OurStage.com Announces the 2013 Intel(R) Superstars Music Competition

Musicians Will Win Cash and Prizes, Including a New Ultrabook™ Device, Home Recording Studio Packages, and One $10,000 Grand Prize


BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Aug 15, 2013) - OurStage.com, the innovative online social platform for new music discovery, along with technological powerhouse Intel, are launching a brand new edition of the hugely popular Intel® Superstars Competition. Artists are invited to enter their music into one of eight genre channels: Rock, Pop, Country, Latin, Singer-Songwriter, Hip-Hop & Rap, Electronic, and R&B.

Music fans from around the world will rank submissions using OurStage's patented judging technology. The top-ranked artist in each of the eight genre channels will receive a home studio package, including an Intel® Ultrabook™ device, Blue Microphones microphone, Creative Labs speaker, Gibson Brands Inc. electric guitar with case, HMDX Bluetooth wireless speaker, Orange amplifier, Sonos wireless speaker, and a V-MODA metal headphone. One talented grand prize winner will be selected to receive a career-changing $10,000, courtesy of Intel.

"OurStage is all about new music discovery and enabling emerging artists to further their own careers. The Intel Superstars program is a perfect synthesis of those goals," said Ben Campbell, OurStage Founder and CEO. "It's an opportunity for artists to find new fans and to win the practical tools, resources, and opportunities they need to create and promote their music, and to really stand out."

In 2011, singer-songwriter Austin Renfroe took home the $10,000 Intel Superstars grand prize. He said, "Getting to be the 2011 Intel Superstars winner has been one of the greatest joys of my career. Everything from the prizes and the exposure to the incredible opportunities that I'm continuing to be a part of long after the completion of the competition."

Singer Sara Lindsay won the prize in 2010 and used it to fund a new single and her second album, currently in production. "Ten thousand dollars is a LOT of money to someone like me," she said. "This was pretty life changing."

"We are very excited to launch the 2013 Superstars Competition. This is our 4th year and its popularity continues to grow," said Michael Rivet, Sr. Marketing Manager of the Software and Services Group at Intel. "We have a fantastic group of sponsors this year with some great prize packages and we cannot wait to listen to the talented artists and see who the 2013 Intel Superstar will be!"

Entrance in the 2013 Intel Superstars Competition is free and is limited to residents of the United States who are at least 18 years old at time of entry.

Round One of the competition is now open and artists must submit their original music before 11:59:59 AM ET on October 2, 2013. Entrants can submit original music in any of the first four Superstars music genres at http://superstars2013.com/. Fan judging begins at 12:00 PM ET on August 15, 2013 and runs through 11:59:59 AM ET on October 7, 2013. Round One genre channels will be: Rock, Pop, Latin, and R&B.

Round Two will open for entry at 12:00 PM ET on September 22, 2013 and artists must enter by 11:59:59 AM ET on November 26, 2013. Fan judging will begin at 12:00 PM ET on October 7, 2013 and will run through 11:59:59 AM ET on November 30, 2013. Round Two genre channels will be: Country, Singer-Songwriter, Hip-Hop & Rap, and Electronic.

The Top 20 in each genre-based competition channel will advance to the Round Three stage of judging on December 1, 2013 through December 15, 2013. Of those artists, the final Top 20 ranked artists will be submitted to Round Four, in which a panel of judges will select one grand prize winner, on or about December 20, 2013.

The industry panel will be made up of music experts and professionals, including Austin Renfroe (winner, 2011 Intel Superstar), Jason Ienner (Manager, Hot Chelle Rae and Haerts), Bruce Tyler (Industry Executive, former EVP at Sony), Tommy Page (Pandora VP of Artist and Brand Partnerships), Brian Nolan (Senior Director, Creative Agency - Columbia Records), Justin Lassen (Producer, Nihil Studios), Mike Rivet (Sr. Marketing Manager at Intel), and Scott Janovitz (Director of Community at OurStage.com). The panelists will determine the grand prize winner using a standard set of criteria: presentation, originality and creativity, melody, vocal ability, lyrics, and entertainment value.

Please visit http://superstars2013.com/ for the "Intel 2013 Superstars Competition" official rules, which include details regarding eligibility, the fan judging schedule, as well as a complete list of all the fantastic prizes to be awarded.

About OurStage.com
OurStage.com is the premier online social platform and a leading destination for discovering new music. Founded in 2007, OurStage.com champions new music and provides emerging musicians with a platform to share their original work within its vast community comprised of over 200,000 artists from 40 different genres of music and over 4 million music fans from over 150 countries. The acclaimed proprietary judging engine enables fans to vote for their favorite musicians in competitions which ultimately reward winners with major, career-changing opportunities such as recording or touring with major artists like Drake, Jon Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, and Kid Rock, and headlining OurStage.com stages at music festivals like SXSW Music Conference and Warped Tour. For the fans, OurStage.com features original video content, the OurStage.com Magazine, and the exclusive recording series "Songs of the Revolution," in addition to the music by thousands of undiscovered artists. OurStage.com has also partnered with a wide range of media giants including Clear Channel, MTV, AOL Music, Radio One, BET, CMT, Digital Broadcasting Group, and many more. For more information: www.ourstage.com

Contact Information:

Press Contact
Scott Janovitz
OurStage
617-504-3881