MTV and the Viacom Music Group are returning to the birthplace of rock 'n' roll for the third O Music Awards, staging a road trip from Memphis to New Orleans in which one band will break the Guinness World Record for “Most Live Concerts” in 24 hours.
That record currently belongs to Jay-Z.
A bus of musicians will travel from Elvis Presley’s home city through the Mississippi Delta to The Big Easy with performances along the way.
Robyn headlined the second O Music Awards, and this time MTV promises a worthy band to set the record.
“We’re collapsing the show and a world record into one seamless experience,” Shannon Connolly, VP of digital music strategy for MTV, told TheWrap. “In the past, we had a lead-up with the world record attempt and then a show. With this one it’s all combined and it will make for some really interesting storytelling.”
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The awards show, which honors music but with a focus on digital, will combine 24 hours of both awards and musical performances – all of it live.
Some of the broadcast may air on MTV – exact programming details are still in the works – but all of it will stream online.
The second edition of the O Music Awards, which took place in West Hollywood on Halloween night of 2011, garnered 1.4 million live streams, the second biggest live stream in MTV history.
“We’re really excited about the concept of honoring birthplace of rock ‘n roll with trends that are inherently modern and yet are still tied back to roots of music,” Connolly told TheWrap. “The traditional model of an awards show – now the nominees, now the winner — didn’t feel like it fit.”
Categories will be announced May 23, but past winners include Kanye West for “Best Tweet,” Nirvana for “Best Vintage Viral Video” and Spotify for “Most Addictive Social Music Service.”