CARAT PHILIPPINES, in yet another brilliant move to elevate the local music scene, has come up with a brand new endeavor to train the spotlight on independent musicians and their art. The people behind Fusion: The Official Music Festival is proud to announce the launch of ALAB: The Independent Musician Rising Awards. This is a competition open to all independent musicians in the genres of rock, pop and hip-hop.
ALAB: The Independent Musician Rising Awards is an advocacy project that aims to fuel the passions and aspirations of the next generation of Filipino musicians; providing an avenue to share their music with a broader local and global audience. While there are other existing music competitions for budding musicians, ALAB sets itself apart by opening its doors to a wider range of artists, unconstrained by network formula. It seeks to ignite the careers of indie musicians in a sustainable way by helping to create a fan base for each artist over the course of the competition, ensure the production and distribution of their music, and securing a talent contract and professional management for the winners.
CARAT Philippines believes in the immense talent of the Filipino musicians and ALAB will give these artists a vast range of opportunities for interaction with other artists and industry experts, as well as a high level of exposure and branding. ALAB is an opportunity to give back to the music community by engaging with our broad network of partner institutions, providing seed capital, and taking on the task of managing and grooming musicians, jumpstarting the careers of worthy artists. CARAT is committed to pulling off a high-quality event that will raise the profile of talented artists, infuse new blood into the OPM industry, and introduce exceptional, original songs to music lovers everywhere.
From September to November 2016, independent artists are invited to join the competition by registering on Fusion.ph/alab. ALAB will take participants on an exciting journey from submission of initial contest entries to online fan-base building to a face-off in a grand concert finale. (See contest information sheet, attached.) Winners will also be invited onstage for Fusion 2017, CARAT’s much-anticipated annual Philippine music festival, which last year attracted over 40,000 attendees.
Contest Information Sheet
The Artists’ Journey:
1. REGISTRATION. Submit entries through the Fusion website, either through a site widget or YouTube link. Artists may join in three genres: pop, rock, and hiphop/RNB.
2. VOTING. Artists are encouraged to engage with existing supporters and new fans, who can vote for them on the site. Results can be viewed on a daily status poll.
3. AWARDING CEREMONY. After three months, one top song will be chosen per genre. The grand finals will be on the first week of January, and a grand champion will be crowned.
The Judges:
1. Gabby Alipe, award-winning singer and songwriter for Urbandub
2. Gladys Basinillo, longtime OPM and advertising industry expert
3. Marcus Davis, internationally recognized artist, singer, songwriter and producer
4. Lizza Nakpil, music entrepreneur behind Rivermaya, Bamboo, Wolfgang, the Dawn, and other musicians
5. Jim Paredes, Filscap vice-president, and singer-songwriter
6. Darwin Hernandez, songwriter, record producer, artist manager, and music entrepreneur behind Callalily, Sandwich, Moonstar88, 6 Cycle Mind and other bands
Criteria for Judging:
25% Content
25% Musicality
25% Originality
25% Audience impact/fan engagement
Prizes:
The Top Artists per Genre
1. P20,000 cash
2. Talent contract and management
3. Recording label and production
4. Artist grooming and exposure
5. Spot in Fusion 2017
The Grand Champion
1. P300,000 CASH
2. Talent contract and management
3. Recording label and production
4. Artist grooming and exposure
5. Special spot for Fusion 2017
ALAB:
Our Vision for OPM
By Gladys R. Basinillo, Carat Philippines CEO
Filipinos are some of the best musicians, singers and composers in the world. We are a nation of creators, entertainers and innovators. Several years ago, we saw a slump in OPM airtime, exposure and sales – it seemed Filipino music was in a decline and its zenith was just a fond memory. This was the motivation behind Carat Philippines’ foray in to the music festival scene – we wanted a large-scale venue to exclusively showcase Filipino artists. Thus, Fusion: The Official Philippine Music Festival was born. It was the first time a media organization like Carat Philippines to spearhead a project of this kind. With Carat’s vast network and partnerships, Fusion 2015 became that year’s biggest music event. Over 30,000 people flocked to the MOA Concert Grounds in support of the Filipino artists, earned close to 150 Million Pesos in media values, and broadcasted in one of the country’s top stations. The success of the first Fusion music festival only affirmed our belief that there is STILL a vibrant market out there for OPM.
Angela Milan, Jim Paredes, Gabby Alipe, Gladys Basinillo, Jake Habitan, Marcus Davis, James Dinglasan, Tammy Ferrer, and Sang Rinon
This 2017 Carat Philippines is not only staging Year 3 of Fusion, but we are also so excited to reveal that we have come up with yet another banner project in support of OPM. Independent musical artists support the local music industry in bulk – but sadly exposure and publicity are very limited for these well-established and talented individuals. Carat Philippines has come up with another benchmarking project to solely cater to these independent artists. I am so proud to announce the launch of ALAB 2017: The Independent Musician Rising Music Awards. This is a competition that is open to all unsigned independent musicians who create in the genres of rock, pop and hip-hop. We will take these artists in a journey of discovery and creativity – by encouraging their artistry, protecting their talents and grooming their future careers. It will be a place where budding artists get much needed guidance and assistance from industry experts and veterans like:
1. Gabby Alipe, award-winning singer and songwriter for Urbandub;
2. Marcus Davis, internationally recognized artist, singer, songwriter and producer;
3. Lizza Nakpil, music entrepreneur behind Rivermaya, Bamboo, Wolfgang, the Dawn, and other bands
4. Darwin Hernandez, composer, artist manager, music entrepreneur behind Callalily, Sandwich, Moonstar88, 6Cyclemind and other bands
5. Jim Paredes, FILSCAP Vice-President and singer-composer.
I’m honored to be part of the panel of judges, a veteran in the advertising and media industry, as well as a lifelong staunch supporter and “fan” of OPM and Filipino artists in general.
We in Carat are committed to pulling off this high-level event in order to raise the profile of talented artists, infuse new blood into the OPM industry, and introduce exceptional, original songs to music lovers everywhere. I am ecstatic to begin this journey with our talented independent musicians, stoke the fires of their imaginations, and reignite the local music scene! Pag-alabin ang musikang Pilipino, Pasiklabin ang sining ng musikerong Pilipino! ADVT.