Hey SoulTrackers! SoulTracks.com, in cooperation with international music producer Steven Toeteberg, is excited to announce our very first SoulTracks Soul Song Competition! Together we are looking for the best new independent talent in R&B and soul music. Any independent solo artist, group, or band with a lead singer from the US can participate and send his/her/their best song in a good demo quality to SoulTracks.
What Do You Win? - The 1st place winner will win:
- A one song production provided by international music producer and musician Steven Toeteberg.
- One month of free advertising and promotion of the artist and finished song on SoulTracks.com and an interview on SoulInterviews.com
First and second runner-ups will also be spotlighted on SoulTracks.com.
To submit your song, please email your song (mp3 format) along with a picture and biography, to song@soultracks.com. Deadline is March 15.
Males, females, groups, duos, or bands all are welcome, as are a cappella and acoustic performances. Limit one song submission per artist. By April 1st 2011, a panel of music industry experts will choose three songs as finalists. Contestants will be judged based on vocal ability, lyrical quality, vocal arrangement and commercial appeal. SoulTracks readers will then vote on the winner from these finalists during April.
Okay, here are the rules and details...
Recording and Production Process
SoulTracks will connect the winner with Steven Toeteberg to directly work on the recording and production process. Steven expects the process to run like this: The winner would record his/her/their vocals at a professional quality music studio in the USA. Toeteberg will reimburse the documented cost of this recording session up to $400. Toeteberg will guide and coach vocal production with the singer in real time via Skype during the vocal recording session and partner with the recording studio engineer throughout the recording process to ensure the best possible production. Recorded vocals will be sent as WAVE file (no mp3's please) to Toeteberg where they will be produced to create a hot new single.
Toeteberg will produce the winning song in his Berlin studio in Germany. The winning artist will hold the rights to the final master. The final single will be promoted and initially shared as a free download on SoulTracks for up to one month. The winner will receive back the master recording, including a half playback and a full instrumental.
About Steve Toeteberg - Musician, composer, songwriter and producer Graf Steven Toeteberg's music career began in 1975 with the formation of his first two bands 'Eisland' and The Unique (GHANA). In 1980, sound engineering became the focus which led to his collaboration with South African gospel singer, Audrey Motaung. Together they performed worldwide and continued working in tandem for the next decade. In 1985, Steven produced the gold-album debut of Fury in the Slaughterhouse. Signed to the IC label, he worked under the pseudonym Quiet Force. Toeteberg also composed the successful rock ballet, Love Or War, staged for three years at The Hannover Opera.
The ‘90s proved a particularly fruitful period. In the early nineties, Toeteberg set up his own recording studio working with such legends as Randy Crawford and Shari Belafonte, among others. In 1999, Toeteberg moved to Senegal, Africa where he mentored and produced music for promising young rappers and hip hop artists, resulting in 220 released productions with these aspiring artists.
While in Africa, recognizing the scourge of AIDS on the continent, Toeteberg also produced the 2004 project Fagaru Jotna (Rap Against AIDS), founded in collaboration with the World Bank.
Now residing in Berlin, Toeteberg has just produced the Senegalese artist Magou, and most recently the singer Sondoro (Indonesia), Jeremie Johnson (Dubai/Toronto), and Benny (Germany). The latest release Many Lessons (HipHop and Islam in Africa) is available in stores now (Piranha Label). Since 2007, Steven has dedicated himself largely to the production of film scores for three US children's series. In 2009, Steven's song "Rainy Day in Christopher Street" has been chosen as the theme song of the American film Rebound. Further, he scored the music for the films Apart. He's also working with these artists: Benny, Jeremie Johnson, Ingrid Arthur, Dorrey Lyles, DeShon West, Patrick Ian Polk, Fol Chen, Darien Dean, Baron Artist, Lester Greene, Marcell & The Truth, among many others.
Competition Disclaimer
The SoulTracks Soul Music Song Competition (the "Competition") is provided by SoulTracks as a free service to its readers and is being conducted by and all awards are provided by Steven Toeteberg. SoulTracks reserves the right to refuse to accept any submission for any reason and to interpret the rules of the Competition. In addition, any awards are subject to forfeiture if determined that the awardees were not in compliance with the requirements of the Competition.
By participating in the Competition, competitors agree that SoulTracks assumes no liability, and shall have no liability or obligation whatsoever for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation, regarding the copyright or other rights issues with regard to the submitted song or the resulting recording, the content or quality of the final recording or production.
SoulTracks holds the final say in all disputes and may at any time require that a finalist or winner that failed to comply with requirements of the Competition forfeit any such award. Guidelines and rules for any or all of the competitions are subject to change at any time within the scope of SoulTracks.
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