The New Music Seminar (NMS), which is being held July 19 - 21 in New York City, and OurStage are teaming up for the Artists on the Verge new artist project and award. The Artist on the Verge project is aimed to aid aspiring artists who are judged to have the greatest chance for success to help break them into the music business. The finalists will be selected from over 600 artists in all genres who meet the NMS artist criteria. The winners will walk away with over $40,000 in promotion, marketing, equipment and consultations from some of the top industry leaders in their respective fields.
From June 1, 2010 to July 29, 2010, fans will have a chance to vote for their favorite Artist on the Verge artists through OurStage.com. With the help of OurStage.com voters, NMS will then select the three finalists to perform at the New Music Seminar on July 20th in New York City to a packed audience of key media, music and tech professionals. The Grand Prize winner will be announced the next day, July 21st, at the Seminar and receive the New Music Seminar Reflection Award.
The Artist on the Verge Project is not a contest. NMS or OurStage will not accept unsolicited submissions. The Artist on the Verge Project is closed and all artists are selected with the input of NMS's Partners, tastemakers, bloggers and others, to determine who is the artist with the greatest chance of success to break nationally based on music sales, touring history, merchandise sales, media (both online and in print) and other factors as determined by the NMS Music Committee.
In order to qualify, the artists must meet the NMS contest criteria of never having been on a major or major independent label and must reside in the United States. These artists must be selling concert tickets in multiple markets, music and merchandise sales and have a real buzz both off and online in terms of media coverage and other factors to determine if they qualify by the NMS Music Committee. Additional criteria used by the NMS Music Committee for judging the finalists are as follows:
- Quality and uniqueness of the songs, production and recording (determined by OurStage ranking) = 25%
- Quality and uniqueness of the live show (videos other than a straight live performance is not accepted by NMS) = 25%
- Quality and uniqueness of artist image, concept and platform = 25%
- Artist career momentum/Buzz factor. = 25%
For more information and contest details click here.
About OurStage
OurStage is an online music destination unlike any other. It's a meeting space for music lovers, and the place where tomorrow's stars get discovered. Artists, fans and the entire industry come together here to celebrate and influence new music. Undiscovered artists submit their tracks to monthly music channels, fans rank their material, and industry professionals keep tabs on who's rising through the charts, rewarding the best of the best with priceless opportunities. Fans and artists are eligible for monthly prizes and life-altering prospects for success, made possible through OurStage's partnerships with media giants such as MTV; key radio conglomerates like Citadel Media and Radio-One; leading Web outlets like AOL Music; and major music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Noise Pop and CMJ. Founded in 2007, OurStage delivers music and editorial coverage to over 4 million monthly visitors from more than 170 countries, as well as development tools to more than 120,000 artists. For more information on the world's most authentic online music community, visit ourstage.com.
