To start with both a fan’s pick and a judge’s pick get to play a preliminary heat, not one or the other as stated in your article. We have so far held 6 heats and the standard of bands performing at every one has been incredibly high.

Whilst there aren’t regional heats, the competition is open to all bands in the UK and has been well received by those outside of the M25. In fact, out of the 5 bands already in the final only 2 are from London. The remaining 3 are from Leicester, Cardiff and Sheffield so there is already strong contingent of non-London bands making up the final line-up.

I also disagree with your view that very view fans are willing to cast their vote. The site currently has over 20,000 registered fans and over 18,000 votes have been cast. This shows that music fans are getting involved in the competition and making their voices heard.

You ask the question about why would you bother when MySpace has so many bands already. MySpace does have thousands of unsigned bands but also just as many signed artists so getting any kind of share of voice is tough. Intel Studio provides a level playing field for all unsigned bands irrespective of location, genre or marketing budget.

And finally, whilst I appreciate your comments regarding the prize is tongue-in-cheek, I do think it is important to make one point. For 99% of unsigned bands, their dream is to become a signed recording artist. Whilst our prize won’t give them an appearance on cribs or millions in the bank, it will provide the first step on the ladder to realising that dream.

I hope that clarifies a few of the points made in the article. We do appreciate any commentary on the competition, good or bad, as we continually strive to make the competition and the events bigger and better.

Many Thanks
Simon Shipley
Intel