Grand Prize Judge : Roy Elkins, CEO of Broadjam, Inc.
Roy Elkins is a well-known music technology entrepreneur who has been leading industry innovations for over twenty years. Elkins is the Founder and CEO of Broadjam Inc., serving independent musicians and industry giants such as Warner/Chappell, The Academy of Country Music, AMD, Yamaha, Peavey, Roland, ProSoundWeb and others. Broadjam.com, the company's popular web site, now hosts one of the largest collections of searchable independent music on the planet. The site is known for its user-friendly services for musicians, including artist web pages, song reviews, song contests, Top 10 Charts and the revolutionary METAJAM software.
Before founding Broadjam, Elkins was the Vice President-Sales & Marketing for Sonic Foundry, and held several director-level positions with Ensoniq Corporation. He maintains a database of over 5,000 music industry contacts include executives at virtually every company in the music industry and past and/or present artists such as Will Smith, Eddie Murphy, D.J. Jazzy Jeff, the Beach Boys, the Allman Brothers Band, BoyzIIMen, Roy Firestone, Joe Walsh (The Eagles), Paul Broucek (Lord of the Rings), ELP, Yes, Journey, Skid Row, Bill Walton, Jackie Martling (Howard Stern), David Arkenstone, Randy Jackson and many others. He is an accomplished musician and songwriter who thoroughly understands the musician's world.
Category Judges
Americana: MIKE HALL,
manager and booking coordinator of Uncle Calvin’s Coffee House. Set inside the fellowship hall of Northpark Presbyterian Church, this area landmark of acoustic music has become a haven for musicians and audiences looking for a laid back but engaging concert experience for a quarter century.
manager and booking coordinator of Uncle Calvin’s Coffee House. Set inside the fellowship hall of Northpark Presbyterian Church, this area landmark of acoustic music has become a haven for musicians and audiences looking for a laid back but engaging concert experience for a quarter century.
Singer Songwriter: DAVID CARD, Owner, Poor David’s Pub
Most of Texas’ greatest songwriters have one thing in common: they’ve headlined at Dallas’ legendary music venue, Poor David’s Pub. For the past 31 years, Poor David’s Pub owner David Card has been host to outstanding artists such as Sara Hickman, the Dixie Chicks, Patrice Pike, Max Stalling, Guy Clark, Jimmy Webb and more. Card is also the founder of the annual BW Stevenson Memorial Singer-Songwriter Competition, held at Poor David’s every April and now in its 20th year. Card, Poor David’s Pub and the annual contest have helped the careers of past singer-songwriter winners including Adam Carroll, Max Stalling, Kristi Kruger, Gordy Quist, Elizabeth Wills, Colin Boyd, Owen Temple and many others. http://www.poordavidspub.com
Children's/Novelty : Deborah Poppink created Didi Pop, a singer songwriter that has a cool, catchy, totally original take on life and who is married to the president of Bug Music in Hollywood.
Her songs can be heard on The X-Files TV series as well as in a new feature film, Jack and Jill and her latest family friendly project, DIDI POP! Original Music for kids. She has performed all over the world and is signed with Bug Music and BMI. She'll be touring soon with DIDI POP but now is ultra busy taking care of her two small daughters in Mar Vista California.
Christian: Joe Milton is well-known for his independent recording studio, Jo-Musik, where he writes and records his own material and produces new talent. Joe's songs have been featured in film and television, including the NBC mini-series, Hunt For the Unicorn about fugitive Ira Einhorn. http://joemilton.com/mus.htm
Country: MARTY RENDLEMAN, President and CEO of Rendleman Management Group, Rendleman has been involved in the entertainment industry since 1984. She has experience in every facet of the business from PR to management, and has a reputation for spotting and developing hot new talent. In 1992, Marty discovered and then managed LeAnn Rimes for three years. She obtained the song "Blue," from her dear friend, Bill Mack, and the rest, as they say, is history. In 1996, Marty would again sign a 9-year old, Mikaila, and start the process all over -- but this time in "Pop" music. In June of l999, at the age of twelve, Mikaila signed one of the biggest new-artist deals in history with Universal's Island Def-Jam Label. In August of 1999, Marty signed Kristy Lee, another blonde-haired, blue-eyed country singer. Kristy has just released her first album, "Devoted." http://www.rendleman.net
Instrumental: Nicolas Tsolainos is a Dallas based symphony and jazz bassist. He joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1995 and is currently principal bass with the orchestra. Prior to his tenure with the Dallas Symphony, Tsolainos was in demand as a freelance musician playing with, among others, the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops.
Love Songs : Melani Skybell is a Dallas based jazz pianist/vocalist whose repertoire includes traditional jazz numbers, sultry ballads, swing standards, bossa novas, pop classics, and her original jazz-pop compositions. She performs regularly at a number of Dallas jazz venues and has five CD albums that include original songs, some of which have sold to various media outlets including the well known TV series "Breaking Bad" on AMC, and NBC's "Friends With Benefits".
Rock/Pop - Beth Nielsen Chapman - From writing hits for other artists to recording her own, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Nashville based singer-songwriter has truly embraced musical diversity. Her song,"This Kiss”, ASCAP'S 1999 Song Of The Year, sung by Faith Hill garnered her a Grammy nomination. And Beth was Nashville NAMMY'S 1999 Songwriter of the Year.
