SONGWRITING CONTEST, IN WHICH WINNER CO-WRITES NEW SONG WITH DAVID AND BOWIENET MEMBERS TO CREATE COVER ART, PACKAGING GRAPHICS AND LINER NOTES FOR FIRST VIRTUAL CD
- OCTOBER 30, 1998 — DAVID BOWIE has announced that he is hosting a songwriting contest, whereby contestants compete to become co-writer on one of his new songs, titled “What’s Really Happening.” BOWIE has written the music and chorus for the song and participants are asked to submit three verses. BOWIE will pick the winner (from a list of finalists chosen by the public), who will not only receive co-writer credit, but a $15,000 publishing contract compliments of international music publisher Bug Music, a trip to New York to be present when the song is recorded and a three-year subscription to Rolling Stone, along with gift certificates from Cdnow (www.cdnow.com) and BarnesandNoble.com (www.barnesandnoble.com). The grand prize winner will also receive a free one-year subscription to BowieNet, the music industry’s newest Internet Service Provider. Contest voters are eligible to win daily prizes awarded for their participation. The contest, which begins November 2 and is open to anyone world wide with access to an internet connection, can be found on www.davidbowie.com. Click on button for “cybersong contest,” where you will be able to hear the song and submit your verses.
As for the big news for BowieNet subscribers, BOWIE has announced that with the help of BowieNet members, he will create the first online virtual CD to be titled liveandwell.com. Starting now, members of BowieNet will be given three songs recorded live during BOWIE’s 1997 “EARTHLING TOUR” and asked to create the cover art and a 48-page insert. Every month, two additional tracks will be posted in order to create two pages per track for the insert. Members are encouraged to post their reviews of particular shows, submit ticket stubs, photos, as well as any anecdotes from their adventures during the tour. To help with the process, BowieNet will make pictures, set lists and other clip-art available. Submissions will also be accepted via post office box for members with oversized materials or those without scanners. Plans for the finished product’s future accessibility to the general public are probably in the hands of BowieNet members. BowieNet–which Ziff Davis, publisher of PC magazine, calls “The coolest ISP on the planet”–is located on the world wide web at www.davidbowie.com. Launched September 1, the network had over 5,200,000 hits in its first two weeks. Full ISP service is available for $19.95 per month or fans can stay with their existing ISP and become a VIP member for only $5.95 per month.
STAY TUNED FOR ADDITIONAL BOWIE NEWS TO BE ANNOUNCED NEXT WEEK.