Final four contestants will appear in a CBC-TV special judged by three celebrity judges
CBCMusic.ca’s annual SEARCHLIGHT contest is back, and this year it’s bigger and better than ever. Beginning Monday, Feb. 29, musicians of all types - including solo artists, duos and groups from all genres - are encouraged to enter via cbcmusic.ca/searchlight. All applicants must submit a video of themselves performing one original song, as well as one high-quality MP3, before Wednesday, March 23.
In an interesting twist this year, the competition will come to life on CBC-TV, as the top four finalists compete on a live broadcast for the SEARCHLIGHT
title, judged by three celebrity judges. Musicians will also get the chance to have their entries listened to by a SEARCHLIGHT industry judging panel,
which includes music programmers, journalists, label representatives, managers, prominent hosts, publicists and more. Prizing includes $20,000 towards
music equipment (plus an additional $5,000 in audience prizes) from Yamaha Canada, a performance opportunity on CBC Radio One’s q, a performance slot on the CBC Music Festival (including flights and
accommodations) and a Canadian Musician Magazine Career Booster package valued at $25,000, from our media partner Canadian Musician Magazine.
SEARCHLIGHT is a listener’s choice competition that engages musicians and listeners alike. Now in its fourth year, past winners have included Orange
O’Clock (2015), Lauren Mann and The Fairly Odd Folk (2014) and Sherman Downey and the Ambiguous Case (2013).
The competition phases are as follows:
Regional Contest:
● Tuesday, Feb. 16 - Contest announcement
● Monday, Feb. 29 - Submission period opens
● Wednesday, March 23 - Submission period closes
● Wednesday, March 30 - Regional round one contest opens
● Wednesday, April 20 - Regional round one contest closes (top 10 contestants from each region move on to final regional level)
● Monday, April 25 - Regional round two finals opens
● Friday, April 29 - Regional finals close (one finalist from each region advances to the national levels)
National Contest:
● Tuesday, May 3 - National contest opens (top 25)
●Monday, May 9
- National contest closes. Regional finalists narrowed down to top four (three selections via Celebrity judges + one most popular vote received = four finalists)
● Week of May 16 - Top four finalists announced on CBC Radio One’s q
● Week of May 23-May 27 - Top four finalists compete on on CBC-TV special to become the SEARCHLIGHT 2016 winner
● Saturday, May 28 - SEARCHLIGHT 2015 winner plays CBCMusic.ca Festival in Toronto
For more information about SEARCHLIGHT, please visit cbcmusic.ca/searchlight and follow on social media
using #Searchlight.
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About CBC Music.ca
CBCMusic.ca
is Canada’s free digital music service connecting Canadians with the very best in Canadian and international music, concerts and features. Simple and easy
to navigate, CBCMusic.ca gives music fans access to 50 Web radio stations, 12 distinct genre-based music communities, CBC
Radio 2 and CBC Radio 3, plus content from the most knowledgeable music personalities and programmers from across the country, hundreds of concerts,
playlists and more.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on
new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions,
CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight aboriginal languages.
A space for us all
is CBC/Radio-Canada’s strategy to transform the public broadcaster, and ensure that it continues to fulfill its mandate for Canadians, now and for future
generations. Through to 2020, it will increase its investment in prime-time television programming and continue to create radio programs of the highest
quality, while promoting the development of digital and mobile platforms and content.
For more information please contact:
Elizabeth Reid, publicist - CBC-TV, CBC Radio 2 & CBCMusic.ca
elizabeth.reid@cbc.ca
O: (416) 205-2665
C: (647) 981-7059
