue with the Coke Zero™ Countdown, featuring English rock sensation Muse.  Since forming in 1994, Muse has released five studio albums selling upwards of 15 million albums worldwide. The band earned its highest-ever debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart when “The 2nd Law” bowed at No. 2 a week after its October 2nd release. Madness, the first single from the album was No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart for a staggering 19 weeks breaking the previous record set in 2007.  The “2nd Law” and “Madness” received Rock Album and Rock Song Grammy Nominations this year. The group's last album The Resistance reached No. 1 in 19 countries around the world, and they have won numerous awards including a Best Rock Album Grammy Award and an American Music Award for The Resistance. In July 2012 Muse's song "Survival" was adopted as the official song of the 2012 Olympic Games.  To access additional information on the tour, visit www.muse.mu.

Building on their anticipated performance at Big Dance, Muse is the featured musical act for this year’s NCAA March Madness® marketing campaign, running across TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV, NCAA.com, as well as additional social media and digital sites. To view the full-length video, visit www.ncaa.com/musemarchmadness .

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, a duo from Seattle, Washington, have emerged as a premier national hip-hop group known for their electrifying live shows, expertly crafted music, and innovative music videos and media. After years of building momentum with impassioned support from their devoted fan base, 2012 was a banner year for the group, kicked off by Macklemore's feature in XXL's Freshman Class. Most recently, they have broken new ground by independently releasing their debut full-length album, “The Heist,” which shot into the #1 spot on iTunes and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts without the support of a traditional record label. Their single “Thrift Shop” has reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (4x Platinum), with help from a wildly popular music video (100 million+ views on YouTube) on heavy rotation on BET and MTV.

Over the last several years, Grammy-nominated artist Flo Rida has pulled off a pretty neat trick. Not only has the Florida-born rapper become a chart fixture thanks to the blockbuster singles “Low (feat. T-Pain),” “Right Round,” “Club Can’t Handle Me,” and his most recent chart-topping hits, “Good Feeling” and “Wild Ones (feat. Sia),” he’s also broken down barriers by uniting millions of fans of pop, hip-hop, and club music around the world and establishing himself as an international, genre-busting superstar in the process. Flo Rida brings his experiences traveling the globe to his fourth album, “Wild Ones.” Flo Rida is quickly approaching a remarkable 77 million singles sold worldwide. “Whistle” marks the superstar’s seventh consecutive RIAA platinum certified single not to mention his sixth top 5 hit on the all-encompassing Billboard “Hot 100” chart.

Recording artist, actor, philanthropist, entrepreneur…just a few of the befitting titles for Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, who first gained worldwide acclaim more than 10 years ago with his debut album, Back for the First Time (2000).  Ever since, his unrivaled lyrical prowess, dynamic performances and timeless hits including “Stand Up,” “Get Back,”, “Number One Spot,” “Money Maker,” and “My Chick Bad,” have solidified him as one of music’s best entertainers and led to the sale of more than 20 million albums domestically.  In addition to immense commercial success, Ludacris consistent output of stellar music has garnered the admiration of his peers, as well as numerous awards and honors including three Grammys. 

The 2012 NCAA Big Dance Concert Series in New Orleans featuring headliners Jimmy Buffett, KISS and the Black Keys attracted over 140,000 fans over the three-day weekend. Past performers have also included Kenny Chesney, Kid Rock, Kings of Leon, LL Cool J and Taylor Swift. The Big Dance Concert Series is an activation extension of the NCAA's corporate champions and partners marketing program, which CBS and Turner Sports license and collaborate on as part of a 14-year multi-media agreement with the NCAA.

“The Big Dance Concert Series is one of the most popular fan events that takes place during the Men’s Final Four weekend, and I want to take this opportunity to thank our corporate champion Coca-Cola, which is headquartered in Atlanta, for its support in bringing great musical acts to the city,” said Mark Lewis, NCAA executive vice president for championships and alliances. “The Big Dance is free to the public which enables everyone the opportunity to enjoy the Final Four weekend excitement regardless of whether or not they have a ticket for the games.  We hope everyone has a great time at Centennial Olympic Park and the entire weekend in Atlanta.”