Chordblossom Kickstart Competition 2017

Our good friends over at Chordblossom have launched their annual Kickstart competition, which is open to Northern Irish bands and artists, and has a great smorgasbord of prizes up for grabs for acts who are starting off on their career. If you're eligible to take part, we would encourage you to submit an application, as we have seen how beneficial it has been for those artists who have taken part.

Press release follows:

We are pleased to announce that our highly anticipated competition for local bands and musicians across Northern Ireland is returning for 2017.

As usual, we will be offering the eventual winner of the competition, the opportunity to "kickstart" their year with an impressive package of prizes including a single recording, music video and festival slot up for grabs.

For 2017, we are pleased to be partnering with Help Musicians NI to launch the competition. Help Musicians UK is the leading UK charity for professional musicians and offer support and advice to musicians at different stages of their careers. They launched themselves in Northern Ireland last year and we feel that their expertise will be of a real benefit to the musicians taking part in Kickstart. 

Our winners from last year, Brand New Friend, went on to have an incredibly successful year with their music being played on Radio One and BBC 6 Music, their debut EP receiving critical acclaim and obtaining a number of significant support slots throughout the year. Other notable winners of the competition include SOAK, Lauren Bird and In An Instant.

​

Prizes ► 

► Professional Career Advice - Courtesy of Third Bar Artist Development

---

► Single Recording - Courtesy of Millbank Studios

---

►  Video for your Single - Courtesy of Dog Kennel Productions

---

► Festival Slot - Courtesy of Stendhal Festival of Art

---

► First Play of your Single - Courtesy of Electric Mainline

---

► CD Duplication - Courtesy of Wilson Creative

---

► Single Artwork - Courtesy of Studio McCooke

---

► Professional Photoshoot - Courtesy of Ciara McMullan Photography

---

► Single Launch Gig in Belfast - Courtesy of Chordblossom

---

► Support Slot in Portrush - Courtesy of Atlantic Live Lounge

---

► Support Slot in Derry/Londonderry - Courtesy of Bennigans Introducing

---

How To Enter ► 

You must be a musician or band originally from Northern Ireland and have not released a full length album. If you meet this criteria please send an email to kickstart@chordblossom.com with the following information:

- Band/Musician Name
- Hometown
- Influences
- A Social Media Link
- An MP3 of your best track

---

Timeline For The Competition ► 

- Monday 6th February 2017 - Competition announced and entry opens
- Sunday 26th February 2017 - Entries Close at 8PM
- Monday 6th March 2017 - Top 20 Announced
- Monday 13th March 2017 - 4 Finalists Announced
- End of March (TBC) – Showcase Gig  & Winner Announced