Today the official announcement was made as to who would be amongst this year’s Top 12 Finalists in the Project Wild Country Artist Development competition! And it is STACKED!! Check out the list below:
For those of you who are not familiar with Project Wild, it is a program designed to promote and teach up and coming Alberta country and roots artists about the music industry, as well as help them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to launch their careers. Formerly known as the PEAK Performance Project, Project Wild is funded by Wild 95.3 in Calgary, and many other generous sponsors. Past Winners include the Dungarees and Brad Saunders. Each artist/group selected for the Top 12 receive $5000 towards career development. What they choose to do with that money is judged as part of the scoring process and counts for 5% of their overall mark. 40% of their overall mark will be determined by their performance during a showcase held at Knoxville’s Calgary. 10% comes from online voting after the artist’ showcase.
As well, each artist will be given career-enhancing challenges, such as doing a charity fundraiser. (A 24 hour Gig-a-Thon was held by the Dungarees to raise money for the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton). Artists are also judged on their songwriting abilities and overall “X” Factor. And finally, each finalist is required to develop a detailed marketing plan for how they would spend their prize money. Oh…and those prizes are fantastic! First place gets $100, 953. Second place gets $75,000 and Third Place gets $50,000! So everyone ends up being a winner, even if it’s just for the experience of music bootcamp, learning and connecting with peers, or getting the opportunity to receive guidance from someone like the Voice’s Tamara Beatty!
I for one, am really excited to see how this plays out! Who do you think will take the top prize??
projectwildcountry.com