Desperately Seeking Unsigned Bands

By Julene McCoy in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 21, 2006 7:22PM

It's time to get creative, Chicago unsigned bands. Cingular, ABC and YouTube have teamed up to find the most creative, unsigned bands to catapult to web stardom via their YouTube Underground contest. They are asking bands to submit original videos to be voted on by YouTube's visitors in four categories: Best Song, Best Music Video, Best Live Performance, and Best Creative Work.

Ignoring the fears of some mainstream companies to be associated with the sometimes raunchy YouTube postings, Cingular is fronting the cash for this contest in order to demonstrate their "unique approach to mobilizing the music experience". Submissions will be accepted from October 2 - 18, 2006 while voting continues through November 16, 2006.

What exactly do the four grand prize winners receive? Among other things - an appearance on Good Morning, America, all new equipment for the band from Gibson, a photo shoot and interview with a top music publication, and the home page placement of the video on YouTube. Not too shabby. Now get those creative juices flowing and outdo OKGO.