Entries now open for Unsigned Only Music Competition - MusicNSW

Unsigned Only Music Competition has announced its judging panel and mentors for the 2014 competition, which is now accepting entries.

All the judges will consist of iconic recording artists and journalists, and the mentors include top industry company executives, ranging from label Presidents to A&R reps.

The competition is for solo artists, bands, and singers who are not signed to a major label, and they are on the hunt for a talented performing artist: a band, singer, or solo artist who is ready to take the next step in their career. The Grand Prize Winner will be awarded $10,000 in cash (plus additional prizes) and one-on-one mentoring by an elite group of record company executives. First and Second Place winners in each of ten categories of contemporary music will also be chosen. Original and cover songs are accepted. Winners will be announced in August, 2014.

“We are honored that so many high-profile, influential artists and music journalists have signed on to be judges,” says Founders/Directors Candace Avery and Jim Morgan. “Additionally, the mentors this year are equally impressive, coming from labels such as Republic Records, Capitol, Sire, Warner Bros., Atlantic, Elektra, RocNation, Word, and more. We are thrilled that they want to participate, and we know that the Grand Prize winner will benefit greatly from the opportunity to network with them.”

Judges include:  Neon Trees; John Oates (Hall & Oates); Of Monsters and Men; 3 Doors Down; Dustin Lynch; Black Francis (The Pixies); Rosanne Cash; Delbert McClinton; David Crowder; Craig Morgan; Robert Smith (The Cure); Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC); Aaron Shust; G. Love; Jason Gray; Rapsody; Alt-J; The Mountain Goats; Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone); Josh Jackson (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Paste Magazine); Chris Richards (Pop Music Critic, The Washington Post); and more to be announced.

Mentors include: Monte Lipman (Chairman and CEO, Republic Records); Jeff Castelaz (President, Elektra Records); Seymour Stein (Chairman, SIRE Records and VP of Warner Bros Records); Pete Ganbarg (Executive VP/Head of A&R, Atlantic Records); Mike Elizondo (Sr. VP of A&R, Warner Bros. Records); Josh Bailey (Sr. VP of A&R, Word Label Group); Tony Kiewel (VP of A&R, Sub Pop Records, Hardly Art, Sub Pop Publishing ); Kim Stephens (President, Forward Entertainment and A&R/Capitol Music Group); Lenny Santiago (VP of A&R, Roc Nation); Dino Paredes (GM, American Recordings); and more to be announced.

For entry and general information, please go to http://www.unsignedonly.com