I'm emailing to let
you know that the US-based Unsigned Only Music Competition has announced its
2012 winners, and Canadians did extremely well for the first year of the
competition, with one First Place win and 11 honorable mentions! The competition
is produced by the same people behind the International Songwriting Competition
- ISC.
It is extremely important to Unsigned Only that the
accomplishments of these Canadian artists be recognized, and we sincerely hope
that you will help us to accomplish this goal by promoting this press release
and helping to spread the word about their international achievements.
I
have included a press release below, and please go to our website to see all the
winners:
Contact: Candace Avery Unsigned
Only 615.251.4441 cavery@unsignedonly.com www.unsignedonly.com
Canadian Artists Honored In US-Based Unsigned Only Music
Competition
Grand Prize is Awarded to San Francisco Artist Lara Johnston
With The Song "K.I.S.S."
September 5, 2012 - The Unsigned Only Music Competition is pleased to
announce its 2012 inaugural winners. Nearly 7,500 songs were submitted and of
those, Canadian artists have come away with one First Place win and an
impressive 11 Honorable Mentions. Canadian winners were present across nearly
all nine genres of popular music, confirming the expansive nature of the
Canadian music scene and the array of sounds coming from the country's best
bands and artists.
Launched only a year ago and judged by a roster of
celebrity notables such as Cyndi Lauper, 3 Doors Down, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny
Rogers, St. Vincent, and many more, Unsigned Only is a unique music competition
designed for solo artists, bands, and singers who are not signed to a major
label. With 36% of the entrants and 47% of the winners coming from outside the
USA, Unsigned Only has quickly established itself as the international music
competition for unsigned artists. In addition to the high-profile artists, the
roster of judges also included record label presidents as well as other industry
leaders, offering songwriters the unprecedented opportunity to have their music
heard by influential decision-makers. See below for the complete list of
judges.
Canadian Winners
Include:
First Place Winner
First Place The Franklin Electric - Montreal, QC, Canada - "Old
Piano"- AC (Adult
Contemporary)
John Matte, Kevin
Warren, Bud Rice, Martin Desrosby, and Jean-Sebastien Leblanc of The Franklin
Electric take First Place in the Adult Contemporary category for their first
single, "Old Piano." The Montreal-based collective is vocal-oriented and well
versed in a variety of rock and folk genres, inspired by ambient guitar textures
and brass. For the past few years, The Franklin Electric has been performing at
local clubs and festivals across Canada. They are currently in the final steps
of production for their debut album, which is due for release this
winter.
Honorable
Mentions
Oh Village - Abbotsford, BC, Canada
- "Red Death"- AAA (Adult Album
Alternative) Jessica Beach -
Vancouver, BC, Canada - "Warning Signs"- AC (Adult
Contemporary) Dan Bremnes -
Kelowna, BC, Canada - "Beautiful"- Christian Codie Prevost - Saskatoon,
SK, Canada - "Rolling Back To You"- Country Jaylene Johnson - Winnipeg,
MB, Canada - "When It All Goes South"- Country Andy Brown - Fredericton, NB,
Canada - "Ashes"- Folk/Singer-Songwriter Kuba Oms -
Vancouver, BC, Canada - "Electrolove"- Pop/Top 40 Gyles - Toronto, ON, Canada
- "On One Knee"- R&B/Hip-Hop The Trews -
Antigonish, NS, Canada - "Hope & Ruin"- Rock Alexandria Maillot - Vancouver,
BC, Canada - "Be My Love"- Vocal
Performance Tiffany Desrosiers - Langley, BC,
Canada - "Like I Would For You"- VocalPerformance
For a
complete list of Unsigned Only winners and to hear the winning songs, go to
http://www.unsignedonly.com/winners The Grand
Prize, Unsigned Only's highest honor, goes to San Francisco, CA artist Lara
Johnston with the song, "K.I.S.S." Johnston was the highest scoring artist
overall in the competition and a favorite among the judges. Only 22 years old,
she has shared the bill with such acts as Willie Nelson, Huey Lewis and the
News, Journey, Heart, Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, Don Henley, rapper J. Dash,
and many others. Over the past three years she has toured throughout the world,
writing and co-writing songs in LA, London, and Nashville, and balancing her
career pursuits with her time as a student at USC's Thornton School of
Music.
For a complete list of Unsigned Only winners and to hear the
winning songs, go to http://www.unsignedonly.com/winners 2012Judges include:3 Doors Down; Kelly
Clarkson; Robert Smith (The Cure); Kenny Rogers; Jeremy Camp; Musiq Soulchild;
St. Vincent; Manchester Orchestra; Angie Stone; G. Love; Craig Morgan; Aaron
Shust; Charlie Daniels; Steve Lillywhite (Producer); Matt and Kim; Cyndi Lauper;
The Mountain Goats; Josh Jackson (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Paste
Magazine) and Scott Lapatine (Founder/Editor-In-Chief,
Stereogum.
2012 Mentors include: Monte Lipman (President of Universal Republic); Pete
Ganbarg (Executive VP/Head of A&R, Atlantic Records); David Wolter (Senior
VP of A&R, RCA Records); Kim Stephens (President, Forward Entertainment and
A&R/Capitol Music Group); Trevor Jerideau (VP of A&R, J Records); David
Wilkes (VP of A&R, eOne Music); Pete Giberga (Head of A&R, Razor &
Tie Records); and Jason Geter (President, Grand Hustle Records).
Sponsors
include: Posse, Steamboat Ampworks, Verve Management, Music Business Registry,
Mrs. Fields Cookies, and Spider Capo
Unsigned is now accepting entries
for 2013. Many new judges will be added, as well as a new Teen category for
artists 18 years old and younger. Information on how to enter can be found at
www.unsignedonly.com.