VH1 is undertaking an ambitious around-the-clock battle of the bands titled “Make a Band Famous” that will take place on its digital platforms.
Along with partner Republic Records, the cable channel will live stream 24 Bands competing over 24 Hours with the last band standing winning a contract with Republic Records, a live showcase at Brooklyn’s Northside Festival, as well as being the recipient of VH1’s “You Oughta Know” campaign.
Hosted by All-American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter, “Make a Band Famous” will live-stream from Brooklyn, NY starting June 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on VH1.com and the VH1 App.
“Supporting emerging artists is a big priority at VH1, most notably through our hugely successful ‘You Oughta Know’ initiative,” said VH1’s executive vice president of music production, Lee Rolontz. “But this year, we are really taking that a step further, partnering with the amazing team at Republic, with its astounding roster of artists, to really search and find an unsigned act to break using Republic’s expertise and our extended ‘You Oughta Know’ treatment.”
The competition is seeking entries at its website MakeABandFamous.VH1.com through Thursday, May 15. Unsigned musical acts will submit a 15-second video clip of an original, unpublished song on Instagram using the hashtag #MABF as well as the band’s name with a hashtag (#YourBandName).
The 24 finalists will be decided by an equal amount of half fan vote by social media and a review process by VH1 and Republic Records talent teams. Fans can vote for bands on social media by hashtagging the band’s name plus #MABF.
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The 24 bands will have to face several challenges, which could range from learning a cover song in a hour, re-imagining a classic hit with toy instruments and performing for money and fans in Williamsburg.
During the live stream event, a panel of experts and viewers at home will cast their votes on Twitter, Facebook and VH1.com, to vote on what bands will move on from each challenge. Each hour, groups will be eliminated until one band is named the winner of “Make A Band Famous.”