How does it work? First off, you have to enrol either using the form you can find on this site, or by going down to the local sign-up point in your town. After registering, you will be invited to meet with one of our managers to talk about the festival, the 30-minute concert you will give, various aspects of his technical support, and the opportunities that the contest can give you. Your performance will be part of a concert night, along with other up & coming talents playing different kinds of music. Because this is a competition, you have the chance go on and play more concerts in the following rounds if the audience enjoys your performance. These concerts are held between January and June, according to the schedule in each town. The best bands in all of the 14 participating countries will go on to the International final to be held in Rothenburg, Germany, in August 2004, playing at the Taubertal Open Air Festival. Travel and accommodation expenses are of course covered by Emergenza. The winner of the International final will be rewarded with a dream tour - a promotional tour in the States in cooperation with Ernie Ball Music Man. But there are still loads of other incredible prizes for the other bands and musicians, as you can see for yourself in the following FAQ. What kind of music can we play at the Festival? Any style of music is welcome in the Festival: rock, pop, urban, blues, funk, metal, etc. You can sing in any language you chose. We only ask that bands already signed to major labels abstain from registering in the Festival to leave room for new, emerging bands to be heard. What can I win? All registered bands will get to perform in the top venues of the town they registered. Upon registration, the bands will receive FREE guitar and bass string sets courtesy of ERNIE-BALL, REGAL TIP drumsticks and REMO snare drum head. The best bass players and best guitar players will individually be awarded one customized MUSICMAN and OLP bass and guitar instruments. In addition to this there are SABIAN handmade cymbals and MAPEX PRO-SERIES drum sets for the best drummers, 24 SENNHEISER WIRELESS SYSTEMS, 24 CRATE-AMPEG DIGITAL AMPS, stands and hardware from KONIG MAYER and 120 TKL professional flight cases will be also awarded to the best performing bands. The material of best performing bands will be selected and presented to the A&R production team of TRACK1. The GRAND FINAL of the contest will be held in Germany at the TAUBERTAL OPEN AIR FESTIVAL, one of the top European open-air festivals, alongside major international acts and in front of 30,000 people! Do I have to send Emergenza a demo or press kit? No. Emergenza does no pre-selection of bands before the concerts. It works on a ‘first come, first serve’ basis. We prefer to let the audience choose the band they like best & let those bands advance to the semi-finals! What is the deadline to enroll my band in the Festival? The last day to register and pay the fee is DECEMBER 31, 2004. However, we STRONGLY recommend that you register as soon as possible – places are limited & are filling up fast! I have to pay to enroll!??!! Yes. But unlike other contests or festivals, once you pay this one-time fee, you are GARANTEED to play a minimum of one show in the eliminatory round in your city. Plus, the bands enrolled will receive string sets for guitar and for bass courtesy of our main sponsor, ERNIE BALL, as well as a pair of REGAL TIP drumsticks & a REMO snare drum skin. These will be given out at the technical meeting before the show. I registered by phone/on the Internet. Do I have to go pay the registration fee right away? The sooner you pay the registration fee, the sooner you can guarantee your spot in the Festival. We of course prefer that bands pay the enrollment fee as soon as possible. When we call to arrange the first meeting