Wild At Heart
A couple of days ago on my Monday blog I brought up the new maurice's Hometown Sound contest which is open to local musicians looking to make a big splash on the national music scene. I sent some question to one of their representatives and got some answers to some relevant questions for entering the contest. So remember, if you are in a band and are looking for a chance to make a video or appear at SXSW, this is for you to look into. If you are not in a band, this is a good opportunity to find some cool acts and maybe get in on the ground floor for the next big sensation. So without further ado, here are my questions and their answers.
1) For those not familiar, what exactly is maurices?
maurices is a leading hometown specialty store women's retailer. We offer the latest fashion at a great value in sizes 1-24. We have everything a girl needs, from workwear to the hottest styles for a night out on the town, or even just a great pair of denim and a cozy sweater for hanging out with girlfriends on the weekend. We have over 800 stores in 44 states, and you can shop anytime at maurices.com.
2) What is and how did the Hometown Sound and the idea of promoting local music come into being? What is the tie-in they are working towards between their clothing and the music scene?
As part of a photo shoot where we went to small towns all across America and celebrated what made them unique, we realized that a lot of great music comes out of small towns. These local artists may not have the chance to "get their break" in the industry, so we partnered with our in-store music provider, PlayNetwork, and industry-leading gig booking site, Sonicbids, and developed this platform where anyone has the chance to make it big. We decided to focus on music, as we know from customer research that music is a big part of our girls’ lives. It just felt like a natural fit to make the connection between fashion and music.
3) What was the most exciting part of being involved in last year’s contest to inspire a follow up this year?
We were amazed and in awe of the caliber of musicians that entered the contest. It solidified that there is a large audience for these types of contests, and our associates and customers really got excited and behind this program. The opportunity to change our customers’ lives is an exciting experience for both maurices and our customers.
4) What kind of response did you get from your customers about the contest?
They were really excited! If they knew about a local band that was in the running, they would help support the band by promoting it socially, and even the store associates would say "don't forget to vote for x band—they are from right here in x town". It was a very cool grassroots effort.
5) How do local bands get eligible to compete in the Hometown Sound contest?
They need to visit mauricesmusic.sonicbids.com and enter—easy as that.
6) Are there any restrictions that bands need to know before applying?
There are complete contest rules on mauricesmusic.sonicbids.com, but the biggest restriction is that you must to be 18+ and a US citizen.
7) Can a band/artist have recorded an album before or have received press in the major music magazines (Spin, Rolling Stone, etc)?
We are looking for new and up-and-coming bands, so as long as the band is not currently signed with a label, then they can enter the contest.
8) How can music fans get involved voting for their favorite bands and what is in it for them?
Starting January 9 music fans can either "like" maurices’ facebook page http://www.facebook.com/maurices) or visit mauricesmusic.sonicbids.com to cast their vote and help us narrow down all the submissions to the top 50. Each vote will give you a coupon for maurices. And during round two of voting, starting February 6, fans will not only get a coupon, but also a free music download!
I'm still waiting for my answers from last year's winner Audri and Aaron but in the meantime here is a video of them from maurice's website.