Vote online or in stores; winner to perform live during South by Southwest 2012
Grace Weber, a locally grown singer and songwriter, is one of four finalists in maurices Hometown Sound band search. maurices, the leading hometown specialty store and fashion authority, with help from PlayNetwork and Sonicbids launched the search to find the next big musical act.
Vote online at the contest website – mauricesmusic.sonicbids.com – or using a smartphone to scan the QR code in maurices stores. And, if area residents really love the hometown heroine who got her start in Milwaukee’s Inner City Youth Gospel Choir, they can vote as much as once a day until March 4, 2012.
“I totally wasn’t expecting to be chosen because there were so many bands in the running,” says Weber, who has moved to Brooklyn to pursue her dream. “When I got the call that I was in the top four, I was pretty giddy, to say the least.”
The winning vote-getter will receive a trip to Los Angeles to shoot a music video with PlayNetwork, gifts from maurices, as well as the opportunity to perform at a maurices branded daytime showcase at South by Southwest 2012 in Austin, TX, in March.
Weber has deftly managed to meld those early roots in soul and gospel with a modern pop sensibility. She has performed at the famed “Show Time at the Apollo” in Harlem, the Kennedy Center and even on Oprah Winfrey. Her song, “Baby Come Down,” from her debut “Hope & Heart” album, played in Starbucks in January and Billboard magazine has named her an artist to watch.
“The core of my music always comes back to a modern version of soul,” says Weber. “I try to tell stories through my lyrics that I hope can touch people, and I always try to sing from an honest place.”
Already, Hometown Sound voters have whittled a field of 500-plus bands that entered the contest to 50. A judging panel, which included Graffitti6, electro soul popsters who’ll share the stage in Austin with the contest winner, culled that list to Weber and three other acts – Katrina Stone from Denver; Reverse Order from Hackettstown, NJ; and the Blue Birds from Omaha.
Fans can vote for Weber and hear her music – as well as the other finalists’ – on the contest website. Each finalist’s music will also be featured for a six-day period in all of maurices nationwide stores. Weber is up Feb. 6-12.
This is the second year that PlayNetwork, a music strategy and retail media agency, and Sonicbids, which created and manages the contest website, worked with maurices Hometown Sound. Last year, the effort led to the discovery of the Alton, IL, songwriting duo “Audri & Aaron,” and their winning single, “Home.” In a new twist, this year’s contest includes male-fronted bands.
“The goal of this program is not only to discover the next hot up-and-coming band in the country, but to continue building strong connections with maurices communities,” says Lisa Bartlett, assistant vice president of marketing for maurices. “We pride ourselves on being the best hometown specialty store retailer, so we look for every opportunity to reach our customers across America and celebrate their unique musical gifts.”
Note to media: A high-resolution photo of Weber is available for download from her electronic press kit.
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maurices
maurices, a division of Ascena Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ – ASNA), is the leading hometown specialty store and authority for the savvy, fashion-conscious girl with a twenty-something attitude. Today, maurices operates 800 stores in 44 states. maurices stands for fashion, quality, value and customer service. Offering sizes 1-26 in select stores and online, our styles are inspired by the girl in everyone, in every size. For store information and to shop online, visit maurices.com .
About PlayNetwork
PlayNetwork produces unrivaled media experiences for brands worldwide. PlayNetwork programs include music, messaging, video, web radio artist promotions and events, A/V systems, advertising networks, and commercial XM Satellite Radio. PlayNetwork aims to deliver experiences with the truest level of customization and integration across every touch point ─ in-store, online and on-device. Founded in 1996, PlayNetwork is currently playing for over 75,000 media subscribers in 70 countries, reaching over 23 million people every day. For more information, visit playnetwork.com or xm4biz.com .
About Sonicbids
Sonicbids is the leading matchmaking site for bands and promoters. Since its launch in 2001, Sonicbids has become the standard for submitting music to events and opportunities around the globe, counting as partners thousands of prominent events and festivals in North America, Europe, and Australia. Today, the Company boasts a registered membership base of 325,000 bands from over 100 different countries, who use the site daily to connect with 25,000 music “promoters” – ranging from some of the world’s largest music festivals and music conferences, to clubs, coffee houses, cruise ships, colleges, advertising agencies, brand managers, podcasters, music supervisors and other people looking to book, license or broadcast music. So far this year, bands and artists using Sonicbids booked close to 95,000 “gigs” through the site. Learn more at sonicbids.com .
Media Contacts
Brittney Hanson on behalf of maurices
WestmorelandFlint
brittney(dot)hanson(at)westmorelandflint(dot)com
218.727.1552
Jessica Bass on behalf of PlayNetwork
Bender/Helper Impact
Jessica_bass(at)bhimpact(dot)com
310.694.3129
Darlene Doyle
Sonicbids
Ddoyle(at)sonicbids(dot)com
617.502.1335
