MUMBAI: The Best Original Song competition officially kicked off in high gear as more than one hundred thousand viewers from all over the world tuned into the world premiere show on Sunday, Jan. 16 and the second show on Monday, Jan. 17.

Since the site's launch in November, hundreds of aspiring musicians have uploaded their own original songs for the chance to reach a public hungry to hear new music in an industry dominated by recycled sounds. On Bestoriginalsong.com, fans have the opportunity to vote on and to listen to songs across many genres – whether they're into pop, rock, folk, country, rap, hip-hop or other -- all for free.

For the musicians themselves, BestOriginalSong.com gives a chance to upload their original songs for free and gain priceless exposure to a wide audience.

The first stage of the competition consists of 12 shows streamed every Sunday and Monday at 8.00 pm EST then rerun for the next 24 hours to afford ample time for the viewers from all over the world to watch and vote. The 48 songs that will receive the most votes and downloads will advance to the second stage.

Each show takes viewers on a musical journey; each song features a unique introduction that gives a peek into the interesting and unique experiences of many of the aspiring artists and songwriters' personal lives in the biggest new online song competition in the world.

We wanted to provide fans a chance to discover the next big artist... says site founder Gabi Mor. As well as a chance for some pretty talented musicians across a wide range of genres to become that next big artist. Due to overwhelming demand we started to receive new original songs for our next competition....

The BEST ORIGINAL SONG site aims to inspire the next generation of songwriters and artists, across all types and styles of music, to bring their original work to a virtual stage. The site will give them worldwide exposure and help them to be as successful as they can be. BEST ORIGINAL SONG is founded on the philosophy that music has no borders and knows no boundaries, and the recognition that musicians' talent can come from all corners of the world.

Matt Malley, Oscar, Grammy® and Golden Globe nominated songwriter, who co-founded the multi-platinum rock group, Counting Crows serves as the site's music director.