General
Eligibility
Registration
Contest
Video/audio
Account manager
Technical issues
Prizes

 

GENERAL

Q:  What is Guitar Center's Your Next Record?
A:  Guitar Center's Your Next Record competition is a once in a lifetime opportunity for your band to have Slash (yea, THAT Slash) write, record, and perform on a single on your newest EP, which by the way, will be produced by legendary producer MIke Clink (he's only produced bands like Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, and Megadeth, no big deal). All your band has to do is upload 3 original MP3s and a photo. Then tell everyone you've ever met to come vote for you through three rounds of voting. Then Slash will pick one lucky band to have their careers changed forever.

Q:  How do I enter a competition?
A:  First, you must register as an artist and create your artist Backstage. Once you have registered and confirmed your account via email, you can log in to your account. To enter a competition, you simply need to upload the required elements of the contest.  For more information on how to upload media, click here.    

Q:  What is required to enter the contest?
A:  Each band must submit 3 original MP3s. The first track uploaded will be the one the public officially votes on, and this can not be changed, so make it a good one. Each band must aslo upload a band photo.

Q:  I’m not an artist, should I be here?
A:  Yes!  Fans are crucial to Guitar Center's Your Next Record competition as they have the power to decide which artists deserve the spotlight.

Q:  I've sent several emails to yournextrecord@famecast.com but have not received any response.  Does anyone read my emails?
A:  Absolutely. We read every email that we receive and can assure you that your voice is being heard.However, due to the high volume of emails we receive, we are not equipped to respond to every email. If you do not receive a response from us it is likely because we've already answered your question in this list of FAQs. Please take a moment to look through this list; if you don't find an answer, please be patient and we will respond to your email as time allows.

Q:  How do I unsubscribe from Guitar Center's Your Next Record emails and sponsor emails?
A:  To unsubscribe from all Guitar Center's Your Next Record emails, click the "Unsubscribe" link located at the bottom of any email you have received from us.

 

ELIGIBILITY

Q:  What are the age requirements?
A:  All members of a band must be at least 18 years old to participate in the Guitar Center's Your Next Record competition. No artists under the age of 18 will be allowed to compete or eligible for prize consideration. Fans must be 18 years old to vote. Fans between the ages of 13 and 17 years old may participate with parental consent.

Q:  Can I enter as a solo performer?
A:  Yes, as long as you meet the submission and rule requirements.

Q:  Can two or more people enter together?
A:  Yes. Solo artists, bands and collaborative works are all welcome to enter. Multi-member groups that enter together are considered to be a single entry.

Q:  I am already on a record label. Can I still enter Guitar Center's Your Next Record?
A:  No, you must not be signed to a record label or any other contract.

Q:  I am not a U.S. resident. Can I still participate?
A:  No, the contest is open to legal U.S. residents only.

Q: Are there any other eligibility requirements or restrictions?
A:  Please see the How It Works and Rules & Regulations pages for the full details of contest eligibility.
 
 

REGISTRATION

Q:  How do I register?
A:  Click here to register as an artist or fan. Or, click "Join Now" at the top of every page.

Q:  I never received a confirmation email after registering. What do I do?
A:  First, check your spam/bulk folder with your email provider. It's probably in there. If not, you can have the confirmation email resent to you by going here.  Before doing so, be sure to add yournextrecord@famecast.com to your contacts/address book so that the email does not get filtered into your spam.

Q:  When I try to register it tells me that my email address has already been registered.
A:  Either you've already registered and you haven't received your confirmation email, or your email is in our system and you need to use your secondary email. An email address cannot be registered twice.

Q:  I perform under two different artist names. Do I need to create two separate accounts?
A:  Yes. If you would like to submit videos under both artist names, they must be under separate accounts. And you will need a unique email address for each account.

Q:  I am not an artist. Do I have to register?
A:  You are not required to register to visit Guitar Center's Your Next Record and view performances, but you must register in order vote.

Q:  I've registered, but I would like to make changes to my profile, i.e. edit my band members, change my address, etc.  Where can I do that?
A:  You can make changes to your profile by logging in and clicking Profile in your account manager (HINT:  If you are logged in and trying to find your account manager, use the "account" link located at the top of every page). Make the necessary changes to your profile and click the Update button, located at the bottom of the page. Don't forget to click Update before leaving the page or you will lose your changes!

Q:  My fans, friends and family are having trouble registering to vote. What should I tell them?
A:  Read the answers to the above questions, it is probably related to one of the above issues. If not, please contact us with the specific details of your problem.

Q:  I forgot my password. What should I do?
A:  On the Login page, enter your email address and click "Forgot Password?". An email with your password will be sent to you. 
 
 

CONTEST

Q:  How does the contest work?
A:  Please read over the How it Works page for information on how the contest works.

Q:  How does voting work?
A:  You must register with Guitar Center's Your Next Record to vote. After registering and logging into your account, watch the videos and click the vote button for any artist that you think is best. You may cast one vote per artist, per day and you may vote for as many artists as you wish.

Q:  If I send people to my artist Backstage page, will they be able to vote for me from there?
A:  No, people cannot vote for you directly on your Backstage page, however, your Backstage does provide a link directly to where they can vote for you. If an artist is currently competing, you will see a "Vote for me" icon displayed beneath the video player. Click this icon to go directly to the artist's video or audio track on the appropriate contest stage.

Q:  How can I see my vote count?
A:  We do not display vote counts.


Q:  How do I get people to vote for me?
A:  Promote, promote, promote. Get your name out there. Tell anyone and everyone you know to vote for you. Post your widgets anywhere and everywhere. Tweet. Facebook. MySpace. Sing it from the hilltops! Whatever you have to do to let people know that you want, nay, DESERVE to have Slash grace the presence of your next EP.
 
 

VIDEO/AUDIO

Q:  How do I upload a video/audio track?
A:  To upload a video/track, you must be registered as an artist and logged into your account.  In your artist account manager, click the Add Video or Add Audio button located in the upper-right corner of your media list.

Q:  How do I upload a cover image for my media?
A:  To upload cover art, log in and go to the Media tab in your account manager to view your media list.  Under the Actions column, click the "Edit" link next to the media you would like to add a cover image to.  Near the bottom you will see an Image File upload field.  Browse and select the image you want.  Be sure to save your changes by clicking Update before leaving the form!

Q: Can I submit a cover song?
A:  Absolutely not. Slash already played on the ORIGINAL and NO DOUBT - BETTER version of "Welcome to the Jungle" than your lame cover. We're looking for original stuff here buddy.

Q:  Once I submit my work, does Guitar Center's Your Next Record own the rights to it?
A:  Guitar Center's Your Next Record only retains the right to market and use your video and/or audio track; we do not own your song, lyrics, video, etc. The artist maintains all intellectual property rights to their work.

Q:  What’s the policy on profanity?
A:  Guitar Center's Your Next Record does not encourage profanity, however, we do support an artist's freedom of expression and therefore will allow responsible use of profanity and explicit content. We do retain the right to remove any videos/audios that we believe to be abusing this policy.  Please see the rules & regulations for more information. 

Q:  How do I embed a video or audio track?
A:  To embed a video/track onto another web page, go to to the video/track and click the embed < > icon located directly beneath the video player. Click the Copy button and then paste the code into your web site, blog, MySpace profile, etc. For example, to embed a video onto your MySpace page, log into MySpace and click Edit Profile. Paste the embed code from your video on Guitar Center's Your Next Record into one of the sections located under Interests & Personality, such as About Me or Interests. You can type text both before and after the code to explain the video or let people know when the voting deadline is. For more help with embedded players, click here.

 

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Q:  What do I do with my artist Backstage/account manager?
A:  Your artist Backstage is your personal homepage at yournextrecord.com. This is the place for you to manage your video & audio submissions and organize & promote yourself. You can also create and maintain a blog, upload photos and access your embeddable widgets. Use your Backstage as a promotion tool to increase your fan base.

Q:  How do I update my BackStage?
A:  Simply log in to your account and you'll be taken automatically to your account manager. From there, update your Backstage using each of the links at the top.

Q:  How do I change the order that my videos or audio tracks appear in my BackStage?
A:  To change the order of your videos/audio tracks, log in and click the Media tab in your account manager to view your media list. Here you will see up and down arrows next to each of your videos/audio tracks (they are located under the Actions column).  Use these arrows to reorder your media however you like. The video appearing as Track #1 is the one that automatically plays when someone goes to your Backstage page. 

 

 TECHNICAL ISSUES

Q:  What do I do if I have problems uploading my video or audio track?
A:  Please report all upload issues using the Upload Report form. 

Q:  Why do videos stream in segments rather than buffering and playing in their entirety?
A:  This site uses a pure streaming technology. Each time you want to play a video, it will be streamed through the Internet.  If you have an unstable connection, videos may display choppy.

Q:  It is taking forever to upload my video, what’s wrong?
A:  During peak upload times, it can take several hours to completely upload and compress a video or audio file. Do not refresh your browser. If you are unable to wait, try again at a another time.

 

PRIZES

Q:  What is the prize for Guitar Center's Your Next Record?
A:  One band will win the following prize package:

• Slash will write, record, and perfrom on your single
• A 3-song EP produced by legendary producer Mike Clink
• A management development deal with "The Collective"
• Feature of your single on iTunes
• World-wide digital distribution of your music through TuneCore
• $10,000 Guitar Center shopping spree
• New gear and endorsement deals from Ernie Ball & Music Man
• The opening slot on Slash's Monster Energy Bash
• An Editorial feature on your band in Guitar World Magazine

 

Q:  Is there just one winner?
A:  Yes, only one band will be named the winner.