BEDMINSTER, N.J.—Move over, “American Idol.” Verizon Wireless is offering unsigned bands a shot at mobile stardom through a contest that will end up with the winner’s song being released via VCast, Verizon’s multimedia portal.
The contest is a partnership between Verizon and the social networking Web site MySpace.com, which has more a million registered bands.
Much like the popular “American Idol” TV auditions show, 15 bands will be selected from among the entries. MySpace users will then be able to listen to the songs from the 15 semi-finalists and vote online through a “Calling All Bands” Web site. The five most popular will become finalists; however, Verizon and MySpace will choose the winner, which will be announced on MySpace at the end of March.
The winning band will have its song released on VCast, along with a music video, ringtone and ringback tone.
“Verizon Wireless VCast Music customers love music and many of them are plugged into the latest music trends,” said John Harrobin, vice president of marketing for Verizon Wireless. “The Calling All Bands contest is another opportunity to discover new artists, which makes this the perfect way for lesser-known artists to showcase their music to an entirely new audience.”
Verizon Idol, anyone?
