We are more than halfway through a 24-hour livestream event in which VH1 and Republic Records are partnering to ‘Make a Band Famous.’ The livestream began last night at 8pm and will continue through tonight, when one band will emerge with a contract from Republic Records and a live showcase at Brooklyn’s Northside Festival. VH1 is a main backer of the Northside Festival, and Lost Remote writer Natan Edelsburg moderated a panel with Viacom executives earlier today at the Wythe Hotel on the topic of ‘Fueling Social Fandom.’
VH1 and Republic Records asked unsigned artists to submit a 15-second clip of an original song on Instagram using the hashtag #MABF, along with their name using hashtag #YourBandName. Entries were accepted through mid-May and available to see via MakeABandFamous.VH1.com and MABF.VH1.com.
Fans have been given the chance to vote on social using the campaign hashtags, and the VH1 and Republic teams narrowed it down to 24 finalists last week. The livestream began last night, and the 24 finalists have to face a number of challenges, including learning a cover song in an hour, and reimagining classic songs with toy instruments. In the 24-hour events, bands are continuously being eliminated until one is crowned ‘Make A Band Famous.’ “The response to #MABF on Twitter has been tremendous,” Dan Sacher, SVP of Connected Content, VH1, told Lost Remote. “As of 10 AM this morning, a little over halfway through the 24-hour event, we’ve seen over half a million Twitter votes for Make A Band Famous and #MABF trended.”
Are you seeing this?! The #MABF judges are performing @Pharrell‘s “Happy” on toy instruments!! http://t.co/u9vA3B9K0S pic.twitter.com/Ab7SemrCO9
— VH1 Music (@VH1Music) June 12, 2014
I’m in the final 6!!! This is nuts. #chrisayer #mabf watch us live on http://t.co/yzZHs7ipy4
— Chris Ayer (@chrisayer) June 12, 2014
In April, we wrote about VH1’s 24/7-365 approach to programming, and ‘Make a Band Famous’ is no exception. We asked Sacher how ‘Make a Band Famous’ is representative of VH1’s overall music strategy: “’Make a Band Famous’ epitomizes the spirit of ‘You Oughtta Know,’ a key pillar of our music strategy,” Sacher responded. “VH1 loves bringing new, eclectic voices to our fans — everything from soul to pop to singer-songwriters to hip hop — and shining a bright light on emerging talent.”
The livestream features multiple cameras broadcasting simultaneous streams for the entirety of the 24 hours,. Viewers can hear everything the judges say – uncensored. The “Make A Band Famous” experience is available across all screens and platforms – VH1 will feature live cut-ins with updates on its linear channel too.
Fans can watch the livestream here:
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