SOCAN members and other musicians are invited to apply now for Urban Star, a contest to find Canadian urban music artists looking for their first break. Presented on Shaw TV, in association with Fontana North, Urban Star (season one) is looking for all styles of urban music, from hip-hop to R&B, soul to club, reggae to gospel – and especially for artists with the strongest skills, originality and passion.

The winner will receive a recording contract, a music video, worldwide distribution and will star in a video game produced by Ubisoft. The contest will be broadcast weekly on Shaw TV nationwide, and is currently scheduled to hold live auditions in nine cities across Canada. Judges so far include Michee Mee, Saukrates and Bishop Brigante.

The registration fee is $40, payable by credit card, PayPal or e-mail money transfer. Entrants can register and provide the required bios, photos, and audio files/recordings either via e-mail, postal mail, or link to a MySpace site or other page with downloadable links. For more information, visit the FAQ page. To enter, visit the registration page.