Pepsi sponsoring China "Battle of the Bands" contest

Looks like Pepsi Co.'s bringing that old tradition of “Battle of the Bands” to China in a big way - the soft drink maker is hosting a mega reality show and its inviting all Chinese “underground” rock bands to participate.

According to the site for Pepsi's upcoming show:

Music groups are seeing unprecedented growth in China, music festivals are popping up everywhere and the concept of the band has become a new force in the mainstream music scene. As part of this trend, Pepsi is holding a big contest aimed at “encouraging young people's passions” and “finding the voice of a new generation.”

The event will be broadcast on Zhejiang Satellite TV over seven months as it scours the country for China's next big rock act. Winners will get a “Platinum” set of instruments (including a Fender guitar and electric bass and a Mapex drums percussion set), a 200,000 RMB “training fund” and a national concert tour related to the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the P.R.C.

The first round of competitions will be held from May to June in 21 cities. After the pool (already numbering in the thousands according to Brand Republic, though the Pepsi site only seems to show 20 or so) is narrowed, the show will host four regional competitions on June 11.

Oh yeah, and Taiwanese pop rock act Mayday will be either hosting or judging or randomly popping up to offer advice. Whatever, they're involved somehow, which kind of makes that whole "underground" claim a little suspect to us.

Still, we'd be super psyched if some of our favorite Shanghai bands stepped up tot he plate. We haven't seen any restrictions for what type of bands can enter (though we haven't really checked all the fine print on Pepsi's site), so we strongly encourage everyone to sign up! Registration ends April 30, guys.

Source: China Music Radar