General22.08.2012

Be ‘The band behind the Idol’ 2012, with Samsung

Online competition geared towards identifying local, talented musicians

Do you dream of taking your music career to the next level? Or rocking it out in front of hundreds of people?  Of fame and fortune? Well your time to make those dreams a reality is now! Samsung Electronics South Africa, a leading consumer electronics brand, recently announced the launch of an exciting, innovative activation – in line with their Idols 2012 sponsorship – Samsung’s ‘The band behind the Idol’ 2012 competition.

Samsung, as a proud sponsor of Idols South Africa 2012, is looking for talented people to upload ‘audition’ videos of themselves playing different musical instruments to www.betheband.co.za where they will stand the chance of becoming a band member in the ‘Samsung band’ – the band behind the Idol. The winners of ‘The band behind the Idol’ 2012 competition will then have the opportunity to perform as the backing band of the final two contestants at the Idols 2012 finale on Sunday, 30 September 2012.

“We are excited to bring this ‘talent search’ to market, where consumers not only have the opportunity to be directly part of the Idols phenomenon but, through this competition, we hope to stimulate further interest in the music industry – offering an opportunity for consumers to demonstrate their talent and be recognised as musicians,” says Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics SA.

The competition will run for four weeks, from the 14th of August to the 10th of September 2012. Videos that showcase a person’s musical talent and skills through instruments such as drums, guitars, bass guitars and keyboards will be accepted on the www.betheband.co.za website. In addition, live auditions will also take place every Wednesday for the four week period at the Campus for Performing Arts on the following dates:

–        Pretoria – 22 August

–        Cape Town – 29 August

–        Durban – 05 September

From the 11th of September to the 14th of September 2012, winners of the live band auditions and video uploads will be selected by South Africa’s very own, talented and successful music artist – Danny K and Idols Director – Gavin Wratten. Following this, one person will then be selected as the winner in each category, with the ultimate five winners being chosen to become ‘The band behind the Idol’ 2012, and perform at the penultimate Idols finale on the 30th of September 2012. Winners will be announced in the 17th of September.

Yamaha has committed to sponsoring R30 000 worth of prizes for The ‘Be the Band’ prize winners, which includes; R 25 000.00 worth of musical equipment and a R 5000.00 redeemable Yamaha voucher for the Wild Card winner. The musical equipment includes:

  •        1 x Yamaha Gigmaker 5 piece drum kit in White Grape Glitter
  •        1 x Yamaha RBX170 bass guitar in Red Metallic
  •        1 x Yamaha Pacifica PAC012 electric guitar in Vintage White
  •        1 x Yamaha PSR E333 keyboard

In addition to the ‘The band behind the Idol’ 2012 winners, Samsung encourage consumers to go online to vote for their favourite young artists as well as suggest a name for the band – where they stand the chance of winning great prizes including Samsung products and tickets to the Idols shows.

“There is no doubt that the South African music industry is growing – with an influx of innovation at its core. It is this growth and innovation that is synonymous with a brand like Samsung’s and we are proud to be part of developing and fostering South Africa’s talent and cultural landscape. As a result, we would like to encourage and challenge all musicians to enter ‘The band behind the Idol’ 2012 competition and we look forward to witnessing South Africa’s very strong talent pool,” continues Fleischer.

Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter