DURAN DURAN LAUNCHES MUSIC VIDEO COMPETITION FOR NEW ALBUM ALL YOU NEED IS NOW
When they first broke in the early 1980s, Duran Duran single-handedly transformed the music video from a gimmicky marketing tool into one of the music industry’s most valued assets. With exotic locations, beautiful girls and stunning special effects, Duran Duran took the visual imperatives of the New Romantic movement to another level. From the controversial video for “Girls on Film,” which was so risqué it was banned, to one of the most expensive music clips ever made, for “Wild Boys,” the band have always been at the forefront of the music video revolution.
Now, with their acclaimed 13th studio album ALL YOU NEED IS NOW, which hit #1 on the iTunes Album Chart in 15 countries upon its December 21st release exclusively via iTunes, the band continues to push the envelope, partnering with Genero.tv to give filmmakers around the world the chance to make music videos for the entire album.
Launched on December 21, 2010, to coincide with the album’s worldwide iTunes release, and closing on February 8, 2011, this unique contest encourages filmmakers from around the world to compete for a total prize pool of $45,000 ($5,000 for each of the nine songs on ALL YOU NEED IS NOW). Once the entries are in, five finalists will be selected for each song, chosen by Duran Duran and Genero.tv. There will then be one grand-prize winner selected by the band for each track, and a compilation of the successful entrants will be released on DVD around the launch of the physical CD in early March 2011.
Duran Duran, a band with more era-defining songs to their name than most, have, on their extraordinary new album, reconnected with the sounds, textures, melodies and the lyrical evocation that first propelled them to the top of the charts the world over. The result, produced by Grammy Award winner Mark Ronson, already sounds like a classic.
Genero.tv Director and Founder Mick Entwisle explains the competition further: “We consider it an honor and a privilege to be working with such a talented and iconic band. I grew up as part of the ‘MTV generation’, with hours spent in front of the TV watching music videos, and Duran Duran’s are some of the earliest I remember. So to now be working with them is pretty surreal. We’re obviously really delighted and I’m sure film makers will be just as excited to get such an amazing opportunity.”
“The standard of work being submitted to Genero.tv by their global network of directors is quite astonishing,” said Duran Duran keyboardist, Nick Rhodes. “And what is really fantastic about this whole project is that we are given access to talented film makers from around the world, whose work we might not otherwise get to hear about. ALL YOU NEED IS NOW has been a really enjoyable album to make – and we are extremely proud of it. We look forward to seeing how people interpret the songs and hope they have as much fun with this as we have.”
Duran Duran are the latest band to partner with Genero.tv, who also have a competition running at the moment with Royksopp and have previously partnered with David Lynch, Alicia Keys, Moby, Band of Skulls, The Temper Trap, Booka Shade and UNKLE amongst others.
Genero.tv provides a platform where filmmakers can compete to make the official music videos for featured artists and songs. It seeks to revolutionize the way artists connect and engage with their fans by allowing the global creative community to make and upload their own music videos for the world to watch, vote on and spread virally.
KEY DATES:
• Opened: Dec 21, 2010
• Closes: Feb 8, 2011
• Finalists announced: Feb 15, 2011
• Winner announced: Feb 22, 2011
Visit Genero.tv/duranduran for all the competition details.
