| According to their
promotional release, "Anyone can enter and it is
completely free and unmediated. Forget the big labels and
mainstream music business, we're looking for boldness and
brilliance - musical pioneers who really deserve attention.
Entries last year came from thousands of musicians from over
40 countries and with BBC World Service, the biggest
international broadcaster in the world with an audience of
183 million listeners in 33 languages worldwide, the 2007
competition will be the biggest yet.
This year BBC World Service will be joined by BBC World
Television in the search for the Next Big Thing to expose
the new and establish a platform for musicians to create and
perform original music.
Last year’s winner, Silva, went on to have a number one hit
in her home country Armenia and played the Hollywood Bowl in
Los Angeles.
Geoff Travis founder of Rough Trade who signed The Smiths,
Travis, The Strokes and many more, said on behalf of last
year’s judges, “We are very glad to have been asked by the
BBC to be a part of this. We are astonished at the standard
of the entries, we are very very pleasantly surprised.” Head
of the jury, music producer William Orbit, enjoyed the
competition so much that he is returning in 2007.
As well as taking entries via our online site, BBC World
Service will be out on the road, with local events in Mumbai
- India, Kingston – Jamaica, Dar es Salaam - Tanzania and
Istanbul – Turkey.
The BBC have selected a panel of international music experts
including Caspar Llewellyn-Smith, editor of the Observer
Music Monthly; Will Hodgkinson, music journalist for Mojo
and the Guardian; and Paul Stokes, Features Editor, NME to
help choose 5 finalists.
There are just two rules: artists must be unsigned and
perform their own original material.
Entries close on 18 November 2007, and finalists will
perform for an all-star jury in London in December. One act
will be crowned THE NEXT BIG THING 2007 and perform to a
live audience of 3000 people at London’s O2 stadium to
celebrate BBC World Service’s 75th Anniversary in December,
alongside some of the most exciting names in music.
Website:
www.bbcworldservice.com/nextbigthing2007
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