14 Soul Acts to Vie for Big Break Tonight

Fourteen soul acts will compete tonight at the Hollywood Palladium in the finals of the BMI Showcase, a twice-monthly competition designed to open music industry doors for young talent. This is the culmination of the third annual series of contests.

The winning act, chosen by a panel of record company talent scouts, will receive a $1,000 prize, plus 20 hours of free recording studio time and the chance to star in a video. But all the acts get the chance to gain more experience--and the big payoff--a recording contract.

Dexter Moore, director of writer/publisher relations for Broadcast Music Inc. and co-organizer of the competition, said that the Showcase series fills a surprising void in a city often described as the heart of the nation’s music business.

Although there are plenty of clubs that feature rock and jazz, there is no major outlet where young soul artists can develop and be seen by industry scouts.

“If you’re a young R&B; artist or rapper looking for a record deal or if you need a place to experiment and grow, you were out of luck in this town until the showcase came along,” he said.

The competition is the outgrowth of a talent showcase called Showtime West Coast Theatre, which was established in June, 1989, by Jonathan Scott, who is still active in selecting contestants. BMI’s Moore said he discovered Scott’s showcase last winter and arranged for the involvement of his organization, the nation’s largest firm handling song royalties, distribution and licensing.

Explaining why BMI got involved, the organization’s West Coast head, Rick Riccobono, said: “It’s our way of giving something back to the minority creative community.”

The preliminary rounds in the competition are held twice a month at a Los Angeles club--formerly the Spice in Hollywood, but shifting to a still unannounced location next month--and spotlights young R&B; singers, musicians and rappers--mostly black but also Latino and Asian. The shows are open to public.

Performers interested in the competition can contact Scott or Moore through BMI’s Hollywood office. There is no entry fee for contestants.

Moore believes performers can benefit from the competition even if they don’t win.

“It’s hard for a young artist to get record-company people to give them the time of day,” Moore said. “But record-company people do show up at the showcase and support it. By word-of-mouth, young artists have found that getting involved in the showcase or coming to the shows is a way of getting through to these record-company people.”

Among former Showcase participants who have received recording contracts are Richard Hall (signed by Epic Records), Jovane (A&M; Records), Cold Premiere (Giant Records) and a rapper named Sheba (Columbia).