MTV-owner Viacom may have been outbid by News Corp. for MySpace, but the music and lifestyle channel is continuing to push an aggressive digital agenda.
In that spirit, college-focused channel mtvU recently announced its “Best Music on Campus” (BMOC) initiative, a joint effort with Drive-Thru Records (New Found Glory, Finch, Something Corporate). The project will troll campuses nationwide for the best new act by inviting aspiring bands to post their own pages on mtvU will then finalize a list of 50 bands, and invite students to vote on March 27th.
The effort is a technological mash-up, inspired by elements of MySpace, Facebook, linear MTV, mobile interactivity, and the traditional record label. College bands will have the flexibility to customize their pages with songs, videos, photos, playlists and more, and voters will troll across the entrants. Bands will be pared down in several rounds, and the final five can be voted on via mobile phones, part of a collaboration involving Boost Mobile. The winning group will then land a record deal with Drive-Thru, whose executives will also sit on the panel of judges. Additionally, the triumphant band will also have its videos rotated on mtvU, both on television and online. Previous winner All Envy Aside secured a deal with a major, and will soon have its video delivered to mtvU.