UK UNSIGNED Rock

Are you in a Rock band looking for your big break?

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UKUNSIGNED Rock is a non-profit oganization.



Unsigned bands will have the opportunity to showcase in front of music industry professionals regionally and nationwide for an opportunity to play at top venues and festivals supporting signed bands.



We have held some events / festivals at London Astoria, Bulldog Bash, Rock Off festivals and Bloodstock (please note Bloodstock will be promoting their own unsigned bands in the future). However we are negotiating for bands to play at other festivals and events and we will forward the best bands to Bloodstock.



UKUNSIGNED ROCK is predominately for unsigned bands wanting to improve and play major festivals and showcases. We don't do covers or tribute bands(under 16 bands may play 1 cover).



The main thing you need to understand is how a showcase at UKUNSIGNED Rock will work for you. There is no ready-made crowd waiting to cheer your arrival, like any gig it will only work if you can generate an audience yourself. For bands just starting out this often consists of friends, work colleagues, relations, etc. The best way to let people know about your gig is to make up and distribute flyers and to sell tickets issued by ourselves in advance of the gig.



Bands are expected to draw a minimum fan base of 20 paying punters to their local showcases to be taken seriously for any future major events and festivals. Bands will only get ticket door money back on the sale of 20 tickets and over [out of town bands can discuss options with us]. Bands who are sent pre sale tickets must collect the money from their fanbase prior to the day of the event, you will be asked to relinquish tickets and money prior to sound check. Please make sure all moneys are collected from your fanbase (we cannot accept payment for presale tickets on the door, this causes unnecessary confusion).

We put on between 5 bands during the week and 10 bands on a Sunday nationwide on the basis that if they all put in the effort and successfully generate a bit of a crowd then they'll all play to a lot of new faces as well as the familiar ones. Groups who have obviously made no attempt to promote and encourage people along to their gig will not be given a second chance. Such bands are taking advantage of the hard work other bands put in as well as the good nature of the venue where expenses such as venue hire, PA, backline and staff costs have to be met.



If you are travelling from outside of your region you can maybe look into arranging transport for some of your local following. We understand the difficulties some groups face with this, just be honest with us and we will do our best to help you out.

The best bands will be selected to play at different venues nationwide with payment for travel expences.



UKUNSIGNED does not benefit from the revenue of festival tickets or stalls where they run the stage for unsigned bands.



UKUNSIGNED have an agreement policy with the organisers that costs relating to the stage, hire of PA, backline equipment and overheads be met by UKUNSIGNED and as such UKUNSIGNED ROCK needs to recoup those costs. Each year we aim to cover our costs for the festivals through the showcases we place for unsigned bands. However, to date, we have not been able to cover all running costs at the festivals where we run the second stage; as a result we have asked the bands selected to perform at festivals (excluding bands that are under 18 and in full time education) to find sponsorship to help aid in covering the costs (no more than £50 per band member, which is also includes all backstage camping/accomodation plus one free ticket per band member and management guest passes) and most have indeed found local support.



We hope to get to the point where we will not have to do this and indeed at our own Rockoff Festival in July 2007, bands were not required to get sposorship or to bring people.



Please contact us on info@ukunsigned.net if you know of sponsors which would be interested in sponsoring the unsigned festival stages as well as bands and we will be more than happy to send them a sposorship pack.