Unsigned Only Music Competition Announces 2013 Winners

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The winners of the 2013 Unsigned Only Music Competition have been announced, representing ten genres of contemporary music. With 22 winners and 100 Honorable Mentions, the US-based competition awards over $50,000 in cash and prizes, including a $10,000 cash prize to the overall Grand Prize winner. 

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The overall Grand Prize winner is awarded to rising Canadian country artist Wes Mack. His song "Duet" was the overwhelming favorite with the judges who predict a great future for this young and promising unsigned artist. From the silver screen as a film and television star to sold-out performances with Florida Georgia Line, Wes Mack is quickly taking the world of country music by storm. In the past year, Mack has been writing and recording his music in Vancouver and Nashville, and his first single "Duet," featuring Carly McKillip of One More Girl, is currently charting on Canadian country radio.

The judging panel consists of iconic recording artists Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders); Iggy Pop; Hunter Hayes; Neon Trees; Cyndi Lauper; Dustin Lynch; Carly Simon; Brandi Carlile; John Oates (Hall & Oates); 3 Doors Down; Of Monsters And Men; David Crowder; Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.); G. Love; Craig Morgan; Jason Gray; Ryan Bingham; Aaron Shust; and The Mountain Goats. Judges also include a group of influential music journalists and editors from Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, The Washington Post, and Spin.

Unsigned Only honors artists who are unsigned to a major record label and acts as a benchmark for excellence in this arena of contemporary music. Unsigned Only is a fresh and novel approach to other music competitions. In addition to offering prizes, recognition, exposure, and the chance to be heard by a prestigious judging panel, Unsigned Only takes it a step further and offers the Grand Prize winner the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be mentored by and directly network with the top echelon of record company professionals. Mentors include presidents and top-level executives from Universal Republic, Capitol, Vagrant, RCA, Bad Boy Entertainment, Disney Music Group, Atlantic, Sony, Big Machine, Word, and G-Unit.    

Founders Candace Avery and Jim Morgan said, "With more than 9,000 entries from all over the world, the competition was so competitive, and the finalists impressed the judges with the immense talent displayed. We owe a great thank-you to our dedicated judges who demonstrated their critical knowledge of music in selecting this year's winners, and we are proud to recognize these winners."

Unsigned Only is sponsored by Sony Creative Software, Disc Makers, David Bean Photography, D'Addario, Mrs. Fields Cookies, The Music Business Registry, Celebrity Access, and CAD Audio.

For more information and to view the list of winners and Honorable Mentions, go to www.unsignedonly.com.  For high-res photos and to schedule an interview with winners, contact Candace Avery, 615-251-4441 or Email.

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