While many bands are hungry for their “big break,” Taco Bell is helping to satisfy their hunger for food by helping to pick up their late-night dinner tabs. One hundred bands and artists were announced as the 2010 Taco Bell Feed the Beat lineup. The fifth annual Feed the Beat program, which provides bands with $500 in Taco Bell Bucks while on tour and influential exposure, received more applications than ever before. These musicians are passionate for their music and for Taco Bell, and now can regularly fulfill their cravings for Fourthmeal, Taco Bell’s signature late-night meal between dinner and breakfast.

Every touring band can relate to eating on the road and Taco Bell has become essential to keep artists rocking while on tour. Taco Bell’s late-night menu offers a variety of items to conquer any band member’s appetite. Recognizing this, Taco Bell began Feed the Beat to fuel bands with Taco Bell Bucks ($500 in Taco Bell Bucks per band) so they can focus on their true passion: music.

“The beauty about Feed the Beat is that the bands lead the way for the program—they tell us what they want and we are more than happy to supply it,” says David Ovens, chief marketing officer for Taco Bell Corp. “We admire all of the Feed the Beat bands and are especially excited to see those like Never Shout Never go from an up-and-coming artist when he joined Feed the Beat in 2008 to a headliner on the 2010 mtvU VMA Tour.”

“We are psyched to be working with Taco Bell and Feed the Beat. After having the Taco Bell Truck involved with our video for ‘Truck Stop Blues,’ we were afraid they’d never talk to us again,” says Ian Grushka, bassist for new Feed the Beat band New Found Glory. “It’s amazing to work with a company like Taco Bell and their Feed the Beat program that specifically supports touring musicians.”

Beyond Taco Bell Bucks and Taco Bell Truck cameos, Feed the Beat amplifies exposure for artists through the brand’s menu of influential sponsorships and marketing opportunities. Just this year during the MTV Video Music Awards, which were seen by more than 11 million viewers, new Feed the Beat artist Travie McCoy and MTV VMA House Artist deadmau5 performed the smash hit “Billionaire.” Taco Bell kicked off VMA weekend with Feed the Beat artist Never Shout Never opening for Jason Derulo at “2010 MTV VMAs Present: A Concert with Jason Derulo and Never Shout Never,” brought to you by Taco Bell and Feed the Beat.

“Feed the Beat was an amazing opportunity for our band to put itself out among other great artists and rely on our fans to help us break through,” says Nick Thompson, lead singer for Hit the Lights. “It also exposed Hit the Lights to a brand-new audience and gave us the chance to work with some of today’s most respected producers. We have learned so much and Feed the Beat was a huge part of that.”

“We’ve been eating Taco Bell since we were kids, way before any of us knew each other. In fact, on the road when a Taco Bell is spotted we all shout out loud and freak,” says Tyler Glenn, singer and keyboards for Neon Trees. “Now Taco Bell gives us TB [Taco Bell] Bucks to eat around the country. It’s probably one of the better gifts anyone could give this band.”

“Feed the Beat is a great program for bands like us who are constantly on the road,” says Chris Farren, singer for Fake Problems. “It has given us a chance to save a lot of money on food, and Taco Bell is one of the few chains with multiple vegetarian options.”

The continued success of Feed the Beat has encouraged the brand to expand the opportunities available to a variety of music genres as preparation for the 2011 Feed the Beat program has begun. The announcement of the new Feed the Beat artists also relaunches the program’s website on www.feedthebeat.com, where a full list of alumni and new bands is available, along with updates, news, and exclusive interviews from past and present Feed the Beat bands.