SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (Brew Media Relations) - GarageBand.com today launched GarageBand Faceoff, a talent contest where
America decides which unsigned artist will stay on the air. The show, which is sponsored by Cingular Wireless, airs unsigned music on the radio stations across
America and will culminate with a grand finale on December 18, with one band winning a recording contract from Capitol Records.
If you had one shot. The contest revolves around the dream of every unsigned musician: getting radio play. GarageBand Faceoff makes this dream a reality for every contestant via a syndicated radio show: a four-minute segment that will air weekday afternoons during drivetime on a dozen FM stations including WFNY (New York), KITS (San Francisco), WYSP (Philadelphia), and WKRK (Detroit). Each contestant gets at least one day on the air. Each daily segment features original music from two bands, with one winner selected by the listening public to return the next day. Here's how it works:
America decides. Every level of the contest is governed by the people. Initially, contestants are selected based on online ratings at GarageBand.com. In each Faceoff episode, listener votes determine who wins. Cingular Wireless will offer its subscribers an exclusive voting option by dialing *8 on their mobile phones. Other voting options include SMS and web voting.
The twist: Fame vs. Fortune. Each day's winning band faces a choice: either take a cash prize and leave the contest, or compete again for a larger prize and a chance at the finals. The cash prize grows as a band wins multiple days in a row, from $2,000 on the first day to $25,000 by day five. The best-performing bands will compete in a final elimination, with the grand prize winner to be announced December 18.
'The GarageBand Faceoff gives undiscovered talent a much-needed boost,' said Sir George Martin, legendary producer who discovered the Beatles and Chairman of GarageBand.com's Advisory Board. 'If this succeeds, it could point the way towards reforming how new music is discovered, giving every deserving musician an opportunity to succeed - not based on where they live or who they know, but based on the quality of their music.'
'We believe in empowering music lovers to pick the hits,' said Ali Partovi, CEO of GarageBand.com. 'Today we're bringing a simple but powerful premise to commercial radio: music by the people, for the people.'
