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.

Trendsetters: Radiohead Holds Music Video Contest

At last someone is putting MySpace to good use as prog-rockers Radiohead host a unique contest which highlights just why democracy was invented.
It's one thing to let your fans remix your songs, it's quite another to let them direct an offical music video. This kind of risky venture is hardly a first for Radiohead, as evidenced with "In Rainbows" groundbreaking release format, but it takes serious guts to entrust fans with your art, allowing them to dictate its direction. This time quite literally.

This time, Britain's avante-garde art-rockers are clearly up for anything, putting the creation of their next music video in the public's hands. The final field has been narrowed to 13 candidates as the contest draws to a close, with the champion crowned on June 30.

The winner gets a $10,000 prize, with the video becoming a part of the official Radiohead catalogue. Head over to the band's MySpace to vote for your favorite.
/add'l info via Paste.com

Radiohead snippets available on web

Fans anxious to hear any and everything from the Brit rocker's work in the studio can rest easy. Yorke and company have posted a short "behind-the-scenes-at-the-studio" spot on their website via VapourBrothers. “This is what happens when you spend too long listening to the same thing over and over again until you just cant tell anymore and you have to do something else instead,” says Yorke. The short film contains a collection of sounds, some of which might be snippets from a new Radiohead album.

MP3 - Radiohead: "No Suprises" (live @ KROQ)

Video - Radiohead short