The North west bands get booked onto provide an audience as the public aint that interested... then they put the bands on that A n R already want to see and they keep to that rota..a fun weekend away but no more. Also a bit cruel to hype up to so many young bands. Most now boycott it.

shame like and unfar I thought in the city was a great way to get signed untill i found out that a lot of the bands who do get signed would have gotten signed anyway regarudless of the event. so you may as well just send demos to record companys and keep pluging on the net and do touring. instead of wasteing

You never can tell how talent gets noticed.
Sadly the vast majority have no talent and blame others for not discovering them.
I'd say - real talent always wins through.
It's just there are so few JK's to spot them and know what to do with them.

i just lernt from others who have made it there at in the city they have had some label interest so I might be better if I work for it frist and build up a national profile. from what people have told me you stand a better chance with abit of status. I starting to gain a fan base on sites like drowned in sound and myspace so i am just going to work my butt off be before i send off for it again but fell that that

I know of a band member, who when asked by a certain a&r at Parlophone to send down a cd, didn't eat for a day as they spent the last of their cash sending the stuff recorded delivery. (fortunately next day was pay day)

And that a&r wouldn't even take calls from the band after, not even to say "thanks but no thanks" after he contacted them and requested some material. The last they heard was that he had recieved it and planning on giving it a listen "this afternoon".... this was last October.

So

You never can tell how talent gets noticed -

Unfortunately, to often 'Talent' is where a vested interest is.
A majority of bands who get signed already have an 'in'.
Is it true that people who have an already famous face or relative or London industry contacts are more talented?

pierre wrote:
A majority of bands who get signed already have an 'in'.

And most bands that get signed don't get their record released.

I despair at the "get signed" myth. The kids all seem to think it's the prize.

I think more and more bands are now realising that getting signed is only the start of a new beginning.
One of my fav bands has recently split due to half the band prefering to keep labels out altogether even if they only stay underground.

The "kids" think it's "the prize" because (if it's a decent deal) it allows them to go full time with their music, which is all that they want to do.