Music for the Mission (quiz night)

Music for the Mission was a quiz night held annually in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia between 2003 and 2010. In 2007 it attracted 1,324 participants, making it at that time the largest single-venue quiz or trivia night ever held, according to Guinness World Records ([1]). Until 2008 it was titled Music for the Masses.

Overview

Music for the Mission was a music quiz/trivia night, contested by teams of up to 10 people. It was first held in 2003, and was an annual event until 2010. Content covered all branches of music, although the main focus is on music of the past 40 years. Each round of the quiz was named after a famous song or song lyric.

Music for the Mission featured live performances from a number of local professional performers and guest artists, as well as the use of video, audio and image clues. The 2010 event also featured a live house band, Lincoln le Fevre & The Insiders. There were 8 rounds of 12 questions, for which teams provided written answers like "Dr. Phil" or "walruses". Average prize pool over the past 5 years of the event was A$80,000.

History

The inaugural event in 2003 attracted 300 participants, selling out the venue. In 2004 a move to a bigger venue produced a crowd of 570 participants, while the 2005 event sold out that venue with 820 participants. In 2006 another venue move occurred, moving to the Derwent Entertainment Centre and attracting a sell-out crowd of 1,195 participants. In 2007, at the same venue, the capacity was lifted to 145 tables and 1,324 participants. In 2008 the same venue was again sold out, while the 2009 event again attracted more than 1,250 participants. From 2004 to 2007 the event's major sponsor was Vodafone. In 2008 the major sponsor was Telstra, while the 2009 event was sponsored by Max Employment and the final event in 2010 by Charlotte Peterswald Property Management.

Organisation

All funds raised at Music for the Mission were donated to the Hobart City Mission [2] for use in their charitable programmes in Tasmania. The event was organised by The Quizzer of Oz, and MCed by former Sale of the Century (Australian game show) champion, David Walch.

Winning teams

2003 - Skullduggery
2004 - Skullduggery
2005 - Imbibo Ergo Sum
2006 - Imbibo Ergo Sum
2007 - Spotless Minds
2008 - Unstoppable Sex Machine
2009 - Bad Case Of Loving Ewes
2010 - Unstoppable Sex Machine

2007 Round Titles

It Was 20 Years Ago Today (the best of 1987) - title taken from the lyric from Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Lucky Number (songs and acts with numerical references)
Oh Carol, A Hymn To Her (Christmas carols and hymns)
The Weird Al Show (the best of "Weird Al" Yankovic)
Guitar Man (great guitar performances)
Noughty Boy (songs from 2000–2007)
Rockin' All Over The World (songs with geographical references)
People (songs about, referencing or dedicated to real people)

2008 Round Titles

Walking The Dog (songs about or referencing dogs)
Classic (classical music and other famous non-rock music)
Fame (celebrity guests performing their favourite songs)
It Was 20 Years Ago Today (the best of 1988) - title taken from the lyric from Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Five Years (songs from 2003–2008)
I'm A Little Bit Country, I'm A Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll (country music and country-rock)
Long, Long Way to Go (long songs and the acts that perform them)
Calling Elvis (songs about, referencing or dedicated to Elvis Presley)

2009 Round Titles

Dancin' In The Street (50 years of Motown)
I Still Call Australia Home (Australian music)
Body Language (songs with a non-English language component)
Jailhouse Rock (songs about jail)
Father's Day (songs about fatherhood)
Jesus Is Just Alright (songs & bands referencing religion)
Wish You Were Here (artists who didn't live to see 40)
It Was 20 Years Ago Today (the best of 1989)

2010 Round Titles

One Hit (One hit wonders)
Just the Two of Us (duets & collaborations)
I've Got The Music In Me (songs performed in non-traditional ways by the house band)
The Sound Of Silence (famous music videos without the sound)
Tutti Frutti (songs about fruit)
It Was 20 Years Ago Today (the best of 1990)
Step Back In Time (a musical journey from 2010 to 1580)
The Final Countdown (songs with links to the numbers 12-1)