Broadcast Music, Inc. will host its 15th Annual Unsigned Urban Showcase on April 11 at Terminal West in Atlanta.
In the past the showcase has been held annually, with the exception of last year when the label decided to create an R&B showcase. “A lot of the performers that we were getting in the Urban Showcase were mostly hip-hop. We’ve had some R&B, but we really wanted to dedicate a show to R&B music to kind of help revitalize the R&B music community here in Atlanta,” said Byron Wright, Director of Writers/Publisher Relations of BMI. “So we took a year off to do an R&B showcase to really showcase for R&B talent.”
This year the showcase will feature aspiring artists from all urban genres such as R&B, Rap, and hip-hop.
The showcase will provide unsigned artists the chance to perform in front of the surprised headlining act to be announced. “We have had some of the largest artists perform that are in hip-hop, “ said Wright. Past headlining acts for the showcase’s history have been Rick Ross, Drake, Lil Wayne and others.
Artists will be given the chance to compete for a spot to become a finalist, and have their talents viewed in front of some of the music industry’s best. This panel will include top executives, artists, producers, managers, and attorneys. The winner of the showcase will be given the opportunity to receive prizes. Past prizes were studio time, tickets to the BMI Urban Awards, and a photo shoot.
The 14th Annual Unsigned Urban Showcase attracted a strong presence of the Atlanta music community and featured performances by previous showcase winner, Chase N. Cashe, rapper Rick Ross, Atlanta-based hip-hop trio Travis Porter, and hit-maker Sean Garrett.
Performers who are interested in having their talents showcased at BMI’s 15th Annual Unsigned Urban Showcase will need to become BMI affiliated. To become BMI affiliated, all interested applicants must go to bmi.com/join to fill out the online application. There is no application fee, and will take a few days to be processed.
Applicants will also need to submit their Electronic Press Kit (EPK) via Sonicbids. The EPK should include the following: two songs, promotional photography, a biography, and a day/evening contact phone number. Sonicbids offers a free two-week membership for new members, however, there is a $10 fee in order to have your EPK submitted. To submit an EPK, visit sonicbids.com
Only performers who are selected will be contacted to participate in the showcase. The deadline for all submissions is March 14, 2013.
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