INFORMATION
APPLICATIONS FOR 2021 OPEN ON JUNE 14
Application Deadline:
Sunday July 18 2021, 11:59 PM MST
Project WILD is a professional development program designed to educate, promote, develop and launch the careers of some of Alberta's up and coming country and roots artists. This year twelve Albertan artists will be awarded a $5,000 Development award and will all get to participate in an intense, one week, career changing music and music industry boot camp, where they will be pushed to the very limit of what they can achieve as artists.
Project WILD, is part of a seven year, $4.9 million program, designed to kick-start the international music careers of 3 emerging Alberta artists annually. The project is administered by Alberta Music (Alberta Music Industry Association) and funded by WILD 953 - Calgary's New Country, through CRTC approved Canadian Content Development Funding.
This is the fifth and final year for Project WILD - Country Artist Development. 2019's Top 3 winners were: Mariel Buckley, Mariya Stokes and Blake Reid Band. The 2018 Top 3 winners were The Prairie States, Ryan Langlois, and Leaving Thomas. The 2017 Top 3 winners were: Brad Saunders, Nice Horse, and Tanya Ryan. The 2016 Top 3 winners were: The Dungarees, Sykamore, and Ken Stead. For the first two years in Alberta the program had been known as the PEAK Performance Project, which also ran as a program in BC for seven years.
First Place $100,953.00;
Second Place $75,000;
Third Place $50,000;
2021 PROJECT OVERVIEW
The following are guidelines, dates, and eligibility requirements for the PROJECT WILD.
Top 12 Artist Announcement
The Top 12 artists will be announced Sunday, August 29th, 2021. Artists will be notified of their selection via the email address provided in their application, and will have a period of time to confirm their participation.
PROJECT WILD Orientation & Showcases
All Top 12 Artists shall be required to attend a PROJECT WILD orientation session on Saturday September 18th in Calgary. Attendance at the entire orientation is mandatory, and should be considered a full day commitment.
PROJECT WILD Development Award
After Orientation and upon completion of an approved proposal, each of the Top 12 artists will be granted five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) to be spent in a manner which, in the opinion of the artist, will fill a gap or gaps in the artist’s career. This can include recording, marketing, promotion, video production or other such activities.
The proposal and the impact of the funds on the Artist’s career will form part of the overall assessment of each artist.
PROJECT WILD Boot Camp
The Project WILD Boot Camp will take place Thursday January 6th to Thursday, January 12 with Virtual Sessions taking place on October 5 and 19, November 2 and 16. All participating artists, including all individual members of each band, attend the entire PROJECT WILD Boot Camp. Attendance and completion of the Boot Camp course is essential to moving to the PROJECT WILD stage of the program, however the boot camp will not be a part of the artists’ overall assessment. The Boot Camp will work on the principle that the new music business requires a DIY philosophy. Course content may include such subjects as live stage and individual performance, songwriting, marketing and promotion, media training, music law and business, music industry revenues, touring, radio tracking and online and social media issues. Course materials and workshops are delivered by a “Who’s Who” of Canada’s top music industry professionals.
PROJECT WILD Showcases Series
In February 2022, the Artists who have successfully completed the Boot Camp will participate in a series of showcases for the purpose of determining the top 3 artists. The showcases slots, taking place in Calgary, AB, will be announced in August and the artists shall have the opportunity to use what they learned at the Boot Camp to promote their shows and enhance their careers. A panel of industry professionals will score each live performance, which will then form a part of the artists’ overall assessment.
Public Online Voting
The public will be engaged to vote for their favourite artist over between Sunday February 27 and Sunday March 6, 2022. The voting will be tallied and then each artist will be assessed points based on their percentage of overall votes cast. These results will form a part of the artists’ overall assessment.
PROJECT WILD Challenges and Final Report
Throughout the project, the top 12 artists will be issued a series of challenges aimed to strengthen their career and fill in any potential gaps. The artists will complete a final report that summarizes the results of these challenges, along with their overall accomplishments during the period, that the committee will review and critique to form a part of their overall assessment. These reports will be due on Thursday, February 24, 2022.
PROJECT WILD Awards
The Top 3 artists will be announced on air at the WILD 953 (or other location to be determined by the WILD 953) on Thursday, March 17, 2022.
The Top 3 artists will be awarded support in the following amount:
First Place $100,953.00
Second Place $75,000.00
Third Place $50,000.00
(Note: awards are subject to change without notice to participants)
The Awards night (Finale) will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022 in Calgary AB. The Top 3 artists will showcase at the event, however the order of the Top 3 will have been determined before the final showcase.
ELIGIBILITY
(Please note these are general guidelines and subject to change)
Age: Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age on or before Friday, September 3rd, 2021. In the case of a band, all members must be of age in order to qualify for the competition; no exceptions shall be made in this regard.
Residency: Artist must be a Canadian Citizen or landed immigrant, and have been a resident of Alberta for at least 1 year prior to application. In the case of a band, the majority of the band must meet these requirements. Proof of citizenship or residency may be requested, and failure to provide proof by deadline provided may result in disqualification.
Genre: All music genres may apply for PROJECT WILD; however, WILD 953 is a radio station operating in the wide-ranging format of new country and genres within the new country format are given preference. Participation in PROJECT WILD 2020 does not guarantee that a participant’s music will be played on-air by WILD 953. The PROJECT WILD judging committee shall in its sole discretion determine from year to year which artists shall be eligible based on the genre and applications submitted. For reference WILD 953’s playlist is available online for applicants to gauge their potential eligibility. Eligibility will be determined at the sole discretion of the PROJECT WILD committee.
Qualifying Artist: In general, artists’ sound recording and musical work copyrights cannot be encumbered by any third party company such that the Artist is unable to clear master use, mechanical, synchronization or other copyright related clearances. Third party licensing or distribution deals may be ok – see full guidelines, or contact info (at) projectwildcountry.com for further clarification.