The GSMA has brought together world-leading music bands Muse, Faithless, and upcoming new artists Metric, and Eliza Doolittle for the first ever GSMA Band App Audition, an app developer competition calling for innovative mobile app concepts for the artists to engage with their fans throughout the world.

The competition, organised by the GSMA in partnership with the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) and the Music Managers Forum (MMF) is open from 23rd November until January 15th 2011. The finalists and winners will be announced at the App Planet event at the GSMA Mobile World Congress being held 14-17 February, 2011. App developers can download individual mobile app briefs, along with graphics, tracks and other content assets from each of the artists at:http://www.mobileappchallenge.com/challenges/bands

“The Band App Audition has been created for app developers to showcase innovative and creative new ways that artists can engage and interact with fans around the world, across all mobile OS platforms,” said Michael O’Hara, chief market officer, GSMA. “This is the first competition of its kind, and we are delighted to have such a fantastic line-up of world leading and new artists participating in the contest.” [Read more...]

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason will give the keynote artist interview at this year’s In The City, but says he will be in Manchester to learn rather than pontificate.

Mason, who is also Featured Artists Coalition co-chairman, will appear in conversation with FAC CEO Jeremy Silver in what is one of the most high-profile slots at ITC.

Nick Mason

Mason explains that, in his role as co-chairman of the FAC, he wants to rhapsodise about the artists organisation. But Mason insists he will not simply be in the north west to preach the group’s gospel, insisting he also wants to learn what artists attending next month’s conference think the FAC should be doing.

“We know what we want to achieve, but it is more a case of talking around it to see where we think new solutions might arrive,” he says. “We are facing a music business that only works for established artists playing live. We [Pink Floyd] had the glory years in which it worked. It seemed so easy compared to how it works now.”

Mason says he will draw on his experience with Pink Floyd in the keynote speech. “There are probably some mistakes we made that might be useful to point out,” he says. “Record companies still have that appeal meaning young bands are prepared to sign things without getting advice.

However, he says the most important thing for him at ITC is for the audience to ask questions during his October 15 chat and give their own opinions. “Let the audience ask what they want. What we want are people who have questions so we can discuss how we operate in this industry,” he says. “I am going there particularly to learn rather than to pontificate.”

In The City co-founder and director Yvette Livesey calls Mason “a passionate and articulate advocate of artist rights”.

“We are honoured he is taking the time to come and talk to our delegates about his career and to share his views of some of the challenges and issues facing the music industry and artists today,” she adds. “Jeremy Silver has done an excellent job as CEO of the FAC and has helped to give artists a voice at a time when they need to be heard.”

ITC takes place from October 13-15 in Manchester.