Vodafone and MTV search for a pop star

Vodafone and MTV are launching a joint initiative aimed at discovering the “next big thing” in music. The winner of the Vodafone Fast-track competition, which will play out on the telecom company’s Soundbites website, will have a single and video produced by MTV.

Over the following four weeks any unsigned band or artist from 26 countries around the world can upload an original track onto the Vodafone Soundbites site. Acts will also be able to post photographs and biographies.

From January 7, MTV viewers will have the chance to vote for their favourite and 20 finalists will be selected. The winner will be chosen by a panel of industry experts and music executives.

An MTV production team will produce a single and accompanying video. MTV will also air the video during commercial airtime in 29 countries.

The competition will be integrated within the Vodafone Music Reporter webpage on MySpace, where users of a specially created forum will discuss the entrants. The winning act will be available for streaming from the MySpace site.