Red Stripe Music Award 2010

Red Stripe Music Award is back for its fourth year, and it’s confirmed its biggest series of gigs yet will take place all over the UK in the first quarter of 2010.

The gig series gives emerging acts the chance to play at some of the UK's best loved venues as well as potentially securing slots at a number of summer festivals.

Red Stripe’s Paul Brazier says, “The Red Stripe Music Award is about providing emerging artists with an appropriate platform to be heard, with support from partners that truly benefits each band.”

The award is organised in conjunction with Last FM and The Fly magazine, Arising Artist, Fender, Merc and The Great Escape.

The gig series is open to all bands playing any manner of music, completely and utterly unbiased to trend or leaning.

Applicants must be over 18 and play original songs to be eligible. Interested bands and artists should enter their details via www.redstripe.net

Artist Registration for The Great Escape 2010 is Now Open

Returning for its fifth festival of up-front music, The Great Escape is once again set to unearth the hottest bands from across the globe and bring them to Britain's favourite seaside town in 2010.

2009's event saw Brighton rocked, as 15,000 fans and music industry types swarmed to the south coast to witness a whopping 400 of the newest and most exciting bands around doing their thing at over 34 venues spread across the city.

The Great Escape will take place in Brighton from 13th - 15th May 2010.

If you would like to be considered to play the next Great Escape, then register your band today for free. Simply got to: www.escapegreat.com/artistRegistration/ and complete the application form.

Since being founded in 2006, the festival has developed a fantastic reputation for unearthing new music, don't miss you're chance to be part of next year's line up.

Scotland’s Final Fling Scaled Down Due to Poor Ticket Sales

Homecoming Live: The Final Fling has been scaled down following poor ticket sales.

Homecoming Live: The Final Fling was to feature three major concerts, held in Glasgow’s SECC, with the top acts booked to play in the biggest hall in the venue.

Now the event, one of hundreds set up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, is to be staged in smaller halls within the complex due to lower numbers attending than previously predicted.

The event will feature big names including Midge Ure, Deacon Blue, The Dykeenies, Idlewild, The View, Dougie MacLean and Hue and Cry. Despite the impressive line-up, sales have been disappointing and promoter Geoff Ellis believes that the recession and attempts to ‘politicise’ the event are to blame for the lack of interest.

Ellis, head of DF Concerts, said he was convinced that by moving the music gigs to smaller halls, the atmosphere would be better for gig-goers as they would not be confronted with empty seats and empty spaces.

“The reality is that ticket sales are not as good as we would have liked. But I think the atmosphere will now be much better than it would have been. There’s nothing better than being in a full venue for a concert,” he said.

Adding, “My bank manager will not be happy, but for the audience the experience will be great.”

The Clyde Auditorium will be used instead, and other artists will now be performing in the Lomond Suite and Hall 3 in the SECC.

2010 European Border Breakers Awards - EBBA’s

The ten winners of the 2010 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA’s) have been chosen. They will receive their awards at a ceremony presented by Jools Holland on 14 January 2010, in Groningen, Netherlands.

The show will be attended by the European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth Maroš Šefčovič and will be broadcast on TV throughout Europe.

European Border Breaker Awards are given by the European Commission, in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to highlight the success of 10 debuting European artists in crossing national borders by selling albums and touring outside their home territory.

The aim is to stimulate the cross border circulation of creativity, encouraging the mobility of artists, groups and composers who succeed in reaching audience outside their own country, highlighting Europe's magnificent cultural diversity.

The winners of the 2010 European Border Breakers Awards are:


Belgium Milow "Milow"
United Kingdom Charlie Winston "Hobo"
Germany Peter Fox "Stadtaffe"
Austria Soap & Skin "Lovetune for Vacuum"
Estland Kerli "Love Is Dead"
Sweden Jenny Wilson "Hardships"
Portugal Buraka Som Sistema "Black Diamond"
France Sliimy "Paint Your Face"
Netherlands Esmée Denters "Outta Here"
Italy Giusy Ferreri "Non Ti Scordar Mai Di Me"


Former winners of the award include now established artists such as Carla Bruni, Adele, Katie Melua, Damien Rice, The Thrills, Gabriel Rios, The Fratellis, Basshunter, Dolores O’ Riordan and many more.

This year's awards include a new category, the 'Public Choice EBBA'. One of the 2010 winners will be chosen by the European audience as the most popular border breaking act in Europe and will be rewarded with the Public Choice EBBA.

Voting for the Public Choice Award takes place online from mid-November until the end of the year at www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu and is supported by EBU radio stations throughout Europe. The winner of the Public Choice EBBA will be announced during the ceremony on 14 January in Groningen.

Absolute Xtreme to be Replaced by New Station - Absolute 80s

Absolute Radio is ditching its Absolute Xtreme digital radio station and launching a brand new non-stop station devoted entirely to music of the 1980s.

Absolute Xtreme launched in 2005 under the name of Virgin Radio Xtreme was aimed at playing new rock for a youth audience targeting 16-35 year olds.

However the station suffered from fierce competition from more established 'new music' brands such as BBC 6Music, Xfm, NME Radio and Kerrang.

The new station, Absolute 80s, will include a nostalgia-based playlist aimed at 30-54 year olds with a jukebox format without DJs. The station will also feature evening playlists that have been designed to create a party atmosphere.

Core artists will include Depeche Mode, Blondie, The Human League, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, Prince, ABC and Bon Jovi, plus some lighter fare from artists such as Bananarama, Culture Club and Madonna.

The station, which launches in early December, will be streamed nationwide on the internet and on digital DAB in London on the slot currently held by Absolute Xtreme.

The Absolute 80s station is the newest addition to the company's portfolio, which also includes the main Absolute Radio station plus Absolute Classic Rock.

EU in Agreement on Internet User Rights

European Parliament lawmakers and EU governments have reached an agreement on new draft telecommunication rules which offers more protection for Internet users.

The outcome strikes a compromise between governments seeking to impose tough anti-piracy laws and those who want greater protection for consumers.

Under the compromise, any decision made to sever Internet access, an approach championed by several EU countries to clamp down on illegal file-sharing, must be subject to a legal review.

Internet users in all 27 EU states accused of illegal file-sharing are to be put through a "fair and impartial procedure" before being disconnected. Authorities will have to provide evidence of illegal downloading first.

The European Parliament and Council is due to make a decision on its Telecoms Reform Package later this month.

Backers hailed the deal, saying it would legally underpin the right to Internet access in Europe while stopping short of facilitating widespread criminal piracy.

Register Now for Live and Unsigned 2010

Auditions across the country for Live and Unsigned 2010 are about to begin.

Live and Unsigned is the largest national music competition for original artists; bands and solo artists. Over 30,000 acts have auditioned over the last three years.

Auditions will be held around the country in London, Sheffield, Manchester, Brighton, Newcastle, Glasgow, Ipswich, Cheltenham, Fareham, Bedford and Aldershot.

Auditions will begin in January 2010; however there are only a limited number of places, so register early if you want to be in with a chance.

Each act will perform, in front of a prestigious judging panel, a live piece. Successful acts will be given a place in the regional final.

You will perform an original track with your band or backed by a backing track in front of a live crowd, battling for a place in the Grand Final and the Live and Unsigned Festival.

The winning act will be offered a recording contract and will also be invited on the UK Live and Unsigned tour.

For information go to www.LiveandUnsigned.uk.com