It’s a popular refrain around here when talking to newer and often established acts, “We’d love to put this out on vinyl, but the funds just aren’t there.” In fact, it’s SO common that we decided to do something about it.
Introducing TVD500—the recurring competition where TVD and our esteemed partners will master, press, design, print, package, and deliver 500 copies of your winning 7″ single—on us.
We’re putting the call out 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.
Think of it as an internet Star Search. We are.
And, the very first winner of our initial TVD500 giveaway will be the very first single released on TVD Records—our brand new vinyl imprint that will be the home for TVD500 releases as well as special projects to come.
The winner of this competition will see the final mixes of their A and B side tracks mastered at Infrasonic Sound Recording— the state of the art audio and vinyl mastering facility located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.
From there, Furnace MFG, the Official Pressing Plant for Record Store Day, will press 500 copies of your single, assemble, and ship directly to our winner the very first, official TVD Records release. (They’re also printing our 7″ labels!)
While the vinyl itself is in production, Dorado Music Packaging will be printing your custom 7″ sleeves. Dorado hosts a myriad of standard and custom packaging products, and they’ll be printing and shipping your single’s sleeve designed by, well us, the art department here at TVD HQ.
Because we want to choose just the right band or artist’s single to be the very first release on TVD Records, we’ve enlisted some friends to lend an ear to, and weigh in on, our final 5 singles as the competition narrows down. Confirmed by press time are:
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, THE BASICS | Our hope is to find the band or artist with the most deserving single to be issued as the very first release on TVD Records. While subjective, the contest is open to any commercial genre, and the winning criteria will be based upon the submitted single standing out and excelling in the genre of choice. We’ll accept entries from new or established artists, signed or unsigned.
Our TVD500 competition begins today, Tuesday, February 19, and we’ll stop accepting submissions on Tuesday, April 9.
Five TVD500 finalists will be announced the week of April 15, and a winner will be named on April 23.
We will accept final mixed tracks or demo recordings for consideration, but our TVD500 winner is responsible for providing final mixed tracks for mastering.
RULES UPDATE, 2/26/13: All submissions will be reviewed and a cross-section posted at The Vinyl District during the breadth of the TVD500 entry window in weekly updates—and we want to hear from you and your fans. Comment and contribute and social network your entries to our TVD500 competition. An enthusiastic fan base will contribute to our decision-making process.
SUBMISSION & MEDIA GUIDELINES | Submit your entries to:
We will accept only MP3 files emailed directly to us. We will also accept SoundCloud links and YouTube links to your tracks for consideration.
THE FINE PRINT | You retain the rights to your tracks and recorded works and are free to distribute your 500 7″ singles as you wish—friends, family, merch table, ebay—your call.
TVD and TVD Records retains all rights to our logo, likeness, copyrights, and trademarks.
Now, let’s hear from you!
