Emerging bands and creatives sought

This entirely web-based talent search is not merely about finding the next big thing on the music scene - it's also looking for the whole creative team behind the band, from graphic designers and photographers to music video filmmakers and editors.

Global Moguls is open to South African emerging, unsigned bands making original music, as well as creative teams. They must be over 18, have Internet access as well as creativity by the bucketload, and be able to complete the required industry-related tasks and upload them onto the
Global Moguls web platform.

Crowd participation is central

Because crowd participation is central to this online music and creative media concept, it will culminate in live music finals in Cape Town and London, with performances live-streamed to the greater online community.

Who gets through to the live finals all depends on how the music-loving public votes and rates the tasks online; and also on how effective the band's creative team is at using social media to market and promote their portfolio of work to attract fans and get votes.

A successful band, after all, does not exist in a vacuum but has a support base of creative media gurus, such as graphic designers, photographers, filmmakers and marketing geniuses to help shape and craft its image. Music-making is a collaborative process and this is at the heart of the Global Moguls contest.

Klipdrift & Cola is presenting Global Moguls in South Africa and will be sponsoring a limited number of downloads of the winning track by the victorious band from the Global Moguls website following the contest. This, and the purely online nature of the contest, is in recognition of the digital revolution and the rapidly changing nature of the music business.

Impossible to sell music for money

"At the moment, 10 times as many tracks are shared and copied than are sold online," said Jade Carlisle, Global Moguls director. "This is the way music is going. It is going to become impossible to sell music for money in the future. Rather, subscriptions for unlimited downloads seems to be the new model.

"Bands are going to become just like sports stars - paid to play live, and sponsored outside of that. Touring and merchandising are increasingly becoming the main income areas for bands and the demand will be created by providing free music and building an online fan base."

Once the six top-rated bands have been chosen by the public, they will progress through to a live final at Ratanga Junction in Cape Town on 27 November with Jack Parow, the Afrikaans rapper who has taken the country by storm. In addition, the top-rated creatives in each task will win prizes, as well as the opportunity to work on a music video with the winning band, and Sacha Waldman, one of the most innovative photographers in the global music industry.

Post-contest

Arguably, the most important aspect of Global Moguls comes post-contest, when the top bands will not be flung to the industry wolves but will be managed by Global Moguls, which aims to become a key gateway for free-to-user music. They will receive extensive support with touring and concert bookings, and both the bands and creative members will be linked to sponsors and clients for songs, scores, jingles, photography, graphic design and film projects. Through creating portfolios on the Global Moguls platform, they will be able to take part in the crowd-sourcing of talent by strategic partners looking for fresh new talent.

Go to www.globalmoguls.com for more information.