History

Great music. Free food. That’s Feed the Beat.

For six consecutive years, Taco Bell® and its Feed the Beat® program have provided nearly 500 artists/bands with $500 in Taco Bell Bucks. Touring music artists can relate to eating on the road and Taco Bell wants to help by picking up their post-show late-night dinner tabs so they can focus on their true passion: music.

Beyond Taco Bell Bucks, Feed the Beat helps artists get noticed through the brand’s menu of influential sponsorships and marketing opportunities.

For Philadelphia hip-hip duo Chiddy Bang, being a Taco Bell Feed the Beat artist meant more than free Taco Bell Fourthmeal. Following their online entry and selection into the 2010 Feed the Beat line-up, Chiddy Bang’s song “The Good Life” was featured in a national Taco Bell TV commercial and Taco Bell hosted a special hometown concert that was live streamed, alongside other exclusive content, to the 7 million fans on Taco Bell’s Facebook page. As a result, Chiddy Bang saw a 330 percent increase in “The Good Life” downloads after the first week the Taco Bell commercial aired.

“We have nothing but love for our Taco Bell family,” said Chiddy, Chiddy Bang. “Their Feed the Beat program really supports music and young artists, and we are so thankful for all the opportunities they have presented us.”

Feed the Beat began as an organic effort to help feed up-and-coming bands on tour already hungry for Fourthmeal, giving them $500 in Taco Bell gift cards. Now in its sixth year, the program has expanded beyond just food, leveraging the brand’s relationships with its network partners, sports sponsorships and MTV – as well as supporting the bands through its strong online presence.

Here’s a snapshot of the first five years of support:

  • Taco Bell has fed 365 artists with $500 in Taco Bell gift cards, the equivalent of over 180,000 Taco Bell Bean Burritos® (2007-2011)
  • Chiddy Bang became the first Feed the Beat artist to be featured in a national Taco Bell commercial (2011)
  • The Taco Bell Truck (@TacoBellTruck) starred in Feed the Beat artist New Found Glory’s music video, “Truck Stop Blues” (2010)
  • Taco Bell and Feed the Beat booked showcases at Austin’s biggest music festival, featuring multiple program artists at a “Feed the Beat” showcase and giving out free food to festival attendees (2010, 2011)
  • Taco Bell produced singles for “Best of the Beat” winners Hit the Lights, Thousand Foot Krutch and Fireflight, giving them valuable exposure to even more audiences (2009)

What does it take to make it into the Feed the Beat program? Feed the Beat artists are selected by a panel of judges based on performance and musicianship, originality and material selection, as well as overall appeal and personality. Through the submission, bands also have the opportunity to express their hunger for Taco Bell and share their own stories about eating Fourthmeal while touring.

About Taco Bell Corp.

Taco Bell Corp. (“Taco Bell”), a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, signature quesadillas, Grilled Stuft Burritos, nachos, and other specialty items such as Crunchwrap Supreme®, in addition to the Why Pay More!® Value Menu. Taco Bell serves more than 36.8 million consumers each week in nearly 5,600 restaurants in the U.S.

Taco Bell Corp. (“Taco Bell”), a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, signature quesadillas, Grilled Stuft Burritos, nachos, and other specialty items such as Crunchwrap Supreme®, in addition to the