Disc Makers Kicks Off 2008 Independent Music World Series with More Prizes and Exposure for Indie Artists

Disc Makers’ premier showcase, with over $250,000 in cash & prizes, gives independent artists the opportunity to play for top industry professionals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta

PENNSAUKEN, NJ - Disc Makers, the nation’s leading independent CD manufacturer, is kicking off their 13th annual Independent Music World Series (IMWS), the biggest installment yet of the nation’s longest running and most successful indie music showcase series. Over 5,000 bands are expected to enter the 2008 IMWS, and Disc Makers has sweetened this year’s pot by elevating the total prize package to over $250,000 in cash and prizes.
http://www.discmakers.com/imws

The IMWS consists of four showcase events in four major U.S cities (2008 cities include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta). Each regional event features six acts selected as finalists by the editors of Billboard Magazine. The six finalists in each showcase compete for the grand prize in front of music industry professionals at some of the hottest live music venues in America, such as the Knitting Factory in Los Angeles and Crash Mansion in New York.

“The Independent Music World Series is all about helping artists make it on their own,” commented Tony van Veen, President of Disc Makers. “We’re looking for the best original artists in the U.S. Unlike other events that reward just a great voice or a good song, the IMWS is about the whole package: originality, great songwriting, and the artist’s on-stage performance. Between the opportunity to network and be noticed by industry insiders and win enough gear to outfit their own home studio, the showcase slots at the IMWS offer independent artists’ careers a shot in the arm like no other opportunity today.”

The four regional IMWS winners will claim a grand prize package worth over $50,000 that includes world-class gear from leading manufacturers, recording time in select studios, and cash. Furthermore, each act chosen to perform at the four showcases (24 acts total) will receive $1,000 in cash and gear from selected sponsors.

This year’s grand prize package features everything independent musicians need for a career boost including a complete CD manufacturing package, post-production sweetening, and promotional posters and T-shirts from Disc Makers, a Digital Studio Workstation from Zoom Audio, studio recording software from Cakewalk, professional Shure microphones, Ibanez guitars and basses, a drum kit from Tama, Electric Guitar and Electric Bass Strings from Dean Markley, Remo drumheads, a Sabian cymbal package, and a year-long membership to TAXI. Additional event partners include Samson Audio, Sonicbids, Billboard, Electronic Musician, Remix and Drum! magazine.

The IMWS is open to all musicians not currently signed to a major record label. All styles and genres of music are welcome. Past winning genres and their winners include: Singer Songwriter (Amber deLaurentis, Chinua Hawk), Hard Rock (Dirty Power), Punk/Pop (Bang Sugar Bang), Pop Rock (Plain Jane Automobile, Rich Creamy Paint), Hip Hop (The Urban Sophisticates, BurnDown All-Stars, Dura Hale), Electronic Pop Rock (Brice Woodall), Jazz (Orbert Davis), Bluegrass Rock (Rose’s Pawn Shop), Rock (Shipwreck Union), Salsa (Bio Ritmo), Country/American (Deadman), Jam (Gamble Brothers Band).

Registration is now open for this year’s showcase series at http://www.discmakers.com/imws

Submissions must be postmarked by May 14th, 2008. For more information, please contact Jessica Darrican at [email protected] or 305-576-1171 X16.