Event/Venue Description

• Battle of the Bands is a charity fundraiser for CableCares - the cable industry's umbrella program for community service and charitable donations. Money is raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and individual donations.
• In 2010, 80% of the funds raised will go to 'A Place Called Home' (APCH) a non-profit youth center in South Central Los Angeles (www.apch.org).
• The event will be held on May 11, 2010 in conjunction with The Cable Show 2010 in Los Angeles, CA.
• Bands consisting of cable industry employees will compete, sharing a single stage in Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA, with reasonable set changes between acts. 
• A live emcee will preside over the competition, in an American Idol format.
• The emcee will introduce each band, poll the judges for their scores, encourage on-site voting, and keep the event on schedule.
• Lighting, sound and production will be provided.
• A reasonable backline (TBD) will be provided for the competition stage.
• The audience area will consist of a common dance floor and a nightclub setting with food & beverage stations.

Requirements/Rules

• Bands are made up of cable industry employees.
• Bands are limited to one (1) 12-minute set, no exceptions.
• Any genre of music is acceptable – we just need you to declare.
• There are a limited number of performance slots available during the live event on May 11, 2010.  One of the slots is reserved for the returning champions from the previous year’s competition.
• Other interested bands must enter and qualify for one of the remaining slots. Interested bands must submit demo, preferably an MP3 file, to thecableshow@ncta.com no later than March 1, 2010.

Qualifying

NCTA issued an open call for talent in January.

• Past performers are encouraged to participate again. 
• Entries, in the form of demo tracks are collected and bands are notified of their acceptance no later than March 10, 2010. 
• Cable Show planners may invite certain acts to perform and/or offer slots to Platinum sponsors.

Miscellaneous:

• Selected bands are responsible for their own travel and related expenses and must submit complete registration information.
• Bands must participate in a pre-show sound check – all groups will agree to use a reasonable number of pre-set monitor mixes in an effort to keep things moving.
• A limited number of tickets will be available to each band for friends and family not attending the Cable Show.
• Each band will submit a band photo/logo/album cover art and a short, 30-second introductory video using the theme "the road to L.A." – both will be used to promote the concert and will run on-stage before each performance.  Specs are as follows:
  • Graphics: minimum 300dpi at 1200x900 pixels and/or 10"x7.5" @ 300 dpi.
  • Video: minimum for standard definition video – no lower than DV resolution. - 720x480

Live Event/Scoring

• A panel of celebrity judges will carry 50% of the vote – the other 50% will come through audience polling.
• Audience voting will be limited to 10 votes per unique voter ID.
• The band with the highest combined score wins the competition.

Please contact Mark Manlove, NCTA Director of Convention Marketing, 202.222.2443 or mmanlove@ncta.com.