FED LIVE, a music competition for Victorian-based emerging musicians, will see an artist or band win a prize valued at $100,000.

From 19 October to 15 November 2020*, Fed Square will accept music video submissions from emerging Victorian artists of any genre who want to show off their talents. Entries are now open for regional Victorian’s who are allowed to meet under current COVID-19 guidelines and metropolitan Melbourne based bands or artists are encouraged to enter when restrictions mean bands or artists can safely regroup.

Fed Square CEO Xavier Csar said: “Live music is a cornerstone of Melbourne’s culture, and one of the great artistic pillars of the city. Fed Square is proud to launch FED LIVE – our latest endeavour to

celebrate and support this vital industry. With the arts industry currently facing significant challenges, it is more important now than it’s ever been to support Victorian musicians, especially up-and-comers, and as the gateway for Melbourne’s arts and cultural district, Fed Square is proud to shine a spotlight on the city’s incredible diversity of talent.”

An industry panel will shortlist 10 music videos, which will then be profiled on fedsquare.com during a public voting period from 20-27 November*. The winner will be announced on 30 November* and receive the extraordinary, money-can’t-buy prize package, which includes:

• A 30-minute concert at Fed Square’s Deakin Edge theatre, presented by Fed Square as part of Melbourne Music Week, to be livestreamed on fedsquare.com and the Digital Façade (the famous Big Screen overlooking Fed Square) on Saturday 19 December at 8pm.
• 3 x exclusive, 30-minute career mentoring sessions with an A&R representative from Reclusive Records/Mushroom Group.
• A tailored publicity and radio campaign with Ditto Music, as well as a potential distribution deal which includes pitching to Spotify, Apple Music and other DSP curated playlists.
• An artist feature editorial on mtv.com.au.
• MTV playlist addition on one of three music channels, MTV Hits, Club MTV or MTV Classic (winning artists genre dependent) on Foxtel and Fetch.
• A featured hero frontpage on fedsquare.com.
• The winning music video featured and played on the Fed Square Digital Façade daily throughout next December and January.
• An interview on Anything But Square, the Fed Square podcast.
• $5,000 cash

In addition, all members of the public who vote for their favourite videos will go into the running to win $1,000 – one winner will be picked at random on 30 November*.

FED LIVE is made possible with thanks to MTV, Melbourne Music Week, DITTO Music and the Mushroom Group.

Senior Director, Youth & Entertainment Brands, ViacomCBS Australia and NZ, Helen McMurdo said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Fed Square on this incredible initiative for Victorian artists. With the live music industry facing one of its biggest challenges in history, we’re excited to be able to use the MTV platform to amplify the stories and music of emerging artists”.

Chair of the Arts, Culture and Heritage Portfolio, Councillor Rohan Leppert, said Melbourne’s music industry has been among the hardest hit by COVID-19, and needed ongoing support. “Programs like this will help keep our music industry alive during these unprecedented times. The City of Melbourne is committed to helping our live music venues and local artists through our Melbourne Music Week program as we look to the future and hope to welcome people back to the city safely in the coming months.”

More information can be found at /events/fed-live

For further information or media enquiries, please contact Asha Holmes Publicity: Asha Holmes | asha@ashaholmespublicity.com.au | 0403 274 299

*Competition dates may be subject to change, pending Victorian Government coronavirus recovery roadmap. Please check the website for up-to-date information.