Who Will Be Canada's Best New Songwriter of the Year? - 18th Annual National
Songwriting Competition Now Underway

MONTREAL, Oct. 28 /CNW Telbec/ - Canadian Radio Star is now accepting entries from aspiring and proficient songwriters - published or unpublished - across Canada. Sponsored by Astral Radio, and presented in association with Canadian Music Week, the contest offers emerging artists the opportunity to submit their songs for the chance to win thousands worth in music equipment, services and more - including $10,000 in cash.

"Songwriters are at the core of our rich musical heritage," says Rob Braide, Astral Radio. "Their songs define our lives and our landscape.  Through initiatives like Canadian Radio Star, we have the opportunity to discover, empower and promote the stars of tomorrow, while contributing to Canada's vastly thriving music scene."

The annual national songwriting competition - now in it's 18^th year - is one of many Astral Radio programs committed to promoting Canadian music.  Through it's support of the competition, Astral Radio has been fundamental in the advancement of several emerging songwriters throughout the country.

New to the Canadian Radio Star competition this year, songwriters can submit their songs directly online at www.radiostar.ca to the participating radio station in their area.  Entries are open now until 5pm EST on December 13, 2010 - the contest's close.  Complete details and contest rules can be found online at www.radiostar.ca.

Songs will be judged by some of Canada's leading radio programmers, music publishers, recording industry executives, and successful songwriters.  Regional winners will be declared by the participating radio station in each market, with a combined public and industry vote determining the Grand Prize winner.  The 2011 Canadian Radio Star will be announced on Saturday, March 12, 2011, during Canadian Music Week (March 9-13, 2011).

"In many ways, this competition offers a launch pad for the careers' of aspiring Canadian songwriters," says Neill Dixon, President of Canadian Music Week. "It opens doors to new possibilities, provides unrivaled exposure, and puts the songwriters' songs directly in front of a commonly unreachable audience.  Astral Radio's dedication to this project is commendable and underscores our mission to develop Canadian talent."

The national Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package consisting of: $10,000.00 in cash (first runner up receives $2,500.00 cash); Tascam 2488 NEO PortaStudio - 24-track self-contained audio work station; Neumann TLM 49 Professional Studio Microphone; Yamaha MO6 Music Production Synthesizer; Cubase5 Audio Workstation Software Package; 30 hours of mixing and mastering time from Metalworks, Canada's #1 recording studio; $5,000.00 national radio promotion package from dB Promotions & Publicity Inc; and a Songwriters' Resource Library Package featuring some of the bestselling songwriting titles carried by Music Books Plus. Both the Grand Prize winner and the first runner up will each receive one free digital radio station upload to any format of choice by RDR Music Group in conjunction with DMDS. 

Each regional winner will receive a prize package consisting of: an Epiphone DR-500MCE Acoustic Guitar; Sennheiser Studio/Live Package including: E865 condenser vocal microphone, stand, cable and HD280 professional headphones; Yamaha Pocketrak 2G with 3 hours Pcm Recording and tilt-up stereo microphone; 2 ½" Carving Leather Guitar Strap w/ foam padding and garment leather backing from Levy's Leathers Limited; Planet Waves PW-HPK-01 Humidipak Automatic Humidity Control System; Planet Waves PT-CT-10 Headstock Tuner; EXP 16 D'Addario Coated Phosphor Bronze Light Gauge Strings; an all expense paid weekend at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto - March 11 - 13, 2011; delegate passes to attend the 2011 Canadian Music Week Conference & Canadian Music Fest; access to some of Canada's most successful songwriters and music industry professionals through the Songwriters' Summit; and an opportunity to perform at Canadian Music Fest in Toronto during Canadian Music Week.

All entrants receive a one-year subscription to Canadian Musician Magazine.

Sponsoring Radio Stations:
Virgin Radio 95.3 FM  CJAY 92 FM    100.3 FM The Bear   ROCK 102 FM   Big Dog 92.7 FM   HOT 103 FM    Virgin Radio 99.9 FM  Virgin Radio 106.9 FM     Virgin Radio 96 FM   Q104 FM    Big John 98.9 FM   Hits 99.1 FM	Vancouver, BC Calgary, AB Edmonton, AB Saskatoon, SK Regina, SK Winnipeg, MB Toronto, ON Ottawa, ON Montréal, QC Halifax, NS Saint John, NB St. John's, NL

Canadian Radio Star would not be possible without the following sponsors: Astral Radio; Canadian Music Week; Canadian Musician; Canadian Music Publishers Association; D'Addario; dB Promotions & Publicity Inc.; DMDS; Fairmont Royal York; Gibson; Levy's Leathers Limited; Metalworks; Music NL; Music Nova Scotia; Neumann; Planet Waves; RDR Music Group; SOCAN, Songwriters Association of Canada; Sennheiser; The SOCAN Foundation; Tascam; Yamaha.

Astral Radio is a member of the Astral family. Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B) is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several media properties—pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties—among the most popular in the country. Year after year, Astral's pay and specialty television, radio stations, and The Harold Greenberg Fund have together awarded over 170 million dollars to the development and purchase of local programs and original productions, as well as supporting our musical talent. To learn more about Astral and its contribution to culture, go to astral.com.

Canadian Music Week is Canada's leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country's music, media and entertainment industries.  Combining four information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; a film festival; three awards shows and the nation's largest New Music Festival - Canadian Music Fest - CMW spans a five-day period from March 9 to March 13, 2011 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel and various downtown Toronto venues, attracting participants from across the globe.  For more information, visit www.cmw.net

For further information:

Bessie Bullard
Communications Director
Canadian Music Week
905.858.4747
[email protected]

Hugues Mousseau
Manager, Corporate Communications
Astral Media Inc.
514 939-5000
[email protected]