Surface Festival

The logo of the 2012 competition

The Surface Festival is an international music competition held in Spain , Germany and mainly the United Kingdom . The locations of the competition are in London , Glasgow , Cardiff , Birmingham , Manchester , Bristol , Swansea , Berlin , Barcelona and Seville . The Surface Festival is comparable to Emergenza and the Austrian Band Contest .

Competitive structure

The competition consists of 5 rounds. The first two rounds each have 7 bands or solo artists in the different venues, of which 4 groups or solo musicians are selected for the next round (see section on rating system). In the third round, also called the “semi-final showcase” within the framework of the competition, the qualified musicians compete against each other again and are observed by the Surface jury. The artists with the most points reach the next round, the “Regional Showcase”. In the regional showcase, the musicians are assessed by an independent expert jury. For the evaluation of the participants a point system was used, which will be applied from the regional showcase onwards. A total of 21 musicians will compete in the “International Showcase”, the final of the competition. These are determined from the regional showcases. The winner is the band or solo musician with the most votes. In the international showcase, too, all participating artists will be assessed by an independent expert jury.

Rating System

The participating artists are assessed using several procedures that are weighted differently. Voting is possible by SMS (one point), by the audience (5 points), by other participating artists (20 points) and by representatives of the music industry (30 points). In the first two rounds, the participants will not be judged by any jury. From every 7 participating musicians come, the four participants with the highest scores. From the third round onwards, these are considered by a specialist jury.

From the third round, the jury's vote counts in three ways compared to the SMS vote. The jury in the respective showcases consists of three independent people from the music industry, who each contribute 25 percent to the final grade. The judges' scores are converted into points. The highest number of points a judge can give is 22 points and the lowest is one point. The SMS votes are also converted into points, whereby a maximum of 22 points can also be awarded here. This means that the participants can achieve a maximum of 88 points. If there is a tie in the SMS voting, the groups will receive extra points depending on their placement. If there is a tie in the final scoring, the chief judge will decide on the final result.

In the international showcase, public voting is only possible via SMS. SMS voting numbers will be posted on the competition homepage, on a line-up sheet at the venue, and by the host during the show.

The number of artists in each region depends on the number of participating artists in the respective region on the festival night. Since the entire competition is live shows, there may be times when the voting system can be changed. Changes are discussed with the participants before each performance.

Profits

The winners of the competition have the chance to make a profit of over 100,000 euros every year. In 2012, the winner can win a slot at the Sziget Festival (travel and accommodation included) and the Guitar Nation in Birmingham . The prizes also include a one-day video shoot by Creative Junkie Media , equipment from Marshall Amplification and Ashdown , a four-day UK tour (three concerts), a digital distribution contract with Digital Zimbalam, a one-track single, a UK radio package, sales promotion and an online banner marketing package each from Believe Digital.

Conditions of participation

The musicians must be at least 16 years of age or older on the day the festival starts. Musicians from all over the UK , Barcelona and Berlin can currently register. The genre of musicians is unimportant, as artists from all musical genres are allowed to participate. The artists can only register using an application form that can be found on the festival website.

The Surface Festival receives 15,000 applications from all over Europe every year. The closing date for applications is December 31st. The musicians' data will not be passed on to third parties. Participants are not allowed to perform cover songs during the entire festival. The instruments are provided by the organizer, but drummers are allowed to use their own snare drums and pedals.

A one-time deposit of 50 euros must be paid for a performance at the festival. On the first day of the festival, participants can get their deposit back if at least 25 tickets are sold. Participants will share in the proceeds throughout the festival. Participants are not responsible for tickets that have not been sold. Participants do not have to pay for the tickets in advance.

Jury members

The jury consists of representatives from the international music industry. The jury members already included Phil Burt ( Bristol Institute of Modern Music ), Leah Webb ( EMI Publishing ), Phil Legg ( Futureproof Records ), Alex Parker ( Kerrang! Radio Unsigned Show), Universal Records , Mercury Records , Polydor Records , Geffen Records , MTV2 , Ed Lewis ( Warner Music ), Brad Barrett ( NME ), Ian Parker ( The Hollies ) and Dan Broad ( Happy Mondays ).

Web links

Official homepage (English, German, Spanish)