Livin' la Vida: Coldplay Auditions Opening Acts via YouTube

The internet: the gift that keeps on giving. Radiohead's MySpace Music video contest lead off the week, then Beck leaked two tracks from his upcoming album, followed by Weezer's YouTube single hitting the waves. Now it is Coldplay's turn as they premier a YouTube contest giving unknown groups the opportunity to open for one of the biggest bands in the world during the Viva la Vida tour. The contest is cooperating with radio stations in six markets: Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Hartford, Philadelphia and San Jose, CA, the tour stops scheduled to feature fledgling artists/contest champions.

Contestants are to upload their videos onto YouTube, where a panel of judges of radio station employees will watch them and whittle the field down to fifteen. After that, fan voting reduces the finalists to three (sound familiar?). Coldplay will watch the final trio and give the green light to their favorite. The gran prix: 20 minutes of stage time as Coldplay’s opening act, $2,000 and ten tickets to the concert. To enter, check out Coldplay’s tour page.

Too Sexy for Coldplay

Coldplay recently revealed that they recorded a song with Kylie Minogue, called Lunar, but it was deemed "too sexy" to make the cut for their new album, 'Viva La Vida (Or Death And All His Friends)'.

"At this point we cannot be that sexy," Frontman Chris Martin said, referring to why the track didn't make the cut for the new album. "It's a song called 'Lunar' and Kylie is particularly brilliant on it.

Martin said that the track would appear on an LP the band will release as early as 2009.

"It will be on a record...some time at the end of next year. It will be track nine, I imagine."

Martin went on the say that another song, a full vocal version of Life In Technicolour', an instrumental song on 'Viva…' will also appear on the album.