E N T R Y K I T ALL TRACKS ENTERED MUST BE THE ORIGINAL WORK OF THE ARTIST / BAND WHO ENTERS THEM. A MAXIMUM OF 3 TRACKS PER ARTIST / BAND MAY BE ENTERED. TRACKS MAY BE ENTERED INTO THE SAME CATEGORY OR DIFFERENT CATEGORIES; HOWEVER, THE SAME TRACK MUST NOT BE ENTERED IN TO MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY. AN INDIVIDUAL MAY ENTER AS A SOLO ARTIST AND MAY ALSO BE A MEMBER OF ONE OTHER ENTERED BAND. FOR EACH TRACK ENTERED, A SEPARATE AND COMPLETE ENTRY FORM MUST BE SUBMITTED. ALL SECTIONS OF THE ENTRY FORM MUST BE FILLED IN! INCOMPLETE FORMS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED OR PROCESSED. IF AN ARTIST / MEMBER OF A BAND IS UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE, A PARENT OR GUARDIAN MUST AUTHORISE THE ENTRY FORM. THE ARTIST / BAND (MAJORITY OF BAND MEMBERS) MUST BE LOCAL TO THE NEWCASTLE, LAKE MACQUARIE, UPPER AND LOWER HUNTER, PORT STEPHENS AND CENTRAL COAST AREA; LIVING HERE NOW (FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS) OR HAVING LIVED HERE FOR AT LEAST 5 OF THE LAST 7 YEARS OR LIVE AND WORK HERE AT LEAST 6 MONTHS OF THE YEAR. RD ENTRIES CLOSE 5PM ON FRIDAY 3 of JULY 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards 2009 W E L C O M E Thank you for entering the 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards in 2009, for sharing your music with us and for supporting this project that takes our great local talent to a wider audience on air and online. What are these Awards all about? It‟s true that when you enter a competition, a big motivator is the idea of winning something, and there are certainly awards and prizes for the winners of the categories and specialist areas. But there’s a lot more to it! Have you ever wanted some feedback on your music? Entering your songs into these Awards means that they will be listened to and judged by industry and musical professionals, radio broadcasters, genre experts and teachers. What about airplay? It‟s difficult to get your song on the radio if you‟re an unknown quantity; these awards are a great opportunity to have your song played and talked about on 1233 ABC Newcastle and 92.5FM ABC Central Coast. We also want to know about you and how you make your music; we‟ll be doing lots of online features on artists and bands across all musical styles, and you could also be invited to come in to the studio for an interview and live performance! This year marks an exciting change for the 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards. Instead of red carpet at the Civic Theatre, we’re taking the Awards Night to the places where the music is really played and made – on air and in the venues. Stay tuned to the website for more announcements as to what the Awards Night will look like for 2009. Another thing to celebrate is that the Music Awards will have, for the first time, a strong online focus, using the platform of ABC Contribute. As well as being able to listen to your music and check out your profile, visitors to the 1233 ABC Newcastle website will also see the regular features posted on the program blogs about Studio Live interviews and the entries that have been played. There is a „How To ABC Contribute‟ form with details in this Entry Kit. This project could not happen without those who provide the funding and the major prizes; The Regional Production Fund, ABC Music and Publishing and APRA, and we thank them very much for their continued support of this important project. Please take the time to read ALL of the Terms and Conditions of Entry – there are quite a few, but this is a legal document and you need to read it before you sign! There‟s more information about the competition details and the judging process on our website – go to www.abc.net.au/newcastle and follow the link from the front page, or click on „Competitions and Events’. If you can‟t find what you‟re looking for, or have any other questions, please don‟t hesitate to contact me; I‟m in Tuesday to Friday. I‟m looking forward to hearing your entry! Natasha Schaad Competition Coordinator, 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards PO Box 2205 Dangar 2309 NSW P: 4922 1236 F: 4922 1222 E: [email protected] 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards 2009 Categories: Tuning in to where You fit in… Music is probably one of the most widely accessed, generated, marketed and publicly available art forms, yet at the same time an intensely personal thing. There are so many crossovers within the genres, and everyone will have a different opinion on what makes up a particular music genre. For the purposes of this competition, we‟ve gone with the generally accepted and commonly used terms. Hopefully the following will be helpful in choosing the best category for your entry. Alternative Also known as „indie‟, encompassing the rock / pop style of music that has a bit of an edge (from The Cure to Radiohead to PJ Harvey to The Grates…). Alternative can also be anything a little left of centre in its genre – alt folk, alt country, alt pop etc. Blues & Roots From classic Blues (Muddy Waters) to Blues rock (ZZ Top, John Spencer Blues Explosion) to Roots (John Butler Trio, Ash Grunwald, Jack Johnson) to a mix (Mia Dyson). Contemporary „Contemporary‟ describes the kind of music that is being made and listened to across various radio formats (commercial and community) at this time, and allows for a crossover of genres and styles (from Missy Higgins to John Mayer, Coldplay to Annie Lennox). Country From Slim Dusty to Kasey Chambers to Keith Urban. Folk Songs that tell a story; from traditional bush bands to gypsy music, from Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell to The Waifs and Joanna Newsom. Instrumental Music without lyrics, where the melody is carried by an instrument other than voice / vocals. Classical music entries fit best within this category. Pop True to a style-specific way of songwriting. Can include Pop in the tradition of The Beatles, the B52‟s, 80‟s pop, Britpop and Aussie bands like Custard. Rock From old school rock (ACDC, Cold Chisel) to pop rock (INXS) and so on. Heavy Rock / Metal entries belong in this category. Urban Hip Hop and Electronica (includes Dance, House, Trance, Drum n Bass, Ambient and all digitally generated music). Continues on the next page…… 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards 2009 Please note: If you have entered in previous years, you may notice that some categories have been cut and others merged. This is due to a number of reasons, the main one being that a consistently low amount of entries (less than 10) over the past 2 years have made that category not viable for these Awards. If minimal entries are received in a category, that category may then be merged with another. Given that music styles and genres evolve over time as society, technology and the issues that influence the kind of music being made change and evolve alongside, the „flavour‟ of a category will also change from year to year. Last year, for example, we had a lot of more folky sounding Pop, and a mix of Britpop sounding and classic aussie Rock. If your song, stylistically, is deemed to fit better into another category, it may be moved during the judging process. You will be notified if your song has been listed to be moved, and you have the option of refusing the move if you disagree with the judges‟ suggestion. Please check the website for more information and details on the judging process. 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards 2009 THE PRIZES Category Awards for Best Song Alternative - Blues & Roots - Contemporary - Country - Folk Instrumental - Pop - Rock - Urban each winner receives an engraved Trophy Specialist Awards Best Female Vocalist - Best Male Vocalist -Best Sound Production Best Young Talent - Broadcaster‟s Choice Award each winner receives an engraved Trophy The ABC Music Publishing and APRA Songwriter’s and Composer’s Recognition Award ~ Songwriter of the Year. the winner receives a $1000 cash prize and a framed Award The ABC Music Prize ~ Artist / Band of the Year Valued at $5000, the ABC Music Prize provides the winner with an opportunity to have their music released by ABC Music - Australia‟s largest independent record label. In consultation with ABC Music the prize can involve the making of new recordings, the release and marketing of existing recordings or a combination of both. The 1233 ABC Newcastle Tour Support Prize Valued at $2000, the 1233 Tour Support Prize offers the winner $1233 in Tour Support AND a half-day session with a nationally renowned publicist. …………………………………………………………… 1233 ABC Newcastle Music Awards 2009 HOW TO ENTER Step 1: Record your track/s on to CD (Broadcast quality) We understand that the production quality of the tracks is going to differ, but whether you record the song in your bedroom or in the studio, there are a few things that everyone can do to make sure the track sounds the best it possibly can. Things like making sure your instruments are in tune, that harmonies match, that one instrument doesn’t drown out the rest in the mix, and that vocals are on key. It‟s also helpful to get a fresh pair of ears to have a listen before you send your entry in. Each track entered must be on a separate CD LABEL ACTUAL CD with CATEGORY, ARTIST/BAND, TRACK NAME, TRACK DURATION (no stickers please! Use a permanent marker.) LABEL CD CASE with CATEGORY, ARTIST/BAND, TRACK NAME, TRACK DURATION Please include a separate CD with your biography and a lyric sheet (Microsoft Word documents) and a high resolution photo in JPEG format with your entry.