At eMerge Americas 2018, world-renowned Artist, Entertainer and Entrepreneur, Armando Christian Perez, aka “Pitbull,” announced his latest venture, the Smackathon. After a month-long development period, hundreds of submissions from across the globe have been narrowed down to ten finalists.
Finalists include:
Omnisone (Indianapolis & Cedar Rapids, IA and San Jose, CA): Direct artist to listener streaming without the middleman.
MusiXourse (Costa Rica and Colombia): An app to grow your fan base, monetize your talent and push the limits of the music industry.
Stubber (Australia): Digitally traceable ticket sales on the blockchain.
CoinsHat (San Francisco, CA): Enabling fans to use CryptoCurrency to support Musicians.
Sonify (Miami, FL): Decentralized Music Streaming Service.
EtherBandBattles! (Florida): Ethereum based game where contestants watch band videos with real-time chat and synchronized music video playback.
HyperValence (Singapore): A crowdfunding platform that allows fans to support emerging artists by buying digital collectibles (Proof-of-Fandom).
Artíste - Crowdfunding Musical Talent (California and New Jersey): Patreon + Kickstarter for creatives on the blockchain...except much better!
etherwave (India, and Toronto, Canada): An app to book concert tickets via Ethereum and also allow users to trade their tickets among themselves.
VOXXO (Turkey and Los Angeles, CA): Combines Music Player, Concert Investments, Music Licensing and aims to be a cryptocurrency.
All finalists will be flown to Miami courtesy of American Airlines for a final pitch on July 23.
Pitches will be presented to an esteemed panel of judges:
- Armando Christian Perez, aka Pitbull, world-renowned Artist, Entertainer and Entrepreneur
- Demian Brener, Founder & CEO, Zeppelin
- Jack Selby, Managing Director, Thiel Capital
- Manny Medina Jr., Bassist for Kip Moore, Songwriter
The winning project will receive a $6,000 cash prize and the chance to showcase their success at eMerge Americas 2019. Additionally, the following prizes will be awarded by Woz U, a technology education company that offers career-based technology programs that enable students to quickly enter the exciting and expanding Information Technology workforce:
- One full-ride scholarship to a Woz U program
- $5,000 Woz U scholarships to each additional team member
- 6 tickets to DesTechAZ 2018 in Scottsdale, including a meet-and-greet with former eMerge Americas speaker and Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak
Inspired by Apple Computer Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, Woz U is passionate about educating and encouraging the next generation of innovators and developing the workforce of the future.
Congratulations to all participating teams, we can't wait to disrupt the music industry!
