Now in its 21st year, Guitar Center's Drum-Off has been a launching pad for numerous professional drummers, including Cora "CC" Coleman-Dunham (Prince), Eric Moore II (Suicidal Tendencies), Tony Royster Jr. (Jay Z) and Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta).

Last year's Drum-Off Champion, 22-year-old Jerome Flood II (photo), made his television debut when he was invited to perform on Last Call with Carson Daly following his dramatic win.

Prize package worth over $40,000
Guitar Center's Drum-Off 2009 champion will win an impressive package of prizes, including $25,000 cash, a Roland TD-25 electronic kit, a custom designed drum kit by DW, Pearl, Gretsch, Tama, or Orange County Drum and Percussion, a drum, stick, cymbal, and drum head endorsement deals as well as a feature in Modern Drummer magazine, along with a VIP appearance at NAMM 2010 and a Monster Energy Drink endorsement deal, making the total prize package worth over $40,000.

Additionally, Monster Energy, Pro-Mark, LP, DW, Remo, Vic Firth, OCDP, Zildjian, Gretsch, Roland, Tama, Pearl, Evans, and Modern Drummer are all proud sponsors of Guitar Center's Drum-Off 2009.

How signing-up for Drum-Off works
Sign-ups for the preliminary rounds of the Drum-Off competition started August 1 and run on a "first-come, first-serve" basis, with a maximum of 30 registrants per store. Contestants must sign up with a Guitar Center drum department associate at their local store—no phone or Internet sign-ups are available.

The route to the grand finals
Local competitions start September 24 in all 214 Guitar Center locations nationwide. One winner from each store will be chosen to move up to district competitions (24 locations), followed by regionally hosted semi-finals (6 locations), and culminating at Guitar Center's Drum-Off grand finals in Los Angeles in January of 2010 (exact date and venue to be determined).

Competition Dates
Store Prelims: September 24, October 1, and October 8
Store Finals: October 15
District Finals: November 5
Regional Finals: December 3
Grand Finals: January 2010

Celebrity judges and performing artists
Following the regional finals on December 3, five finalists will head for Los Angeles in January, where they will perform in front of a capacity crowd and a panel of celebrity judges as well as sharing the stage with some of today's most legendary drummers.

Past Guitar Center Drum-Off grand final performers include Travis Barker (Blink 182), ?uestlove (The Roots), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Danny Carey (Tool), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe), Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden) and Thomas Lang (independent).

About Drum-Off
The longest-standing program in a growing talent competition series, Drum-Off is part of Guitar Center's ongoing mission to provide emerging artists and musicians with career-altering opportunities and vehicles to achieve success. Drum-Off inspires up-and-coming drummers to further their musical aspirations, while at the same time encouraging the local music community and providing a platform for local musicians to network and be discovered.