AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS PRESENTS THE COCA-COLA
NEW MUSIC AWARD
The 10 unsigned artists will play at a battle of the bands at the Los Angeles Knitting Factory on Sept. 12, with the winner appearing live on the AMAs on Nov. 16. Yes, November. Not January, like you and Michael Jackson are used to.
The semi-finalists were picked from 50 qualifiers by eternal teenager Dick Clark and CMJ CEO Robert Haber. The handpicked artists will play two songs and an “elite” panel of judges will pick the top three to move on to the finals, which will be held in NYC during CMJ, on Oct. 23. Once it’s down to three, the people of America will be asked to vote on their favorite, and their vote will count as one vote, along with the judges’. It’s just like American Idol, without the witty put-downs, the fawning, and Ryan Seacrest’s teeth.
Said Clark: “We’ve discovered a lot of great unsigned talent this year and it was difficult to narrow down the entries to the top 10. These semi-finalists have the talent and capability to become major music stars. We look forward to introducing one of them to millions of television viewers in November on the AMAs. But don’t expect them to also perform on the Grammys.”
Here’s the list of the 10 semi-finalists, so they can tell their parents that they really aren’t wasting their lives, and to double our site traffic: Elcodrive, Frolic, Jag Star, Mere, Relax to Paris (Sherman Oaks, represent!), Terrell, The Argument, The Bomb Squad, Tian, and Uncrowned. To hear music from the acts, click here.
