2024 WYRK Taste of Country Riser Finals – Rules & Show Schedule
WYRK TOC Riser Competition is open to bands (limit 6-members) with entries accepted October 30th through January 18th, 2024. Contest entries must be submitted online through the TOC Riser link on the WYRK website at WYRK.com. Only one entry per act is allowed. Must be 21 or older to enter & compete. Entry must be an original song approximately 2-to-3 minutes long and entered in the form of a video. From all submissions, Five (5) Finalists will be selected to perform live on Thursday 2/8/2024 at STIR Night Club inside the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, Niagara Falls NY.
- For Preliminary round, each band will perform 2 songs. One must be an original. The other, a cover or original.
- 3rdsong would be performed by the 2-bands that make it to the final round.
- 4thsong would be performed at the end by the winning band.
The TOC Riser Competition is Free for anyone to attend. Attendees must be 21 years or older. No tickets are necessary. Finalists are encouraged to invite friends, family & fan base to attend.
Prize for Winning act: Opening act on-stage at the 2024 WYRK/Toyota Taste of Country concert (June 2024/date TBA) plus tix to watch the show following performance. No Talent Fee paid for performing at TOC.
Runner-Up Prize: Warm-Up Act at the WYRK Fall 2024 Acoustic Show + tix to watch the show following performance. No Talent Fee paid for performance.
Contest Execution and Judging
- The order in which each of the finalists will compete will be randomly selected by WYRK.
- In the order selected, the finalists will each have approximately 7 minutes to perform their two songs.
- Performances will be a panel of distinguished judges to be announced at the competition.
- All finalists will receive a score from each judge ranging from 1 to 10, with “1” the lowest and “10” the highest.
- The finalists will be judged on performance skills, quality of song, musicianship/overall performance.
- Once all finalists have performed, the judges will add up their scores. The two acts with the highest scores will advance to the final round (Top 2).
- The same judging routine will take place for the final two acts as they each perform one song each.
- The act with the highest score will be declared the winner. Winner will perform one song to close show.
- By participating in the contest, the winner or winners agree to have their name, voice, or likeness used in any advertising or broadcasting material relating to this contest without additional financial or other compensation, and, where legal, to sign a publicity release confirming such consent prior to acceptance of the prize.
- Prior to awarding any prize or prize certificate, the Station in its sole discretion may require contest winners (and their travel companions, if any) to sign a liability release, agreeing to hold the Station, its corporate licensee, its parent, subsidiary and affiliated corporations, and the officers, shareholders, directors, employees, agents and representatives of each of them harmless against any and all claims or liability arising directly or indirectly from the prize or participation in the contest.
- The Station reserves the right to make changes in the rules of the contest, including the substitution of a prize or equivalent value, which will become effective upon announcement. “If due to circumstances beyond the control of the Station, any competition or prize-related event is delayed, rescheduled, postponed or cancelled, the Station reserves the right, but not the obligation, to cancel or modify the contest and shall not be required to award a substitute prize.”
- Failure to comply with contest rules may result in a contestant’s disqualification solely at the discretion of Station.
- The Station is not responsible for typographical or other errors in the printing, the offering or the administration of the contest, or in the announcement of a prize.
TOC Risers Competition Schedule:
- 7:00: WYRK welcome, thank sponsors, introduce judges & explain competition.
- 7:05: Competition begins: Up to 4-Finalists will each perform two songs (one original & the other is artist’s choice). Each act gets a maximum of 7-minutes. WYRK will introduce each act.
- 8:15: Performance by 2023 Winner (15-min)
- 8:30: Top 2 acts will each perform one song to decide the winner.
- 8:45: WYRK thanks sponsors, judges, performers and attendees.
- 8:50: 2024 TOC Riser Winner announced. Winner will perform one more song.
- 9:00: Done