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COLDPLAY’S CHRIS MARTIN IN SEARCH FOR UK’S BEST YOUNG SONGWRITERS
THE Liverpool Institute for
Performing Arts (LIPA) and Yamaha Music announce plans for this
year’s acclaimed Make It Break It awards. Entries are now being
sought from songwriters between the ages of 14 and 19.
The MIBIs (as they have become affectionately known) are unique in
providing a high profile professional platform to promote
outstanding material from some of the UK's hottest, innovative, up
coming writers. With a panel of judges chaired by Coldplay's
Chris Martin and including broadcaster Mark Radcliffe, producer
Steve Levine and The Wombats, and with prizes for both the writers
and their schools and colleges, The MIBIs provide a fantastic
opportunity to get original songs heard and championed by leading
music industry big hitters.
As well as receiving £1000's worth of musical equipment, this year’s
winners will be offered recording sessions in the world famous Parr
Street recording studios, and a November showcase gig in the Paul
McCartney auditorium at LIPA, where they'll get to play with a
session band comprising some of the industry’s most sought after
players. All short-listed finalists will also be invited to what is
described as a LIPA 'Boot Camp' , an intensive 3 day training
programme where they will be tutored in songwriting, marketing ,
production and performance by some of the country’s leading
practitioners.
Entries should be submitted by 30 June 2008 and full details can be found
at
online. The site also provides hints
and tips from the judges and material from previous winners.
LIPA founder and Chief Executive, Mark Featherstone Witty comments:-
"We are passionate about Make It Break It; it's a real
opportunity for young songwriters to break through into a seemingly
impenetrable business and get quality material into the marketplace. We encourage all these young writers to get involved and who knows
where it may lead?" |
AVOID A FINE ON YOUR PHONE...!
NEWS that a car insurance company
has decided to penalise drivers with points on their licence from a
hand-held mobile phone offence is an excellent development,
according to road safety experts at the IAM (Institute of Advanced
Motorists).
It raises some interesting issues, too: does three points on your
licence because you committed a hand-held mobile phone offence make
you more dangerous as a risk than 3 points for a "routine"
speeding offence?
The answer, according to Allianz, is
definitely yes. They describe the hand-held phone offence as a "dangerous
and needless act".
So now those who persist with this dangerous hand-held habit will
suffer the triple whammy; a fine, points on their licence, and an
increase in the insurance premium when they renew.
It is now more than a year since the tougher penalties for hand-held
mobile phone use were introduced. The Department for Transport (DfT)
has said 185,000 drivers were caught using hand held phones in 2007.
But the offence continues: according to Allianz, 10% of motorists
admitted in a survey to using their mobile without a hands-free kit
while they were behind the wheel.
The tougher penalty is now a doubled fine, from £30 to £60, with
three penalty points.
There has never been a better time to invest in a Bluetooth
hands-free kit, which are widely available at less than £30.
Put bluntly, that's less than half the cost of the fine if you are
caught.
By making sure that your Bluetooth hands-free kit is always in the
car and charged you will be able to keep your phone on while
driving, without running the risk of committing a hand-held offence. However, there is an important caveat here.
Even when you have the
hands-free habit, use it with care.
Remember, even hands-free
conversations are a major distraction, putting you and other road
users at risk.
But with a Bluetooth on, you can make a point of telling callers
that you are driving, and find somewhere legal, safe and convenient
to pull over and continue your conversation. |
