On February 19th we launched our most ambitious undertaking yet—TVD500, the recurring competition where, along with our esteemed partners Infrasonic Mastering, Furnace MFG, and Dorado Music Packaging, we will master, press, design, print, package, and deliver 500 copies of your winning 7″ single—on us.
We’ve put out the call for any individual artist or band, working in any genre, to submit two tracks to us as entries, an A and B side, for consideration for this competition.
Amidst much debate and hand-wringing, 7 weeks of entries, and hundreds of submissions, we’ve chosen 10 A-side tracks as semi-finalists, all vying to be the very first release on our own vinyl imprint, TVD Records.
We’re delighted to announce our semi-finalists (above) which we’ll narrow down to just 5 to present to our celebrity panel of judges who will choose our winner. Those judges include:
Pop noir singer-songwriter, Nicole Atkins released her sophomore LP Mondo Amore in 2011 and is currently at work on the follow-up. In our humble estimation, she has some of the best pipes in the business.
The Joy Formidable’s Ritzy Bryan is currently on the road in support of the band’s brand new release, Wolf’s Law. A whirlwind of energy on stage and a vinyl fan at the core, she knows a thing or 20 about crafting a single.
Paul Collins, the “King of Power Pop” and founder of the Beat Army is a tireless champion of two things: rock and roll and fostering new bands. His 2 Power-pop-a-licious Festivals are a testament to his tireless energy and commitment to songcraft.
Ed Hamell, otherwise known as Hamell on Trial, embodies the word performance. This one-man guitar-slinger—it ain’t folk, folks; think Joe Strummer meets Bill Hicks—recently wrote 360 songs in 360 days. We’re pretty certain he’s perfectly suited to weigh in on your tracks.
Matt Keen is the owner of North Carolina’s Gravity Records—your favorite record store’s favorite record store. It’s safe to say if “Matt Keen likes it,” we will too.
Cheryl Pawelski, co-founder of Omnivore Records, is a three-time Grammy-nominated producer, and has for the past twenty years been entrusted with preserving, curating, and championing some of music’s greatest legacies.
Jon Sidel is the host of TVD’s original freeform Friday podcast, The Idelic Hour. A rock and roll jack of all trades, Jon’s background encompasses A&R scouting, recording and production, domestic and foreign distribution, online marketing and digital content, management, and DJ and Radio Programming.
The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow is currently on the road, touring in support of his fourth solo release, Danzig in the Moonlight. Ken’s career extends to stints with both the reformed Big Star as well as REM, but he is as equally at home in the studio, having also produced, engineered, mixed, and arranged recordings for well over 25 years.
TVD500
Let’s hear from you! Which of our 10 semi-finalists merits a vinyl pressing? We’ll announce the final five tracks on Tuesday, 4/16.
