Here in the UK, the image of battle-of-the-band events tends to be sticky-floored venues, small cash (or beer) prizes, and a lot of AWFUL bands. Suffice to say, that’s not quite the case for a new partnership between Republic Records and VH1 in the US. They’re going to run an event called Make a Band Famous, which will see 24 unsigned bands competing for a deal with the label and a featured spot on the broadcaster’s You Oughta Know show. It’s a thoroughly-online affair too: bands enter by posting 15-second video clips of their music to Instagram with the #MABF hashtag, with fans able to vote on which 24 should make it to the final 24. Then, the actual event will be livestreamed for 24 hours starting on 11 June, with a mixture of fan-voting and appointed judges eliminating bands as they complete various challenges: “everything from learning a cover song in one hour and reimaging a classic hit with toy instruments to performing for money in the streets of Williamsburg” according to Billboard.
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Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…