Orange To Give Album Deal To African Musicians

In order to promote new African music talent, Orange’s portal, StarAfrica.com (http://www.StarAfrica.com) has launched the second edition of the StarAfrica Sounds music contest, in partnership with Deezer and Zimbalam.

Open to all, the contest aims to give maximum visibility to artists coming from the African continent, notably through the distribution of their songs on the main streaming and downloading streaming platforms.

The first stage will be held between April 15 and May 31 2013. In this phase, the candidates (singers, groups, artists, musicians etc) will have the opportunity to register on StarAfrica.com http://en.starafrica.com/music/starafrica-sounds-2013 , proposing an original song, representative of their musical universe.

This song will then be online on StarAfrica.com, and available for everyone to enjoy. The second phase - from May 31 to July 1, 2013 - will let the public vote on StarAfrica.com and support their favorite candidates.

The 5 candidates who will have collected the highest number of votes will then be selected for the final. In a third and final stage, a jury composed of music professionals will designate the overall winner from the five finalists. The musician’s identity will be revealed in exclusivity on StarAfrica.com on July 8, 2013.

The StarAfrica Sounds contest will allow the finalists to have their songs on Deezer Africa and North Africa, and distributed on the main digital platforms by Zimbalam.

 Prizes to be won include: - 1st prize : a highlight on StarAfrica.com and Deezer Africa and North Africa, a contact with the prestigious African music label Musiki, a Deezer for Artists certified account, a one year free access to Deezer Premium + and 3 album accounts on zimbalam.com

2nd to 5th prizes : a Deezer for Artists certified account, a one year free access to Deezer Premium + and 3 album accounts on zimbalam.com The StarAfrica Sounds previous edition had been marked by the participation of more than 60 artists, coming from 19 countries, and the final victory of Kutchala Sutchi with his song “Gomanan”.

Deezer, the global music subscription service, recently launched in Africa bringing people access to over 20 million songs on any device with just one subscription. Deezer’s mantra is music discovery, helping fans rediscover the joy of finding and sharing fantastic new music. Deezer’s partnership with StarAfrica.com will offer artists an exciting platform to reach new audiences around the world.

Thanks to the partnership with Zimbalam, the finalists will have the possibility to sell their music on the streaming and downloading platforms all over the world, receiving 90% of the generated royalties, without exclusivity or time commitment: they remain independent, free and owner of their music.