The Hot Pursuit, launched by Spin magazine and powered by artist development company Music Nation, offers unsigned artists the chance for exposure to a wide audience and industry influencers, all while competing for career-boosting opportunities.
Signed on to act as judges are Butch Walker (noted artist/producer), Peter Morén (solo artist and member of Peter Bjorn and John), comedian/actor/writer Michael Showalter, Amanda Palmer (singer/songwriter of The Dresden Dolls), and Doug Brod (Editor of Spin magazine).
There will be multiple stages of voting (which begins May 15th), including four weeks using Music Nation’s head-to-head player. The judges will evaluate the top 20 artists from the head-to-head round and four Tastemaker’s Picks (determined by Music Nation, Original Signal, and Spin staffers) before Music Nation, Original Signal, Epic, and Spin make the final decision. The winner will be announced July 31st.
Spin and Music Nation launched the first Hot Pursuit competition in August 2007. Close to 5,000 artists entered before Yorktown Heights, NY’s The Scarlet (http://musicnation.com/music/thescarlet) emerged victorious. The three-piece were rewarded with a joint record deal with Original Signal/Epic Records and a performance at Spin’s 2008 SXSW party at Stubb’s in Austin, TX.
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