REGULATION 2024

Preamble

Art. 1 - The cooperative Mercurio, the association Be It and Uploadsounds Tirol promote the project Uploadsounds 2024 with the support of the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the Autonomous Region Trentino-South Tyrol, the Sparkasse Bolzano Foundation, the Province of Tyrol, the City of Innsbruck, Innsbruck Marketing and WKO Tirol, in cooperation with the EGTC "EUREGIO Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino".

Art. 2 - The project is a platform aimed at promoting young musicians up to the age of 35 who are resident or registered in Trentino, South Tyrol and Tyrol. It includes a competition and a euroregional music circuit in which soloists and up-and-coming bands can perform. This platform makes it possible to promote and export talent from the three provinces. UploadSounds aims to develop, promote and strengthen a Euroregional music community by overcoming language barriers through music. The competition has two categories for participation in the final auditions and evaluation by the high-quality jury: 1) General category (up to 35 years and over 21 years); 2) "Under 21" category [see articles 7 and 12 for more details].

Art. 3 - The artists who register between April 10, 2024 and October 6, 2024 will have the opportunity to participate in the general competition. They will also be included in the list from which the artists who will perform at the Upload On Tour dates organized by the partner organizations and other entities involved in accordance with the modalities described in Article 6 of this Regulation and taking into account the legislation in force will be selected. These performances will be open to top national and international acts that are also part of the tour. The selection of the musicians who will perform during the tour will be made by the organizers in the different territories. Decisions on the selection of groups are final and not subject to appeal. Care will be taken to allow the participation of musicians from each of the provinces mentioned in Article 2 in each concert, according to the organizational requirements and on the basis of cooperation between the different territories. For more information on the registration procedure, see article 6 of this regulation.

Conditions for admission

Art. 4 - All individual artists or groups, regardless of musical genre, who fulfill the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• they are authors or co-authors of the submitted unpublished song.
• they are residents or have their residence2 in one of the three provinces of the Euregio (Province of Bolzano, Province of Trento and Province of Tyrol). In groups with at least 3 members, the presence of 1 musician who is not resident or registered in Trentino, South Tyrol and Province of Tyrol is permitted.
• for the "General" category (from 21 to 35 years old) who have not reached their 36th birthday on 31.12.2024 (born between 1989 and 2002). In groups with at least 3 members, the presence of 1 musician older than the permitted age is permitted.
• For the category "Under 21", who have not reached their 21st birthday on 31.12.2024 (birth years from 2003). This category is intended exclusively for solo artists and bands whose members are under 21 years of age.

Art. 5 - The piece of music made available for participation in UploadSounds must have the
following characteristics:

• it must be original and unpublished;
• it must not contain any elements that violate the law or the rights of third parties and must not incite discrimination on the basis of race, gender or religion.
• it must not contain any advertising messages for persons, products or services.
• at the time of registration with Uploadsounds, the music title must not be the subject of a contract for the transfer of rights to a record label.

Registration/enrolment

Art. 6 - Registration is free of charge and directly on the website www.uploadsounds.eu from April 10, 2024.

The selection of musicians for the tour dates will be made by the music commissioners of the various territories from among the registered artists [Art. 3], while the general evaluation of the competition will be carried out by the high-quality jury in accordance with Art. 12.

Art. 7 - The registered artists will be judged in two separate categories: "Under 21" and "General", and will be entitled to separate prizes [Art. 12 and 13].

Art. 8 - For the registration to be valid, each participant must:

• Complete the registration form in all its parts, including the acceptance of this regulation and the declaration of exemption. In the case of musical groups, the request for participation must be made by a representative expressly delegated by the group representative and must include the exact name of the group and the personal details of its permanent members. For the purpose of verifying the requirements for authors or co-authors, as mentioned above, the entire collective forming the group will be considered as a single participant.
• Upload the song in mp3 format; each solo artist or group can only register with one song.
• Upload at least one image or photo (at least 300 dpi); uploading videos is optional but allowed.
• Upload a biography about your artistic career and musical project. The biography can be written in Italian, German or English.
• Upload the lyrics of the music title in Italian, German or English. The text can also be in another language; in this case, the translation into Italian, German or English must also be submitted.
• give your informed consent to the processing of personal data in accordance with EU Regulation no. 2016/679 (GDPR; see Art. 19 and 20 of this Regulation)
• To participate in Upload On Tour, musicians must submit an ENPALS exemption declaration (for live performances) for each band member at info@uploadsounds.eu together with a copy of their ID document. The exemption declaration can be downloaded from the website in the download area.

From the time of registration, the organization reserves 48 hours to review the requirements of the solo artist or band and the song and to approve the musicians' participation in accordance with this regulation.
Solo artists or bands represented by the same artists who submit multiple registration applications with different artist names or groups with different names but with the same members will not be accepted for registration.

Art. 9 - For underage participants, the registration must be signed by a parent (or an authorized person) by means of a special declaration of exemption that can be downloaded from the UploadSounds website or requested by e-mail. This declaration must be sent within 24 hours of online registration together with a copy of the identification document of the parent (or authorized person) and the minor artist to the following address: info@uploadsounds.eu.

Art. 10 - Registrations that do not meet the requirements or are received after the deadline will not be accepted for participation and will be deleted from the portal. The first three winners of the previous edition of UploadSounds (2023) are not eligible to participate in this year's music competition for the year 2024. However, it should be noted that the participation of the winners of special prizes (e.g. "Under 21") of the previous editions of UploadSounds will be considered eligible, provided that they submit a different song this year than the one previously submitted and now fall into the "General" category (up to 35 years and over 21 years) [Art. 2 and 7].

Selection

Art. 11 - The songs uploaded to the website will be evaluated by a panel of experts consisting of nationally and internationally renowned music experts, critics, producers and musicians (high quality jury).

The best musicians, not just the winners, will be considered for export promotion, both locally and internationally, using UploadSounds' network of partnerships with promoters, festivals, events and fairs, where possible and provided for under applicable law. The list of performance opportunities is regularly updated on the website www.uploadsounds.eu.

Art. 12 - The high-quality jury will select the 12 best solo artists or bands who will participate in the final live auditions of UploadSounds on October 26, 2024. 3 participants will be selected for the "Under 21" category and 9 participants for the "General" category. During the live auditions, each selected artist will perform two songs, the one with which he/she has registered and a second song of his/her choice, which must comply with the provisions of this regulation.

Art. 13 - The high quality jury will listen to and evaluate the performance according to the criteria in article 17 and award the first 3 places in the "General" category. An additional prize will also be awarded in the "Under 21" category. The prizes will be awarded on the day of the auditions (Art. 12), regardless of the geographical origin of the bands, but solely based on the decision of the evaluation panel.

The first place winner in the "General" category will also have the right and honor to perform as the opening act for a headlining artist at an event organized in collaboration with Uploadsounds. In case of unavailability of the first place winner, the other winners (second and/or third place in the "General" category) will be invited to perform depending on the availability of the artists.

Art. 14 - The final awards referred to in Article 13 may include support for production, promotion and artistic growth for a total gross value of at least 16,000 euros. This sum will be divided as follows: 7,000 euros for first place in the "General" category, 3,500 euros for second place, 2,000 euros for third place. Special prize U21: 3,500 euros.

During 2024, additional education, awareness and music production initiatives will be launched to encourage the participation of young people of school age in the initiative through the Upload School.

Art. 15 - The winners and awarded musicians of the competition and/or those who participate in Upload on Tour dates or are promoted in export undertake to promote UploadSounds in all their performances, productions and releases for the next 12 months, indicating specific modalities with the UploadSounds communication officers.

Art. 16 - The participants selected for the final live auditions in accordance with Article 12 will be notified by telephone or e-mail. The announcement of the selection will be made by October 15, 2024.

The refusal to participate and/or the absence of a participant from the live auditions will result in their exclusion from the competition.

Evaluation criteria

Art. 17 - The jury will assign a score to each song for each evaluation criterion. Each criterion has the same influence on the overall score. The evaluation criteria are:

• Originality: evaluation of the originality of the song, the creativity in the arrangements, the personal style of the performance and the musical and lyrical expression, if any.
• Technique: Evaluation of the performance technique, not as mere instrumental virtuosity, but as a cross-sectional category between instrumental skills, expressive means, arrangement - the technical realization of the song independent of the performance decisions, which can also be very simple, without being judged as inferior to other more complex and elaborate ones.
• Expressivity: Evaluation of the communicative and expressive qualities of the song, the lyrics and the performer, each within the parameters of their own genre and style.
• Composition and structure: Technical evaluation of the song's formal structure.
• Performance: Quality and level of live performance (only for the finalists who will perform live).

In the event of a tie, the incontestable judgment of the chairman of the high quality jury will prevail.

Conditions

Art. 18 - The organization is committed to ensuring the highest ethical, moral and professional integrity in all judging. The evaluation of the high quality jury is incontestable.

Art. 19 - By completing the registration form and thus participating in UploadSounds, the participants of the project declare themselves as follows:

• You sign and accept in full this regulation, release the Organization from any disputes related to the uploaded songs, their performance and possible conflicts over property rights, and release the Organization from any direct and indirect liability and discharge it from any responsibility towards third parties who may feel injured by their performance or misrepresentation of the authorship of the song;
• You grant the Organization the right to use, publicly perform, publish, reproduce, display, distribute and disseminate by any technical means of reproduction any contribution in voice/music/text (including the title) and image of the participants free of charge and without prior notice, directly or through third parties;
• You agree to maximum availability for participation in such other events as the Organization deems appropriate for the promotion of the Project and the respective band or solo artist;
• You agree to be solely responsible for the content submitted and statements made in accordance with this regulation regarding eligibility requirements. The Organization shall not be liable in any way for the unlawful, illegitimate, false or inaccurate nature of such content and shall not be liable in any way for any damages, including to third parties.

Art. 20 - Participation implies consent to the processing of personal data. By submitting photographic and biographical material, participants authorize the organization to use the same. In accordance with Article 13 of EU Regulation no. 2016/679 (GDPR) and generally in line with the transparency principle of the said GDPR, the following information on the processing of personal data is provided below. The Data Controller is the Mercurio Cooperative, with registered office in Trento, Corso degli Alpini, 15/B. For specific requests and information on data protection, including the exercise of the rights of the data subject, please send an e-mail to info@uploadsounds.eu.

The personal data will be processed for the following purposes: a) registration and participation in UploadSounds events; b) provision of main and/or optional services related to the event; c) compliance with legal requirements, regulations and EU requirements; d) handling operational requirements, reliability and creditworthiness, handling legal issues; e) networking; f) sending information material. In addition, video, audio, photographic, digital, electronic or other recordings (hereinafter referred to as "Recordings") will be made during the Events in order to document and use them for institutional, archiving and communication purposes, including but not limited to the following categories and/or similar categories: Presentations, reports, production of information material, communication activities through institutional channels and/or through local, national and international press, as well as through websites and social networks.

The lawfulness of the data processing arises from the fact that it is necessary for the participants to take part in the events organized by UploadSounds and for the organization to comply with the relevant legal obligations. Failure to provide this personal information makes it impossible to establish relationships with UploadSounds. The following categories of data may be processed for the above purposes: 1) Personal data, specifics, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, residence and other contact details and requested information; 2) Data showing the person's image and voice (video, audio, photographic, digital, electronic or other recordings); 3) Data on possible allergies, illnesses and/or dietary needs or restrictions.

The data will be: a) processed manually and by automated means on paper and/or electronic supports; b) processed by persons legally authorized to do so; c) using appropriate measures to ensure confidentiality and prevent unauthorized access by third parties; d) processed in contexts that do not compromise the personal dignity and reputation of the person concerned, taking the necessary precautions to ensure the confidentiality of use. The personal data collected must be kept for as long as necessary for the management of the event activities. The video and photographic recordings must be kept for the purpose of documenting institutional activities, archiving and communication, including but not limited to the categories and/or similar categories described above.

Apart from the communications necessary for the fulfillment of legal and contractual obligations, all data collected and processed may be disclosed to the following parties exclusively for the purposes mentioned above: System of registration; project partners; project auditors; stakeholders; insurance company; travel agencies, transportation companies, printing companies; hotels, tourism service providers and similar; operations managers; police, security services (for very important events requiring special surveillance by police officers); companies offering the collection and management of files and the submission of articles. Personal data will not be published for purposes other than institutional and communication purposes.

The registration system for events mainly uses the system on the website www.uploadsounds.eu, which uses the current terms of use and privacy policy. This information system provides for processing within the territory of the European Union. Beyond the aspects mentioned above, no communication of personal data outside the European Union is foreseen. 

According to Section III of the GDPR, the data subject has the right to exercise the right to: a) access to personal data (you therefore have the right to obtain information free of charge about the personal data held by the controller and to receive a copy in an accessible format); b) rectification of data (at your request, of incorrect, inaccurate data); c) withdrawal of consent (if the processing is based on your consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time, which will result in the cessation of processing); d) erasure of personal data - right to be forgotten - (e.g. the right to be forgotten). B. in the event of withdrawal of consent, unless there is another legal ground for processing); e) restriction of processing (in certain cases - challenge to the accuracy of the data for the duration of the verification; challenge to the lawfulness of the processing with objection to erasure; need to use the data for your defense rights, while they are no longer useful for processing; if there is an objection to the processing while the necessary verifications are being carried out - the data will be kept in such a way that it can possibly be restored, but cannot be accessed by the controller during this time, unless this is in connection with the validity of your request for restriction); f) objection to processing for legitimate reasons (in certain cases you may object to the processing of your data, and in any case you may object to processing carried out for direct marketing purposes); g) data portability (at your request, the data will be transferred to the person you have indicated in a format that facilitates their consultation and use); h) lodging a complaint with the supervisory authority (Data Protection Officer).

Art. 21 - UploadSounds is not liable for any misunderstandings, disruptions, losses or similar inconveniences or other events arising from the implementation of the selection procedures.

Art. 22 - During the period of validity of these regulations, UploadSounds may, at its own discretion, make additions and changes for organizational and functional reasons. UploadSounds may also make changes and additions in the event of unforeseen or emerging events in order to protect and preserve the artistic level of the project, while maintaining the spirit of the preamble and the structure of the event.

The additions and amendments shall be deemed to have been made after the updated regulations have been published on the website www.uploadsounds.eu.

Art. 23 - The organization declines any responsibility for damages, accidents or other events that occur before, during and after the event due to circumstances beyond the control of the organizers.

Art. 24 - The Organization is entitled to remove registrations, comments or anything else deemed offensive or inappropriate from the website www.uploadsounds.eu.

Art. 25 - Any dispute regarding the interpretation and implementation of these regulations will be submitted to the Court of Trento.

1) Possible additional co-financiers and sponsors may be added to Art. 1 of these regulations in the coming months.

2) The law defines domicile as the place where a person has their habitual residence, i.e. the place where the person normally lives, has their main residence address and registers with the municipality's residents' registration office. The domicile is determined by the place where a person has their main residence and has a certain stability in this place. Residence may differ from domicile and does not require registration with the residents' registration office. Persons who reside only temporarily in the three aforementioned provinces of the Euregio (e.g. vacation homes) are not eligible to participate in the present competition and to take part in the tour or specific activities for under-21s [Art. 43 of the Italian Civil Code].