Island Idol is Back!
Island Idol presented by Cavendish Beach Music Festival is back and bigger than ever before. In its second season, the competition, which see’s Island musicians perform at center court during halftime at Island Storm games, will offer the winner an elite prize pack.
The prize package includes performance opportunities, radio time, and television appearances. The competition will begin in mid-January and runs into late April. At each game two acts will perform against one another and the thousands of fans in attendance will select the winner. Soloists, groups, or bands can enter a demo tape and will have until Jan. 5 to have them submitted.
As the title sponsor, Cavendish Beach Music Festival will be providing an opportunity that many artists across the country would dream of, a time slot to perform at the summer event.
“Our mantra is to support local music, whether that be to donate funds to a music program or have an artist/band be recognized on a larger scale,” said Cavendish Beach Music Festival President Jeff Squires. Squires is optimistic the contest could deliver remarkable results. “Together with the Island Storm, we could just discover the next big thing, and we’re excited about the opportunity.”
At MBS radio – the home of CFCY, Q-93, and Spud FM – excitement is building as the stations are preparing to become involved in the contest in a unique way. “We want to help local music however we can. Our stations have always been about supporting local,” said Rick MacLeod, the general sales manager for MBS. CFCY will have a flagship roll in the competition by promoting the contest weekly and announcing contestants throughout the season.
The winner will also have the opportunity to land radio time. But getting on the radio is hard, that’s where David Rashed, a member of the highly successful band Haywire comes into play. Through David Rashed Productions, the winner will record a professional single at The Studio At The Guild.
Music PEI, the music industry association for the province, will also be involved with the competition by offering the winner a year of free membership. In addition, the winner will have the opportunity to perform at Music PEI’s May Run Music Festival. Music PEI’s mission includes assisting artists and industry professionals to develop sustainable careers and has helped increase the number of internationally touring PEI artists by 400 per cent in the past eight years.
The prize package includes:
+ Official performer at the Cavendish Beach Music Festival’s Gahan House stage
+ Radio time on MBS radio stations if single meets on-air requirements
+ One year of free Music PEI membership
+ A performance opportunity at a Music PEI operated festival
+ A single produced by David Rashed at The Studio at The Guild
+ A featured interview and performance on Eastlink TV’s Island View
Submissions can be made HERE.
