MUMBAI: Rolling Stone Magazine announced on Thursday the launch of its first-ever "Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star?" competition, in which 16 undiscovered acts will compete for the ultimate prize: To be the first band or artist not signed with a major label to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone.

The winner of the six-month competition, presented in partnership with Garnier Fructis, will also receive a recording deal with Atlantic Records  "Do You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star?" will be featured in Rolling Stone, RollingStone.com, AOLMusic.com and AtlanticRecords.com, and will include several online voting rounds, with the final two acts going head-to-head at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in June. Readers' votes will determine the victor, marking the first time Rolling Stone has handed over its famed cover decision process to the public.

The winner will be announced on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and will appear on the cover of the August 18 issue, which will be on newsstands August 5.

"Since its inception, part of Rolling Stone's central mission has been discovering and featuring new music," said Jann Wenner, Founder of Rolling Stone. "This competition shines a light on the country's top unsigned bands and gives them a chance to grace the cover of the magazine that has launched the careers of some of the most well-known artists in rock history."

After listening to more than 1,200 musical acts, Rolling Stone and AOL Music editors, and Atlantic A&R executives selected the following 16 finalists: 

Empires (Chicago, IL)

Fictionist (Provo, UT)

Go Periscope (Seattle, WA)

Jamestown Revival (Austin, TX)

Lelia Broussard (Los Angeles, CA)

Mod Sun (Bloomington, MN)
 
Muffy (Atlanta, GA)

PK (Templeton, CA)

Skyler Stonestreet (Los Angeles, CA)

Tha Boogie (Rancho Cucamonga, CA)

The Americans (New York, NY)

The Gallery (Wilbraham, MA)

The Romany Rye (Big Bear, CA)

The Sheepdogs (Saskatoon, SK)

The Steelwells (Fullerton, CA)

Ume (Austin, TX) 
 

Starting Thursday, consumers have been given the opportunity to be a music critic by going to RollingStone.com and rating the competing acts. The top four will move on to the next round, along with four others selected by Rolling Stone editors. These eight acts will travel to New York City in March to record two studio songs and perform for Rolling Stone and AOL Music editors, Atlantic A&R executives, and other industry professionals. Readers' votes will select the four acts to continue to the next round, in which the advancing acts will return to New York City in April to record and perform another song. The final two acts will be chosen by readers' votes and will perform at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in June. The performances will also be available to view online, and readers will be able to vote for their favorite. The winner will be revealed and will perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in conjunction with the debut of the August 18 issue.

Throughout the competition, Atlantic Records executives and a team of multiplatinum-selling record producers will provide guidance to the competing acts.

"It's an honor to partner with the most iconic chronicler of modern music and culture to discover and launch an important new artist," said Craig Kallman, Atlantic Records Chairman and CEO  "The wealth of talent that emerged during the first phase of the competition was truly impressive, and they face a challenging set of hurdles ahead of them  It's a unique and exciting way to unearth the next artist worthy of the honor of landing on the cover of Rolling Stone."

The 16 finalists, comprised of artists of diverse genres, personalities and styles, will be featured in the March 3 issue of the magazine, available on newsstands February 18, and voting opened at RollingStone.com beginning Thursday. Readers will also be able to follow the competition through Rolling Stone's email alerts, Facebook page and Twitter, and regular sweepstakes will award free tickets to Bonnaroo, downloads, t-shirts and other prizes. In addition, AOL Music will supplement the online coverage with its own content   

"We are committed to building high-quality branded content with the best partners in the business," said Jeff Bronikowski, Head of AOL Music. "AOL Music has a storied history of showcasing new artists to our highly engaged audience of music fans and we look forward to this exciting competition."