Contestants will compete in five categories for a chance to be on the next Big Phat Band Record. There are five categories that contestants can enter: Saxophone, Trumpet/Trombone, Guitar/Bass, Piano, and Vocals. Contestants will be judged on their individual style, but also core musicality issues like pitch, technique, time and feel.
The Judges for the categories are:
- Saxophone - Eric Marienthal
- Trumpet/Trombone - Wayne Bergeron
- Guitar/Bass - Grant Geissman
- Piano - Gordon Goodwin
- Drums - Bernie Dresel
To participate, contestants download a track from the category they would like to participate in. Contestants then record their solo over the clip and upload it to BigPhatJam.com. Submissions must be in the .mp3 format and under 2mb. Contestants can upload as many submissions as they want and can enter their submission in every week of the competition if they chose. The contest will last for 8 weeks. Contestants will be charged a $.99 processing fee for each submission.
Time Line:
- Week 1: March 19 - March 25
- Week 2: March 26 - April 1
- Week 3: April 2 - April 8
- Week 4: April 9 - April 15
- Week 5: April 16 - April 22
- Week 6: April 23 - April 29
- Week 7: April 30 - May 6
- Week 8: May 7 - May 13
WE ARE ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS NOW!
Visitors of the site will vote on which submissions they like the best in each category (make sure to tell your friends to go to bigphatjam.com and vote for you!) Every week, 1 submission from each category will move on to the finals based on the highest average vote. A contestant can only be in the finals once in each category. In the event of a tie, Gordon Goodwin will choose the contestant that moves on to the finals. The contest will last for 8 weeks, so at its conclusion there will be 8 finalists in each category.
Gordon Goodwin and the other band member will then choose the final winner in each category. THE WINNERS WILL BE FEATURED ON THE BIG PHAT BANDS NEXT RECORD!
For questions and comments, email bigphatjam@immergent.com
- What is the Big Phat Jam?
- How do I enter the contest?
- How do I record myself?
- Are there any age restrictions?
- Are there any restrictions for the audio clips uploaded?
- Why is there a $.99 charge?
- How are the weekly finalists chosen?
- How are the overall winners chosen?
- How many times can I submit my solo clip?
- How many times can my friends vote?
- If I win, will I record with Gordon and the band?
- When is the next Big Phat Band record coming out?
- Do I get paid for having my solo clip featured on the Big Phat Band's next album?
- Will my picture or credit appear in the album artwork?
- How can I buy "The Phat Pack" or any other Big Phat Band CD's?
- How can I learn more information about the Big Phat Band or Gordon Goodwin?
The Big Phat Jam is an interactive, all ages, talent search put together by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band to encourage musicians to try their best to record a solo from the Big Phat Band CD "The Phat Pack".
To enter the contest, download the sample clip from the category you would like to enter, record your solo over the clip, and upload you clip to the Upload Your Solo section of the Big Phat Jam. You will also need to send your contact information and a .99 processing fee for entering the contest.
To learn about basic recording, visit About.com's Basic Recording article: HERE.
There are no age restrictions, anyone can enter but minors should first get permission from their parents.
All submissions should be in the .mp3 format and under 2 MB.
The $.99 charge is a processing fee for our tech support uploading your solo to the Big Phat Jam.
The weekly finalists are decided by the visitors of the site. The contestant with the most votes in each category will move on to the finals. In the event of a tie, the Big Phat Band will choose the finalist.
The overall winners of the Big Phat Jam talent search are chosen from the weekly winners list of finalists by the Big Phat Band members.
You can submit your solo clips as many times as you want during the contest, however only once per week per category. Keep in mind, each time that you do this, you will need to pay the .99 processing fee. Contestants can only move on to the finals in a category once.
Visitors of the site can only vote once for each solo submission. Multiple votes are deleted.
Winners of each category will get the solo they have submitted to the Big Phat Jam featured on the next Big Phat Band record. There is no additional recording needed from winners.
Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band will release their next album in early 2008.
Winners will not receive payment for having their solo clips featured on the Big Phat Bands album.
Yes! All winners will be given credit on the new Album for their solos. You will be asked to sign a standard release form.
Just click on the album cover artwork on the home page and you'll be directed to a site to safely buy these products online.
Please visit BigPhatBand.com or GordonGoodwin.com.
