Open Mic UK
| Open Mic UK | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | music competition |
| Begins | August |
| Ends | January |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Live fest at IndigO2, London, United Kingdom |
| Years active | 9 |
| Inaugurated | 2008 |
| Most recent | ongoing |
| Participants | 10,000 annually |
| Patron(s) | Live and Unsigned |
| Website | |
| www |
|
Open Mic UK is a live music competition run by Future Music Management in the UK for singers, vocalists and solo artists. Acts compete at regional auditions to get the chance to perform live at live music showcases to reach an annual national final, which has been held at the IndigO2 within The O2 London since 2010, and more recently in National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The event, which offers a recording contract and investment to the final winner, was described by Joel James of BBC York & North Yorkshire as "one of the toughest competitions in the country."
According to its organisers, Open Mic UK is the largest music search in the United Kingdom for vocal groups and solo artists. The competition was originally devised by Chris Grayston as a spin-off from the Live and Unsigned competition as a result of the high number of solo singers and vocalist entrants to that competition, who were without their own songs. Entrants compete in a series of local and regional heats for a chance to perform at the National Grand Final, and the chosen acts in each category compete at the final event. The competition attracts around 10,000 competing acts each year, but in recent years has substantially grown; with an estimated 12,000 acts set to compete in 2015.
The competition can now boast having acts such as Birdy,Luke Friend,Lucy Spraggan and Jahmene Douglas all as winners or having performed within the competition.
Singers, rappers, groups, and acoustic singer/songwriters of all genres are accepted as competitors. The competition used to be divided into three age categories; 16 and under, 17-23, and 23 and over. - however, since the 2013 competition these age categories have changed to Under 16, 16 to 20 and 21 and Over.
Acts can perform either covers or their own original material live, and demos and recorded material are not accepted. Judges from the music industry, celebrities and record labels score all performances on the basis of vocal/musical talent, stage performance, star quality, and individuality, and the winning acts in the age categories must earn the most points from judges. There is also a point where the audience can vote in order to aid those in the judges' top scores to make it to the next round of the competition.
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Wikipedia