MTV goes looking for a star as it launches global cover version contest

MTV has turned karaoke global by inviting fans around the world to cover hit songs - and offering the winner a shot at the big time. The music network has launched a Cover Of The Month contest and will announce a song for wannabes to perform each month. To enter, viewers will need to upload their version on YouTube and submit them to the competition. Each month’s winner will get a recurring spot on television as well as a trophy. The network will also pick a winner of the year, who will star in an original music video to be produced and promoted by MTV.

When you look at the kind of success of people doing covers on YouTube and just knowing how much our audiences universally love music, this felt like a contest that would work as well in Asia as it would in the Americas

MTV International senior vice president Kerry Taylor

MTV announced the contest ahead of Sunday’s Video Music Awards in New York and geared the initiative toward viewers in its more than 120 markets outside the U.S. The first song in the contest, which will open after Sunday’s awards gala, is Mike Posner’s global hit I Took A Pill In Ibiza. MTV said it was open to covers from all around the world including those with strong regional adaptations. Posner, who will select the first winner, said: “I’m all about anything that supports creativity and self-expression.”

MTV cover