MOBO, Urban Development and PRS for Music Foundation are bringing in the New Year early with the announcement of The MOBO Tour 2012.
This free tour is set to travel to eight cities across the UK, offering audiences the opportunity to see some of 2012's freshest, new, emerging talent on stage and attend industry workshops and seminars (via Industry Takeover @ MOBO Academy). It's also a chance for undiscovered talent right across the country to get involved in the MOBO Unsung competition. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England and PRS for Music Foundation all of this will be provided for FREE.
Kicking off on February 22 in Birmingham, the tour will travel across the country and bring together the best of the UK's new Urban talent. The first names to be announced are breakthrough MC Lady Leshurr (tipped to do big things in 2012 by RWD Magazine and Itunes) and MTV Brand New pick for 2012, seven piece hip-hop-rock collective Clement Marfo & The Frontline. A further five names will be confirmed in the New Year.
In addition to bringing the pick of 2012's most hotly tipped talent to a city near you, The MOBO Tour is also creating the opportunity for brand new, undiscovered talent to win the chance to perform on stage through MOBO Unsung. This nationwide competition is open to enter NOW and all would-be performers need to do to get started is upload a video of themselves performing to YouTube and email the link, embed code and details of which region they live in, to mobounsung@mobo.com.
Entries will be hosted on www.mobo.com/mobotour for the public to view and a judging panel of industry experts will then select a winner from each UK region, who will take the stage as part of the tour in their local area.
A team of radio DJs will select the MOBO Unsung winner from the 8 regional finalists. This winner will then join an on-line 'Battle Of The Bands' competition where they will compete against other newcomers put forward by established artists (but more on this to follow!) with a public vote to select the ultimate 'battle' winner.
To further support talent in all areas of the music industry, The MOBO Tour 2012 (with thanks to Urban Development's 'Industry Takeover') will provide workshops and seminars in cities on the day of the show. Industry experts from well respected organisations including SB.TV, RWD Magazine, PRS for Music Foundation, SJM Concerts, artists on the MOBO Tour and more will all be sharing their insider industry knowledge, answering questions and offering advice to audiences across the country. And all for FREE.
The MOBO Tour, seminars, workshops and Unsung competition highlights all partners' efforts to support, guide and nurture new and developing talent across the UK.
CATCH THE TOUR, SEMINARS, AND WORKSHOPS ON THE FOLLOWING DATES:
Feb 22 Library HMV Institute MAC Birmingham
Feb 23 Manchester Academy 3 N/A Manchester
Feb 24 Academy 2 Venue TBC Liverpool
Feb 25 The Garage The Mitchell Library Glasgow
Feb 27 Academy 2 The Sage Newcastle
Feb 28 Academy 2 Watershed Bristol
Feb 29 Academy 2 Red Bull Studios Islington
March 1 Waterfront N/A Norwich
www.mobo.com/mobotour