Similar to American Idol, there will be some relatively well-known judges in the music industry to judge the entries, including Pete Wentz of Black Cards, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, and MTV music personality and host of "120 Minutes" and MTVHive.com Matt Pinfield. As an added bonus to joining the app as the 'house band,' the winning band is to receive one-on-one mentoring time with the celebrity judges and paid studio time to not only record the song which will be featured on the Say it with Skype app, but also the chance to record their own song to use however they please.
Here's me rocking out to the #1 downloaded iTunes song of all time - Journey's Don't Stop Believin' using the Say it With Skype Facebook app.Ok, maybe not. I can't sing worth a lick, but this is a screenshot of my trying out the app:
It's pretty simply to use. You simply press the Record button and it asks permission to use your camera & microphone. Then you press Done or Record again if you think your performance wasn't up to par. Interestingly, it doesn't use Skype for the video recording, but some sort of Flash app, but then I remembered my interview with Jonathan Rosenberg, Skype's Chief Technology Strategist where he explained how Facebook uses a stripped down version of Skype within Facebook. Nevertheless, the use of Flash means you won't be recording your band's audition using your iPad due to the lack of Flash (don't get me started).
Anyway, according to Skype, "The 'Join Say it with Skype' competition is an opportunity to showcase today's amazing talent pool of emerging musicians, while providing an example of the convergence of music, technology and the power of social media. Skype is giving up-and-coming artists the chance to showcase their musical talent and bring them the exposure that may not be as easy to come by. Providing the opportunity to receive guidance from music experts such as Matt Pinfield, Ryan Tedder and Pete Wentz, is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many unsigned bands or musicians."
Bands may submit entries on the Skype Facebook page, until Thursday, June 14 at 11:59 P.M. EDT: https://apps.facebook.com/jointheapp. Winners will be chosen and notified on Tuesday, June 19 via email, and will be announced publicly on Monday, July 9 at 9:00 A.M. EDT.
"Music has the uncanny ability to reach and join people on multiple levels — time, language, and now with technology, there are no barriers. It was one of the very reasons why I wanted to participate in this program and work with Skype," said Pete Wentz.
"Today's emerging artists are embracing old and new sounds, and using various tools and technology to create and share. As a musician, I am honored to participate alongside Skype in such an exciting competition that embodies this, and will showcase the next generation of emerging artists and talent in the world today," said Ryan Tedder.
"This competition is not only an opportunity to showcase today's amazing talent pool of emerging musicians, but it is also a way to enable the winning band to teach tomorrow's youth about the importance of 'the power of music and technology' to connect people here in the U.S. and around the world," said Matt Pinfield.
