Eligibility: I have a business with a few employees that have some hidden musical talent; can we participate in Athens Business Rocks?
- Businesses in the Greater Athens Area are eligible to participate. The counties in this area include Clarke, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Madison and Jackson. Businesses of ALL sizes are welcome to participate.
- If your company employs less than 10 people you may partner with another small business to create a band. No more than three small businesses may partner to sponsor a single band.
- If you are self-employed you may create a band of multiple, self-employed individuals.
- If your business employs a large number of people they can sponsor more than one employee band.
- Each band must have a minimum of 3 members.
- Bands must primarily consist of employees from the sponsoring business. For example, if you have three co-workers that are interested in putting a band together but they need a drummer – yes, the guitar player’s cousin can play drums.
- No “pre-existing” bands, by themselves, are allowed.
If members of a “pre-existing” band participate together, they must include other “non-member” co-workers to be eligible. The intent of the rule is to include as many co-workers as possible and not to be exclusive. - In short, we want you to participate. If you have a question or concern regarding eligibility please just give us a call (706.227.1515) or send an email (bob@nuci.org).
The Band: Now that you have your employee band together, here are a few guidelines to be aware of…
- First, you need to register your band here.
- Read the Judging Criteria here.
- Pick a band name. Remember this is supposed to be fun so spend some time coming up with a good one. (For example, if you are an electrician maybe your band name could be AC/DC. Well maybe not that one, but you get the idea.)
- We expect to have a large number of bands participating so we’ll have to break the performances up into 4 nights – 3 semi-final rounds and one Grand Finale. We only have 30 slots and they will go fast.
- During the Semi-finals (3 Rounds) bands will be asked to prepare 15 minutes of music (approximately 3 songs) to perform. The songs must be cover songs of another songwriter’s original material.
- Time limit will be 15 minutes per band. Bands that perform longer than 15 minutes will be penalized.
- Day and time slots for all bands will be announced two weeks prior to the event on Monday, January 16th via the ABR website. Bands will be offered to select their own date and time based upon online fundraising efforts. Simply put, the more money you help raise for Nuci’s Space, the more freedom your band will have in choosing the date and time you’ll perform.
- If your band is fortunate to move onto the Grand Finale on Saturday, February 18th, 2012, your band will need to prepare a total of 30 minutes of music (approximately 6 songs) to perform. Keep this in mind as you start practicing.
FUNdraising: As you may have noticed while reading the Judging Criteria, a significant number of your points will be awarded for your efforts related to raising funds for Nuçi’s Space and getting friends out to see you perform. Here are a couple of tips for success…
- After you register your band start promoting your performance immediately. Contact friends, families, hell, even enemies that you want to make envious of your new found fame.
- Encourage your co-workers and bosses to come out the night of your performance. You’ll be representing them so make sure they are there to make some noise and cheer you on.
- Let people know they can “vote” on the Athens Business Rocks website here. Send them a link and encourage them to contribute a few bucks. Bands will receive 1 point for every $100 contributed on behalf of your band.
- Ask your employer to make a tax-deductable donation to Nuçi’s Space in your honor. This donation will also be applied your fundraising points.
- Ask your employer if you can promote the event to your customers. Maybe even create an incentive for them to make a donation in your honor.
With a little help from your friends at Nuçi’s Space: Since your business, employees and customers are going out of your way to help us, we want to return the favor as best as we can.
- We will be offering free rehearsal space (3 hour maximum each day) at Nuçi’s Space to registered ABR bands.
- If you have any questions about room amenities or available equipment please give us a call (706.227.1515).
Parting Words:
Have fun and play your asses off. This isn’t a talent or song-writing competition– we’re just trying to have a great time and raise a few dollars for an important cause. It’s a great opportunity to build some camaraderie among your co-workers and build employee morale. So, be creative with your music selections, band name, make-up, hair, costumes, and performance.
