How would you like £50,000 to be able to launch your music career – on your own terms?
That’s the idea behind Salute Music Makers, a pioneering enterprise aiming to redefine and reposition writers, while supporting and empowering UK musical talent – and launch the next generation of unsigned music makers.
With the idea of creating an accessible and fair opportunity for a diverse range of music makers, the project allows creators to showcase their talents, as well as have the opportunity to win a life changing *no strings attached* cash prize of £50,000.
The competition is completely independent, and is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Lars Bylehn, Michael Bylehn, Jean-Claude Charnier, Patrick Butterfield, and Minesh Patel, who have called in new-wave innovator and music industry legend, Feargal Sharkey, as the face of the brand.
Feargal Sharkey, ex-frontman of The Undertones, as well as a successful solo artist in his own right, is known as a powerful force in the music industry, having been the A&R for Polydor Records, Managing Director of EXP Ltd, and the CEO of British Music Rights and head of UK Music. He says of Salute Music Makers:
“British music can justifiably claim to conquer the world but that incredible success is built upon one thing, talent. In an age of television static and bewildering musical consumer choice, it is now more important than ever that we give the right, focused support and opportunity to the next generation of great British talent. Salute is set to make that happen.“
Salute aims to bring the rich mix of UK culture together – covering all genres, it will provide a platform for unsigned talent, and represents a multi-cultural diversity. Their intention is launch the music careers for the abandoned, and disenfranchised generation, while at the same time fusing social media and TV, and forcing a major disruption to the current music competitions.
Salute will take music making back to the grassroots, and with Unilad as key media partner – the most viewed video publisher in the world, not to mention the most engaged and popular publisher on Facebook in 2016 – carrying that trend into 2017.
‘Music Makers’ will be allowed to upload their music to an app via their phone. This will be followed by a listening phase, where the Salute team, along with respected curators, will listen, rate, and evaluate the applications, narrowing them down to a top 100. Here is where Salute sets itself apart from other music competitions: instead of being engineered as an entertainment vehicle, Salute brings a shared equity scheme to the market for all unsigned writers. Music lovers and applicants will be able to share music through both social media and the app, while at the same time, interacting with others, rating the music, and building playlists. As a result, Salute will create an active digital music community, where lovers of music will be taken on a genre-mixing journey of discovery.
From this point, the top 100 will be narrowed by public vote to a final 6, who will each receive £10,000, and participate in the Salute Finals TV show. Each week will have a different theme, with contestants required to create original material to perform: a step away from the “karaoke” style of current talent shows. The contestants will be vying for the title of ‘Salute Music Maker’, and a prize of £40,000, taking the total winnings to £50,000 – the richest prize of any talent show worldwide.
Salute Music Makers opens with access to all entrants on April 3, with the “listening phase” starting on May 15. The top 100 will be announced in July and the music will be showcased via the platform. From there it will go to a live public vote to determine the final 6, and live shows will begin in September, with the winner announced in October.
For further details about Salute Music Makers, please see their website, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
