CBS, Yahoo! and the Recording Academy have certainly come up with one of the more creative contests that I’ve seen in awhile. The winner of the “My Grammy Moment” talent search will have the opportunity to sing with Justin Timberlake at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on CBS February 11th.

Entrants have until January 3rd, 2007 to submit a video of themselves singing a cappella versions of one of the nine Grammy award winning songs picked out by Justin Timberlake. Eventually the top submissions will be judged by a panel and then voted on by the public. The event ends on the night of the Grammy Awards.

It’s interesting because for some well known companies, it seems that unsigned bands and artists are becoming more of a trend in advertising campaigns by way of contests. Of course, the bands and artists who are participating in the contests are welcoming the opportunity for possible discovery. For the unsigned bands any publicity is good, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that the companies will gain more out of it than the thousands of hopefuls. To name just a few recent music contests: Rolling Stone Magazine’s best bands on Myspace contest, Chilis’ Rock Star For a Day contest, of course shows like The X Factor and American Idol with the latest being The Grammys and Yahoo!.

The flip side of the coin is that at least for people who want to enter these contests, the companies who aren’t charging money to enter are leaving the contestants with more of a win win situation.

The “My Grammy Moment” contest is a fun and clever way to bring more attention to the upcoming Grammys and is also inviting regular people to feel more included than ever before. Also, there will be a variety of music education initiatives for three finalists - which is a good thing!

To see the latest video entries and for more information, go to the “My Grammy Moment” contest on Yahoo!.

Watch Justin Timberlake’s video for “My Love”

Justin Timberlake’s Official Website
The Grammy Awards - Grammy.com
CBS.com

By: Jenny May