The GBOB Challenge is open to all bands whether unsigned or signed to a record label. There is no pre-selection and no demos are required. All bands who register are guaranteed to play. In completing this registration form you are acknowledging that you have read and accepted the Rules and Regulations.

Bands entering The GBOB Challenge will not be asked to sign any licenses or any kind of management or recording contract. All we need from bands is the permission to use any of their photographs and music for purely promotional purposes. Bands only need to pay a small one-off registration fee per band member in order to enter.

The registration fee is HK$50 (50Rmb in China) per band member. Fill out the form below and your National Director will contact you soon to arrange payment of the registration fee.

You will not be officially registered for the GBOB Challenge until the registration fee has been paid in full. Registration fees are non-refundable unless your heat is cancelled or changed to a new date that is inconvenient for your band.

All bands registering for The GBOB Challenge must read and accept the following rules and regulations before completing the registration form.

The registration must contain band name and a contact person with valid email and telephone contact details.

Bands can have a minimum of two (2) and up to a maximum of eight (8) members unless special approval has been granted by GBOB International. Adding additional band members after registration is prohibited without the consent of GBOB International. Replacing more than one-third of band members is prohibited without the consent of GBOB International.

Judging
The organisers will appoint three or more respected figures from the music business to act as judges.

Equipment and Onstage Rules
The organisers will provide a high quality sound and lighting system, which all the bands will use.

The organisers will provide all drums, bass and guitar amplifiers, microphones, monitors and backline equipment used in all GBOB Challenge events.

The organisers will provide all sound and lighting engineers as well as all necessary stage crew.

Band members will bring any personal instruments such as guitars, basses and keyboards as well as any effects pedals etc. Drummers will bring their own drumsticks.

All bands must use the same backline and drums provided by the organisers. Keyboards and any special equipment – other than personal instruments such as guitars –will be placed on stage before the concert begins and will remain there until the end of the concert.

To keep changeover times to a minimum, any bands with a left-handed drummer will play either first or last on the bill.

All bands must follow instructions given by the organisers and the appointed stage manager.

It is not permitted to use pre-recorded sound material. All bands must play live.

Cover versions are not permitted. All songs must be original although not necessarily written by the band themselves.

Bands will play two songs each. The total playing time for each band must not exceed 8 minutes.

Pyrotechnics, confetti and other visual effects are not allowed in any GBOB events.

Any band overrunning their allotted playing time may be faded out and/or deducted points.

The playing order of the bands will be determined by a draw.
Additional rules for local qualifying competitions

Judging
There will be a panel of judges at Local Qualifying Competitions but in addition, members of audience can use their ticket or voting slip to vote for their favourite band/bands on the night by means of a special ballot box.

When the votes have been counted, the final results will represent 50% the view of the audience and 50% the view of the panel of judges. If there is a tie for first place or any other place the judges choice will be given precedence.

Soundcheck
There will be no sound check in Local Qualifying Competitions or combined one-off Local Qualifying Heats/National Finals. Only the band due first on stage will be given a brief soundcheck to check the equipment.

Onstage Times
Any band that misses their allotted onstage time is liable to be disqualified.

Additional rules for national finals and the world final

Judging
To avoid giving any local band involved an unfair advantage there will be no audience voting in National Finals or the World Final and the results will be determined entirely by the panel of judges. However, in the case of a combined one-off Qualifying Heat/National Final, audience voting will be taken into account. In all cases the decision of the judges is final.

Soundcheck
All bands taking part in a National Final will, if possible, be given a 10-minute soundcheck.

There will be special soundcheck arrangements for the World Final.

Playing order
The playing order will be determined by a draw prior to the concert. Soundchecks will be allotted in reverse order to the running order. Which means the band last on stage does the first soundcheck and the band first on stage does the last soundcheck. Approximate times for soundchecks and onstage times will be given to each band.

If any band misses their allotted soundcheck or onstage slot in a National Final or a World Final the organisers will make all efforts to fit them in elsewhere. However, if this is not possible the band is liable to be disqualified from the competition.

World finalists travel and accommodation
The travel costs of getting a National Final winning band (band members only) to the World Final will be covered by GBOB and/or its representatives. Any excess baggage charges incurred will be the responsibility of the band.

Accommodation during the World Final and catering on the day of the World Final will be covered by GBOB International (band members only).

Does paying the registration fee guarantee that my band can play?
Yes. You are guaranteed to play 2 songs or 8 minutes in total provided you do not miss your slot and comply with the stage manager's instructions.

Can solo artists enter?
No. The competition is open to bands with 2 to 8 members. However, solo artists can put together a band for the competition if they want to.

If there is more than one qualifying Heat in my city how will you decide which band/s will go forward to the next stage?
At least one band from each Qualifying Heat will go forward to the next stage.

Can we play cover songs?
No. All songs played in the competition must be original compositions, though not necessarily written by the band themselves.

Can we play instrumentals?
Yes.

Will my band have to sign any kind of contract?
GBOB will not ask bands to sign any contract. All we need from bands is permission to use their photographs and music for promotional purpose only. However, should TV or other media be involved, there may be the need to sign some kind of release form.

Is GBOB open to all genres/styles of music?
Yes. There are just two main rules: no cover songs and no pre-recorded music.

Do we have to sing in English?
No, you can sing in any language you like.

Is there a deadline for entries / am I too late?
There is no fixed deadline for entries. As long as spaces are available you can enter.

Is the competition only for unsigned bands?
No. The GBOB Challenge is open to all bands whether signed or unsigned.

I play with two different bands that both want to take part, Will I have to pay the registration fee twice?
Yes you would have to pay twice. It's two different bands and either could go all the way

I don't have a credit card –is there any other way I can pay?
Yes. Firstly, complete the online registration form. Next, contact your local national director whose contact details are on your country page.

If I register and pay, can I get a refund if it turns out my band cannot play the Qualifying Heat we registered for?
No. Registration fees are non-refundable unless the local national director cancels the Qualifying heat you registered for or moves it to another date that is not convenient for you. If you cannot play your original heat for any reason and want to move to another heat, please contact your local national director whose contact details are on your country page.

Will there be music industry people at the contests?
Yes. We always invite record companies, management companies, members of the media and other industry professionals to our events.

Why can't we use our own amplifiers and drums?
Because we want bands to share the same backline in order to keep changeover times down to a few minutes. Also we want to create a level playing field for all the bands. Any special equipment must be set up on stage before the concert and remain on stage till the concert is over. Any equipment on stage must be available for use by all the bands. You must use your own personal instruments (guitars and keyboards etc.) and drummers must bring their own bass drum pedal. You can use your own effects pedals.

Why can't we play for longer?
GBOB competitions are designed to be fast-paced and exciting. This makes it more interesting for the audience and any industry people present. If exposure is what you are after, a good manager or record company A&R person will know how good a band is after one or two songs and they can always check out one of your normal gigs if they liked what they saw. The hardest thing is to attract their attention in the first place.

Can we bring our own sound engineer?
Yes, but he will only be there as an advisor to inform the organisers' sound engineer where solos etc come in the songs and other special requirements.

Can we bring our own road crew or lighting engineer?
No. The organisers will provide all stage and lighting technicians.

Can we bring our own backdrop/banner?
No

If you have any question not answered here please send us an email

Friday 24 September 2010 Backstage HONG KONG

Friday 8 Oct 2010  Miusik  HONG KONG (FULL)

Saturday 9 Oct. 2010 Backstage HONG KONG (FULL)

Friday 15 Oct. 2010 Rockschool  HONG KONG (FULL)

Saturday 16 October 2010 Enigma SHENZHEN

Saturday 23 October 2010  Rockschool  HONG KONG (FULL)

Friday 22 October 2010 The Melting Pot  SHANGHAI1

Thursday 28 October 2010  Rockschool  HONG KONG (FULL)

Saturday 6 November 2010  Hooley's   Guangzhou

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BEIJING FINAL
26 September 2010 YugongYishan BEIJING

HONG KONG FINAL
5 November 2010 Rockschool HONG KONG