Southern Bluegrass Musicians Sought for Department Store Contest!

As a part of its 2014 Modern. Southern. Music. campaign, Belk, the nation's largest family owned and operated department store company, has announced its Southern Musician Showcase.

The Showcase will promote Southern musicians by offering them a chance to win a cash prize and an opportunity to perform at a Belk sponsored/Live Nation amphitheater in Dallas, Birmingham, Raleigh, Atlanta or Charlotte. Other prizes include a performance wardrobe and stylist provided by Belk, and an opportunity for the artist's song(s) to be featured in a Belk television commercial.

"Music is fundamental to the Southern lifestyle, and has an incredible influence on fashion," says Jon Pollack, Belk's executive vice president of marketing, sales promotion and eCommerce. "The Showcase will give us the chance to highlight musicians from the South or influenced by the South, and to give them the opportunity of a lifetime."

The Southern Musician Showcase is open to solo artists and bands in the Bluegrass, Americana, Pop, Country, Jazz and Blues  genres. Contestants will be asked to submit three original songs, a brief biography that details their affiliation to the South, head shots, a full length photo, and a video.

Musicians may submit the material at belk.com/music via ReverbNation. The contest will be limited to the first 1,000 applicants. Semi-finalists will perform at live auditions in Austin, New Orleans, Nashville and Atlanta with a final showcase in Charlotte, N.C.  Full contest rules are posted at belk.com/music.

About Belk, Inc. Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk, Inc. (www.belk.com) is the nation's largest family owned and operated department store company with 301 Belk stores located in 16 Southern states and a growing digital presence. Founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, N.C., the company is in the third generation of Belk family leadership and has been committed tocommunity involvement since its inception. Each year, Belk gives 2.5 percent of its pretax income back to the communities it serves. In the fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2013, the company and its associates, customers and vendors, donated more than $19 million to those communities.

Related Link:  Learn more about the Southern Musician Showcase here.