Ridin' Hearts Festival Launches Initiative For Emerging Country Artists

Not content with already putting on an excellent country music festival, Ridin’ Hearts has announced the launch of its new initiative to boost emerging country music artists’ careers today.

Ridin' Hearts and its tour promoter, Frontier Touring, is on the hunt for Australia’s promising undiscovered talents with its new program, Ridin’ Starts.

A newly introduced artist-first initiative, Ridin’ Starts has been designed to support local talent by opening doors, connecting artists with influential country music experts, and providing money-can’t-buy experiences.

One lucky winner will take the stage at this year’s Ridin’ Hearts, performing a 20-minute set in the Lone Spur Tent. As well as the performance opportunity, the winner will have one-on-one meetings with Michael Chugg (of Chugg Entertainment and Chugg Music), Casey Barnes, songwriter Lindsay Rimes, ABC Music’s Natalie Waller, Universal Music Australia, and more.

Other prizes include working with Love Police to design custom merchandise, participating in professional press shots, a content package highlighting the winner’s journey at Ridin’ Hearts, a tour pass to see huge names in country music and travel and accommodation covered by APRA AMCOS.

Interested artists can apply by uploading a video of themselves performing an original song to Facebook or Instagram. Applicants must tag the Ridin’ Hearts festival account, visit the Competition page on the Ridin’ Hearts website and complete the details in the entry form.

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Entries opened today and will close on Friday, 11 October, at 5 pm AEDT. Five finalists will be revealed by the Ridin’ Hearts and Frontier Touring pages before the winner is announced.

Ridin’ Hearts had its triumphant debut last year, taking over venues in Melbourne and Sydney with artists including Bailey Zimmerman, Danielle Bradbery, Sara Berki, Seaforth, and more.

This year, Ridin’ Hearts will again take place in Melbourne and Sydney on Saturday, 2 November, and Sunday, 3 November. The line-up features international icons like Riley Green, Cooper Alan, Josh Ross, Mackenzie Porter, Austin Snell, and Tanner Adell, as well as Aussies Casey Barnes, Bella Mackenzie, and DJ Konsky. You can find tickets below.