We are never satisfied: lots of projects and ideas are in the pipeline to extend Emergenza’s world, to create more and more opportunities for up and coming bands, to strengthen the special relationship with our net-readers! First of all, let’s talk about live music, Emergenza’s heart. Our stages keep on increasing: the Festival will take place in 28 new European cities, the Acoustic Showcase in 18. In 2004 Emergenza is landing to the East Coast of the United States: in Chicago, Boston, Buffalo, Washington and Philadelphia the number of enrolments is by now much higher than we had expected, so that we have to book some more nights in the venues! The west coast has not yet included in the Festival, but it will be touched by its branches anyway: it is there that Vans Warped tour will take place, with Nervous Nellie, the Swedish winning band of the 2003 International Final, playing live. Moreover, it is in Los Angeles that Emma Owens and Peter, the new International Acoustic Showcase winners, will perform at NAMM, the biggest music industry fair in the world, coming about this January. In addition to this, from next year the B.E.S.T. (the special concert series awarded to prominent Emergenza bands) will take place in some American cities too. Of course we look forward to taking the Festival to the West coast in the future… In January the Emergenza contest is actually beginning in most cities (even if it had an foretast in Italy and in Paris last December), and will lead to Taubertal this year as well, August 13-14-15… we want you all, onto and under the stage. You know that Emergenza is not only the contest. The B.E.S.T. and the Acoustic showcase are becoming more and more important and awaited for. Then the fairs (NAMM and FrankfurtMesse, in Germany): Emergenza has its own stand, where our managers meet the music industry, which is more and more interested in us and willing to work with us in order to offer top-level gear and backline… We are developing lots of new projects to give more and more opportunities to musicians. We have set a collaboration with two more music Festivals, Berlinovain Germany (three winning bands will play in the Emergenza International Final in Taubertal), and Metalmania, the biggest Spanish event dedicated to metal music, to which some bands selected by Emergenza will take part. Back to Germany to another project which aim is to increase the musical activities in the schools: ‘Jam School’, in co-operation with Musikmedia and the Ministry if Education of several German regions. And it is not finished yet! We have often stated that we do not believe in musical genres distinctions: in 2004 Emergenza will set up its first dj contest in various European cities, and the winners will perform live at the Taubertal Open Air Afterhour! Finally, more news about the website. The ‘critic’s corner’ is coming back soon: bands who participate to Emergenza can send their songs to our well-known experts, and the best ones will be put on line for downloading. Lots of new ideas are being developed to make our website more interactive, and to keep you posted with all the news about Emergenza, first of all our newsletter which is to come soon in your mailboxes. Well, the best part is yet to come… stay with us in 2004.