2010 auditions kicked off at the start of August and are travelling across the country in the search for the UK’s best singers, singer/songwriters, rappers and vocalists. It’s open to all genres, so whether you’re into RnB, Rap, Acoustic, Pop or Classical – Open Mic UK has it all! Acts can perform either covers or original material and they’ll be invited to a live audition in front of the judging panel.

Those who make it through the audition stage will go on to perform across the UK in live shows, in front of a live audience and judging panel, for the chance to sing at the Grand Final at the 02 in London. The panel is made up of industry insiders, A&R, vocal coaches and guest celebrities.

There are plenty of opportunities to win prizes throughout the competition. There’s over £50, 000 worth of prizes up for grabs and the winning act will be offered a recording and management contract to develop their music and release their single. Competing acts will also have the chance to perform live in some of the best music venues in the country.

The competition is divided into age categories; Under 18, 18-24 and 25 and over. All types of singers, vocal performers, groups and acoustic singer/songwriters are invited to enter Open Mic UK. It’s all about finding an act that has the ability to become a professional recording artist.

So, if you think you’ve got what it takes, get on the mic for Open Mic UK 2010!

For dates, venues and more information go to www.openmic.co.uk

More Information
RamonaHQ.com
Myspace.com/ramonahq
Engineerrecords.com

2 Bands who spring to mind when initially listening to the The Startover are Fight star meets Jimmy Eat World which i tell you is no bad thing at all. The Band have great accreditations to their name already set to support wheatus on their upcoming tour and have shared a stage with the likes of Feeder, Ash and Hundred Reasons to name a few. The album is full of screechy Guitars, distorting heavy guitar sections mixed in with melodic, hypnotic, harmonies throughout, whilst maintaining a song structure that can be enjoyed by a wide audience. One particular track to look out for is Track 4 “Breathings overrated” which boasts an impressive mix of rhythm and speed. Currently looking ahead to a UK Tour i suspect The Startover will be moving rather quickly over the coming months.

More Information
Myspace.com/thisisthestartover
Engineer Records

Sky Rocket Love

Favorite decade for music?
Probably 70’s and 80’s…. and 90’s (We disagree a lot)

Do you think artists these days are too Manufactured?
Absolutely, a lot of them anyways

Do you think there is to much attention on Fashion within Music?
We all know russ wishes he could play music in his “Buttwiswer” T-shirt all the time.

What do you think of the current Music scene?
Well there is definitely some room for improvement……..

Who is your Guitar hero?
Eddie Van Halen and Satchel from Steel Panther … and Jonny Greenwood

What qualities do you think artists need?
You can’t define what an artist is, its subjective.

Favorite singer of all time?
Steven Tyler, Bono, and Thom Yorke

Name one act who is similar in sound to you?
The Killers

What is your definition of a well written song?
A good hook, solid form, and makes you feel tingly

What level of success do you hope to achieve from your Music?
We just want to share our music with as many people as we can

What do you think of talent competitions?
Talent competitions are over rated

How do you feel about famous Music Managers such as Simon Cowell?
If they came knocking we might answer to say the least…

Do you think the Music Industry is a flooded market?
Over the internet it is very flooded however on the radio it is very controlled.

Why should people go and listen to your Music?
Because we’re awesome

Do you think CD’s will become like dinosaurs?
No probably more like drink coasters

Do you think there is any money to be made in recorded music anymore?
Most of the big money all comes from touring these days

What part of being a Musician/Band do you like most?
Being able to play in front of tons of people is definitely part of it.

What is the one problem you feel is holding your music career back?
Finding the right people to get us to the next level

Do you find it easy to write songs?
Some tend to come easier than others, some you can tell are just meant to be.

Who do you think is the best songwriter of all time?
Lennon/McCartney

Which Band/Artist are you embarrassed to admit you like listening to?
Miley Cyrus…shes got a sexy voice

How did you get your first gig?
Universal Bar and Grill invited us

How did your first gig go?
Good for a first gig

Any advice for artists trying to find Gigs?
Be wary of anyone who makes a lot of promises, but asks for money
upfront.

Where do you see yourself in 6 months time?
The Skyrocket Love van…. down by the river!!!!!!

Where do you see yourself in 12 months time?
A tour bus down by the river

Have you ever played an outdoor Music Festival?
Yeah in Vegas and we’re playing Evel Knievel Days

How do you generally promote your Band?
Skyrocket Love Condoms and internet stuff…

Do you struggle to pull in people through the doors at gigs?
Its getting easier and easier to draw people as we build a fan base.

Do you think social networking is useful to Promoting your Music?
Yes, its essential.

Do you think there is enough opportunities to get exposure?
There’s opportunities. You just have to be on top of it and take advantage of them.

Who is your favorite upcoming artist?
The Temper Trap, the Broken Bells but they’re more of a super group really. http://www.thetempertrap.com/ http://www.brokenbells.com/home.html

Any music achievements?
We won Music Aid’s Best Band of 2009, the DIY Music Festival in 2010, and Music180’s Theatre Contest last month.

For more information on Skyrocket Love please visit Skyrocketlove.com

The best under the radar artists took to the stage at the Indig02 in London on Saturday 10th July for the chance to be crowned the winner of Live and Unsigned 2010, and it was The Lottery Winners from Leigh who eventually took home the title!

The Lottery Winners battled it out in live auditions and live heats across the country to eventually take away the top spot. They were crowned the UK’s best Live and Unsigned Act on the main stage of the Festival in front of a sold out crowd and an array of industry judges.

Representatives from the music industry were out in force to meet enthusiastic newcomers at the Grand Final of Live and Unsigned, the biggest unsigned music competition in the UK for original artists.

Over 10, 000 acts entered the competition this year, and the Grand Final saw the cream of the UK’s unsigned talent showcase their music in front of thousands of audience members and the judging panel which included Slade’s legendary front man Noddy Holder, Radio 1’s Annie Nightingale, Kerrang’s Alex Baker and RnB star Shola Ama.

The Festival played host to an eclectic mix of artists, with four genre categories performing throughout the day including Rock, Indie, Alternative and Pop/Acoustic/Urban. Category winners included rock band Underline The Sky, acoustic act Sam Garrett and alternative group We Beat The System. But the judges, alongside an energised audience, voted Indie band The Lottery Winners as the overall winner. Their winners package includes a management and recording contract, development of a clothing brand, publicity package and UK tour.

Chris Grayston, judge on the night and head of A&R at Future Music commented ‘The standard this year was fantastic. The competition has grown year on year, and this year has to be the biggest yet. The talent has improved, there have been some fantastic prizes up for grabs, invaluable development opportunities and Grand Finalists played on stage at the best live music venue in the country, the 02 in London. It was a great end to a great year. I am confident we have chosen the right winner. I am looking forward to next year’s competition and working with The Lottery Winners and I’m sure we’re going to be seeing a lot more of them.’

With over 30, 000 registrations in the last three years, Live and Unsigned has cemented its place on the UK music scene as the largest unsigned music competition for under the radar, original artists. The competitions popularity comes from its reputation for encouraging originality and it’ss open to all unsigned acts regardless of genre, so it’s got something for everyone!
Live and Unsigned 2011 auditions begin again in January 2011 and will be travelling across the UK. For more information go to www.LiveandUnsigned.Uk.com Auditions for Future Music’s National competition for solo singers ‘Open Mic UK’ start in August 2010 Openmicuk.co.uk

Check out The Lottery Winners MySpace at; Myspace.com/thelotterywinnersmusic

Getting yourself a music video is essential in today’s music industry. With MySpace, Facebook and YouTube it is now easy to get people to see and hear what you are really about – and now’s your opportunity to show them.
Before now music videos were either: 1. Very Expensive or 2. Cheap – and, let’s face it, rubbish.

Now Resident Studios have bridged that gap and can offer you the following:

· An MTV Quality music video
· Massive discounts on pricing
· Experienced producers who understands music and music videos
· An opportunity to get you (and your band) the exposure you deserve by capturing your sound and your look
These videos normally cost a band a minimum of £1000 but Craig at Rocklinks has used his significant influence and for a limited period only beaten us down to starting price of £595.

You can view an example here

You can also call us on 0208 830 4321 but you must quote rocklinks.co.uk to get this discount otherwise you will be quoted full rate!

Do you think social networking is useful to Promoting your Music?
Absolutely 

Rock Links:I see you are a Band of many words!

How did your first gig go?
The first time we (Jimmy, Jesse, and Warren) played with Brennan  we didn’t have the ability to rehearse.  So taking a few hours to listen to the tracks, we showed up at the gig and played through the set without ever playing it together.   It went well considering, but sounds much better now…

How did you get your first gig?
From a local bar owner who listened to our music online

What is the on problem you feel is holding your music career back?
Exposure.  As I said earlier we always receive a positive response from the listener,  just need more of them!

Which Band/Artist are you embarrassed to admit you like listening to? 
…Brennan really enjoys a good dose of Adult Contemporary Female Pop Stars…

For more information on Monarch check out myspace.com/monarch.band

What qualities do you think artists need?
Toni: Patience, determination and ability to withstand alcoholic beverages. Loads of all

What is your definition of a well written song? 
Antti: Catchy & dramatic melody with intensive lyrics
Olli: If you write a brilliant song and it´s widely covered, but none of the new versions get even close to the original rendition, I think then it is well written and impossible to be arranged better.

What do you think of talent competitions?
Toni: You mean Idols, X-Factor and such? Effortless money for labels.
Hape: They waste many really good talents by making them sing crappy songs.

What part of being a Musician/Band do you like most? 
Simo: Playing live. Studio sessions. Hanging out with the boys. Touring. The whole thing!
Antti: I agree! 
Toni: Playing live is pretty much the best you can do with your pants on..
Olli: ..or off

How did you get your first gig? 
Olli: DIY, We organized our own party and played there.
 
How did your first gig go? 
Toni: Oh my god! We played it through with great enthusiasm no doubt but it’s embarrassing to watch it now though. Hopefully it never ever finds it way to YouTube.

Who is your favorite upcoming artist?
Simo: Tuonas Skopa: http://www.myspace.com/tuomasskopa(sorry, it’s in Finnish

For more information and to listen to some tracks from the Spyro please visit www.myspace.com/thespyro

Looking at these bands, many of which have members who have been successful as solo artists and who have continued to produce albums through the decades, makes the aspiring vocalist and guitarist tremble. Drooling over things like the Stone’s forty years of fantastic music can have the effect of making us all wonder: “Can anyone make music like this ever again?”

For this very reason, it is not so hard to understand why fans yearn with nostalgia for the beginning, for the time when Jimi Hendrix prayed to his burning guitar, for the time when Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” was being covered by every band with the intelligence to recognise its iconic melody.

Even if this is true, rock tickets are not only being snatched up by the older generations seeking the thrills of their youth. People in their 20’s, 30’s and beyond are also forking out as much as a couple hundred quid to see these figures.

Sell Tickets

These bands exist in a space where the fans and the musicians are truly married to good music, committing to it and not to trends, going their own way and making it easy to sell tickets and win us all over.

Stephen Caulfield
Stephen has a voice that Harmonizes incredibly well and has a very individual style of Music. Stephen is a Songwriter, Musician and Producer which seem to be case for many solo Artists these days. For more information please check out his site at Stephencaulfield.com

Rosamojo the White Rabbit
Have quickly become one of my Top 5 upcoming acts of 2010, after being asked to review them on Cue Tracks i have become a fan! “Rosamojo & The White Rabbit” is the Rock/Pop/Melodramatic Bastard Child of Singer/Songwriter Maria Rosa Young. Already making waves through the Music Industry the New EP ‘Powered By Absinthe, Ruined by Daylight‘ is an released on i Tunes & Spotify June 14th 2010 and is soon followed by a more tender vocal EP ‘Human Rockets’ in August 2010. To have a listen check out http://soundcloud.com/leeditto/sets/rosamojo-the-white-rabbit