Reggaeton News:
Reggaeton Fans Pick Their Next Superstar With Chosen Few's 'El Draft'
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LOS ANGELES, July 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Boy Wonder, the red-hot producer
who created the Latin platinum-selling The Chosen Few: El Documental (released
on UBO), is now giving Reggaeton fans the chance to pick
their next superstar with the creation of "El Draft" the 2005
Reggaeton Draft, an American Idol-esque competition that will allow fans
of this underground music genre to elect their own new Reggaeton "idol."
Contestants will be competing for the chance to have their single heavily
promoted in Puerto Rico, the United States and worldwide -- something
most Reggaeton artists have yet to achieve. An album
featuring music by the contestants and a nationwide tour will follow the
competition.
Image courtesy of: UBO
According to UBO Executive Vice President Bruce Henderson, "This
contest is a landmark event. No one has ever done anything like this for
the Reggaeton movement before, and -- considering it
is essentially the most rapidly-growing genre in the world -- the idea
of this kind of artist-fan interaction is historic."
Noted Reggaeton artist and producer Chencho, of duo
Plan B, originally came up with the concept of finding stars in the
genre and giving them worldwide exposure. He then proceeded to team
up with Boy Wonder and UBO President Adam Kidron to create El Draft,
what will become an annual search for the next Reggaeton superstar.
From the 23 up-and-coming artists in consideration, a panel of judges
(including radio programmers and DJs) will narrow the competition down
to five finalists, who will be announced at the El Draft "800"
Launch event July 23rd in Puerto Rico.
At this point, the competition goes to the fans. They
will have the chance to listen to the finalists and then make their
choice via radio and phone voting through an 800-number, text messaging
and the www.ubo.com/eldraft website. Fans will also have the chance
to be winners when voting through the website or sms Short Code, where
they become eligible to win one of 5 Grand Prizes (consisting of an
Apple iPod and free El Draft CD) if their choice winds up becoming the
next Reggaeton star from El Draft.
The El Draft winner will be announced and will also
perform at a major concert at Spirit in New York City on August 3rd,
an event co-sponsored by Miller Beer and New York's only full-time Reggaeton
radio station, La Kalle 105.9. The concert will also serve as the launch
of the El Draft CD and will be simulcast nationally on Univision radio
and a Direct Response TV campaign, where consumers can pre-order the
CD before its in-store date of August 30. The CD will feature tracks
from all 23 of the original contestants. An El Draft tour, featuring
the winning artist, in addition to numerous other acts from the contest,
is set to commence in October.
Henderson is especially excited about the prospects
for the project in America. "Our hopes are that El Draft will be
the event to finally break Reggaeton into the mainstream -- first in
the United States and then, ultimately, all over the world."
Barrio 305
©Barrio305.com
