After a successful first year, the Zoo Music Awards (ZooMAs) – brought to you by the Missoula Independent and Montana Radio Company – return to, once again, turn the spotlight on local music. The 2013 Zoo Music Awards program had several components to it: It started with band submissions, then public voting, followed by an artist showcase and, finally, a red-carpet-style awards ceremony at the Wil
ma Theatre. For 2014, the ZooMAs will expand from two nights to three: a showcase weekend at various venues in February and a big winners’ celebration in March. With the help of an extensive network of volunteers who organized the events, and our generous sponsors, we were able to donate a portion of the proceeds of the 2013 Zoo Music Awards to the University of Montana Entertainment Management Program. ZooMA received over 180 submissions, last year. Many nominees were presented with numerous opportunities, like being booked by Top venues in town and sponsored by national companies. Winning a nomination at our 2nd Annual ZooMA events is perhaps the single most valuable marketing tool you will ever find to assist you at breaking your music into the the marketplace. It gives you a huge competitive edge against thousands of artists and bands who are trying to make it in this industry. There are several components to this event: It starts with band submissions followed by public online voting, then two nights of showcasing finalists on February 7 & 8 and, finally, an awards ceremony – red-carpet style – at the Wilma on March 8, 2014
In 2014, we will have 13 categories voted down to 5 nominees in each category to battle it out live at the showcases. Jazz
Blues
Funk & Reggae
Bluegrass
Country & Folk
Singer/Songwriter
Hip Hop & Spoken Word
Electronic
Metal & Punk
Rock
Psychedelic
Indie & Pop
18 and under (High school category)
18 and under (High school category): ZooMA added a different category for 2014 to honor the amazing talent in the high school age group. Any genre of music can be submitted in the Garage Band category, as long as you're 18 or under and at least 50% of the members are still in high school. 10 artist/bands will be chosen through online voting to play at the Roxy Theatre showcase on February 7 & 8, 2014. The Fine Print:
Entries must come from the individual musician or band member. Fans cannot submit a band for an award. There will be a limit of ONE song entry per artist/band in only ONE category. Each entry form must contain contact information for the entrant. “Entrant” is defined as the person submitting the entries. Entries without contact information will be disqualified. Each artist and/or band must fill out the registration form completely. If all fields in the entries are not complete, entries may be disqualified. Entries will be accepted November 14, 2013 thru December 13, 2013 . Entries before or after these dates will be disqualified. Entrant MUST submit material that is original work to which the entrant holds all rights. During the showcase you are permitted to play up to two cover songs, or songs you do NOT hold all rights. Entrant gives the Missoula Independent and Montana Radio Company permission to use their music, likeness, artwork, video and website for the purposes of promoting the awards program. Voting Closes: January 27 • 2014 @ 11:59 am MST
Judging:
The Zoo Music Awards voting process is carefully weighed through our series of ongoing events that last over a 4 month process. An artist’s can enter themselves in the contest, but only FAN VOTING will get a band or artist into the showcase. Please Note: We are unable to review comments prior to posting and, likewise, we are unable to remove comments. We do not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of the comments users make and cannot assure that harmful, inaccurate, deceptive, or objectionable comments will not appear on the site. We ask that all participants and voters be respectful in their commenting...this is supposed to be a celebration of Montana music and we would appreciate all who visit this site to treat it as such. In addition, excessive and/or unusual vote counts will be assessed when the judging panel reviews the votes as the conclusion of voting. There is a system in place to review the top 10 vote-getters and make final decisions as to who moves on to the final five (and Showcase Weekend) in each category. The top three from the Showcase, and the ultimate winner of each category, will likewise be determined by a combination of popular and judges' votes. The showcase voting will be done by judges and public vote. Judges vote will make up 80% and public vote 20%. Each person that enters the doors of each category will be given ONE ballot. Top 3 winners will be announced Monday, Feb. 9
Showcase:
65 nominees will play a live 45 minute set for fans at various venues around downtown Missoula to win the top 3 spots. This year the showcase will take over downtown Missoula on 2 nights, Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8th, 2014. The top 3 from each category will be invited to the awards show on March 8, 2014 where one lucky artist or band will be named a category winner.
***Under 18 category will play 30 minute sets.***
2014 Venues are:
BROOKS & BROWNS-Jazz
BROOKS & BROWNS-Blues
TOP HAT LOUNGE-Funk, Soul, & Reggae
TOP HAT LOUNGE-Bluegrass & Folk
STAGE 112-Country
SEAN KELLY'S-Singer/Songwriter
MONK'S-Hip Hop & Spoken Word
STAGE 112-Electronic
PALACE-Metal & Punk
PALACE-Rock
MONK'S-Psychedelic
SEAN KELLY'S-Indie & Pop
The ROXY-18 and under (High school category)
Awards Ceremony (Red-Carpet Style):
This must-see music event will feature local celebrity presenters, live performances by local artist. We would love to have all 12 category winners play the Wilma Stage, but the reality of it is...we don't want to let the cat of the bag, so to speak. We try hard to keep the winners top secret. And there is simply not enough time or space for that large of a production. Past and present nominees will be picked and asked to play by the ZooMA staff. We also reserve the right to have special performances during the awards show. Trophies per category will be presented to each member of the band. Prizes:
If you are nominated in the top 5 of your category, you will receive a complimentary weekend tickets to the ZooMA showcase for each BAND MEMBER and will be listed on our event web sites as a nominee. Your name/category will also appear in radio, print, web, and social media promotions. ZooMA is proud to announce that each category winner will take a home a prize of $500. The Garage Band category has a grand prize of $300. That is $6300 in cash prizes! Awards will be presented at an awards ceremony on Saturday, March 8th, 2014 at the Wilma Theatre. You need not be present to win. The top three in each category will be given tickets for all members to attend.
