SKY 1 HD Makes Must Be The Music Tracks Available for Public Download

LONDON, Aug. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Sky 1 HD has announced several unique elements to its new series Must Be The Music, which will give musicians through to the semi-finals the best possible chance of achieving their dreams of succeeding in the music industry.

Every contestant that reaches the live semi-finals will have the track that they perform available to download via iTunes and Sky Songs. Viewers will be able to download the acts' music while the shows are actually on air. The contestants' tracks will sit alongside those from the show's judging panel including Dizzee Rascal, Jamie Cullum and Sharleen Spiteri.

This new downloading capability means that for the first time, in any UK televised talent competition, all contestants who reach the semi final stages have the chance to get their songs into the charts irrespective of whether they win the competition or not. As well as giving them a shot at chart success, Must Be The Music will ensure that contestants receive all net profits generated from the download sales.

The series, set to launch on 8th August, is open to all musicians and singers no matter what type of music they play and for the first time since 2007 on any UK talent show, viewers from the Republic of Ireland will have the chance to vote through both their red buttons and phones, alongside those from the UK. Sky 1 HD will not receive any revenue from the voting mechanisms.

Duncan Gray, Head of Entertainment, Sky1 HD and Sky1, 2 and 3, commented: "Customer interaction with Sky 1 HD is really important to us, whether they are in the UK or Republic of Ireland.  I'm really pleased that Must Be The Music is not only the first show to offer immediate song downloads for all the semi finalists' performances, but also all our customers, including those in the Republic of Ireland, will now get a chance to vote for their favourite act, and for only 5 pence/7 cents per phone call. This is a great step forward in offering interactive services that make the editorial more accessible for the viewer."

In addition to each contestant's tracks being available for immediate download, the individual contestants, judges and presenter will have their own social media profiles including Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Bebo and MySpace. Each site which will host exclusive footage and behind-the-scenes clips of the artists as well as snippets of their live performances on SoundCloud.  

Hosted by Fearne Cotton, the eight week series on Sky 1 HD hands back control to the artists themselves, provides creative support, promotional advice and a cash fund of 100,000 pounds to kick start their career. The final will be held live at Wembley Arena, where the finalists will be performing on the same stage as the show's prestigious judges in front of over 10,000 members of the public.

Alongside their tracks being available for download, the acts will also have merchandise available to purchase on their own tailored websites and on Sky.com.

Notes to editors:

About Sky

Sky operates the most comprehensive multichannel, multi-platform television service in the UK and Ireland. Almost 6.5 million Sky homes now enjoy the control and flexibility of Sky+ and 2.1 million homes have already joined Sky+HD which provides access to 37 dedicated HD channels and future innovative services like broadband-enabled video-on-demand and 3D TV.

Sky has also been the UK's fastest growing broadband and fixed-telephony provider for the last two years.

SOURCE Sky

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