HUB Music Series Project

Maya Roze | Thursday November 21, 2013 17:00

HUB Music Series is a music talent search project that runs annual competitions that engage young aspiring artists’ creative ability and promotes music as a product for business and a source of livelihood. Young aspiring artists take on the greatest challenge of the competition: to write, record and perform songs to avoid elimination until they reach the grand finale, where the winner takes the P10 000.00 cash prize. As per HUB Music Series contract with participants, the winner is required to invest the prize money in kickstarting his/her music business as recording and performing artists using the skills and experience attained from taking part in the HUB Music Series project. The competition normally runs for eight weeks every year.

The first edition of HUB Music Series was held in April 2011, and Tshepang ‘Willz’ Motswagae was crowned the HUB Music Series 2011 Champion, taking home the P10, 000 grand prize to kick-start his music career. HUB Music Series 2012 was held in August 2012 and Rapelang “Bad Boy Bandit” Mpusetsang was crowned the ultimate winner, also taking home the P10, 000 grand prize to kickstart his music career.

This is how HUB Music Series runs -after selection through an open call audition process, top 10 contestants are selected and a random draw is done to pair the contestants against each other. Each week two contestants go head to head, they are required to write, record and perform two songs based on the two categories: Street Banger and Conscious/Heartfelt. The judging criteria is segmented into four parts: Song Structure, Stage Presence, Creativity and Effort with each carrying a 25% mark. The contestant who scores highest marks in the judging criteria is crowned the champion and is ready to start professional recording and venture into the music industry.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE HUB MUSIC SERIES PROJECT

To promote music as a product for business. Participants of HUB Music Series are encouraged to make music for commercial purposes so as to make a living off their talent and creativity.
To help the young aspiring artists transform their talent and creativity into profitable business. Since 2011, HUB Music Series has widened the pool of noteworthy local music artists; Willz, Bone C, Linxstar, Enigma, M.O.I, Dramaboi and others are now established acts. Since graduating from the project, they have been able to make good music, get bookings, radio airplay, sign deals with record labels and some are now established corporate brand ambassadors.
To provide aspiring artists an opportunity to showcase their potential in the music industry. HUB Music Series participants take on the challenge to write, record and perform songs to an audience through out the project and the feedback by the audience and judges measure up their pontential.
To provide a platform for established artists (who feature as guest performers during the weekly elimination shows) to share their new music with a targeted audience. This also provides them an opportunity to test the market for their products; Over 30 established artists including Zeus, ATI, Scar, KEB, K-Bos, Eureka have performed at HUB Music Series competitions.
To build a more positive understanding among parents/guardians and the population at large, of young people’s involvement in creative arts - mainly music.
To equip young aspiring artists with the necessary skills and technical abilities on what they need to know to succeed in the music industry; the ins and outs.
To create networking opportunities for aspiring artists. Talent scouts from different recording studios, representatives of record companies, producers and members of the media attend HUB Music Series and this offers contestants a chance to be spotted and get signed to record labels, and this also gives them an opportunity to network and interact with them and establish contacts that will facilitate their growth in the music industry.

This year HMS has embarked on a collabo project bringing together ten rappers and ten vocalists with a shared prize of P15 000, music video, and a 12 month artist management contract. 84 kids have auditioned so far and the top 20 will be announced this coming weekend. I am not the best competitor and hence have so much respect for those that are willing to face an opponent, judgement and direct audience reaction. You got CAHUNAS!

LIVE FREE AND GROW THE ARTS! GO TEAM HUB!!!