Giving a voice to future SA stars via cell

iTouch has created the solution to help discover African talent in previously neglected communities and overcome the problem facing talented would-be superstars in rural and remote areas.

Tailored specifically for the African market, the Voice of Choice objectives are to provide opportunities and unleash untapped talent by overcoming conventional entry barriers - such as language, lack of facilities, training, development and costs associated with recording, travelling and culture - by soliciting entries via radio and phone.

Voice of Choice is the brainchild of Shandel Music - an independent record label publishing and production company. Based in Cape Town – Shandel Music is owned by Selwyn Shandel who has 20 years of experience in developing African music talent. He has produced over 20 multi platinum and gold selling albums, ranging from Brenda Fassie to Johnny Clegg. Apart from the SABC, the major sponsor is African Bank.

iTouch will handle all the interactive voice response (IVR) for Voice of Choice. It will also will provide competition applications, provide daily audited stats, provide CDs of voice files to the judges, ensure the stability of the system throughout the competition to enable easy access for the public, as well as provide call centre support and SMS notification when required.

SABC Radio broadcasts will promote the auditions and advertise a unique IVR dial-in number. IVR will guide the contestants through the process and can enter their personal details such as name, contact number, ID etc. Entrants will be able to record their entry for a period of 1 minute. These recordings will then be compiled for judging and evaluation.

Listeners will be able to call in and play back recordings and then vote. They will also be able to record comments, which will be used for radio content. Finally, iTouch's IVR will tabulate the finalists.

Pricewaterhouse Coopers will audit the competition and will ensure that all votes are accurately counted and the results are fair.

iTouch CEO, Greg Brophy says Voice of Choice is "a stunning opportunity for us to demonstrate the versatility of our services in support of a massive public-participation event in South Africa. Nothing of this magnitude and originality has been staged here before. As in the past with our success with similar ventures such as Big Brother and the process we got involved in, we are expecting a phenomenal response."