In a bid to support the next generation of talent in the music industry, SBTV Founder Jamal Edwards has soft-launched a brand-new app in the UK!
Named 8BARS, the mobile app is a ground-breaking platform which prides itself in democratising the process of talent development and discovery, empowering fans to discover and support their favourite artists.
On the app, artists can clash with peers, compete in events, win prizes and connect directly with fans all from their mobile device.
8BARS has already received investment from Nines, Scooter Braun’s fund TQ Ventures and early Spotify investors Northzone and this month, the app has teamed up with SoundCloud for an exclusive pilot partnership.
Last week, 8BARS and SoundCloud kicked off a month of in-app events which will include exclusive content and prizes for users of the app. This week’s competition is hosted by top UK producer Shadow on the Beat with the chance to win a studio session with him for the top artist.
As well as featuring celebrity hosts, the events will span across a number of different genres and will allow talent to create content on tracks from top producers. Fans will then be able to vote and promote their favourite newly discovered artists.
The winners will be chosen from the leaderboards for each event and users will be in the running for prizes that include SoundCloud Pro Accounts, Repost & Playlist Features, ‘First On’ Accelerator Placement and SoundCloud Go+ accounts.
The event launch will remain exclusive to UK iOS users prior to its international launch and the company wants the community involved in the feedback process before expanding globally and to the android platform.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the soft launch of 8BARS in the United Kingdom,” Jamal Edwards said. “I’ve been helping launch music talent over the last 15 years and I really believe 8BARS is the future of talent development and discovery.
He added: “We are kicking off a partnership this week with SoundCloud and we have a slate of exciting in-app events planned with real prizes that will help artists as they grow their careers We’ll be the first platform to offer a true path of support and development for every artist on our platform with our ‘Levels program.”
To tune into the upcoming events and be with a chance of winning one of the many prizes on offer, make sure you download 8BARS via the app store now. You can also stay up to date with 8BARS by following the app on socials.