Supernova Entertainment

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Supernova.com
Type Private
Genre Interactive Music and Concerts
Founded 1992
Headquarters Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Area served North America
Key people Elliott Hurst (CEO)
Sandy Hurst (COO)
Sanford Liu (Director)
Industry Entertainment
Services A music community which promotes artists, producing live Battle of the Bands and showcase concerts.
Website Supernova.com

Supernova.com is an online music community and concert promotions company, producing Battle of the Bands shows since 1992. Headquartered in Toronto, Supernova.com produces live shows in Canada and the United States on a weekly basis. Supernova Battle of the Bands are live events which feature indie bands in large venues, in some cases with major label headliners.[1] Supernova.com provides emerging bands with the opportunity to play a live show. The Supernova.com online community allows users to explore music and connect with artists in the Supernova.com community, share and rate music and videos, and vote to determine the Battle of the Bands winners.

Contents

[edit] Supernova History

Supernova was founded in 1992 in Toronto, by Elliott Hurst and Sandy Hurst, as a means to provide unknown bands with an opportunity to play before a live audience.[2] The idea began when Elliott and Sandy booked their high school friend’s band into an all-ages show.[3] After that, they created Supernova and began running Battle of the Bands shows across Southern Ontario, Canada.

In 1997, Supernova launched Supernova.com, "where registered artists can post concert dates, pictures, and information about themselves" (Wall, 2003).[2] That year also marked the first annual Musicfest, a showcase which gave indie bands an opening spot for a Canadian headliner.

The series continued for six more years, including Rock The Border [1] which hosted 80 bands during 2 days, performing in front of an estimated 10,000 fans outside Summit Park Mall in Niagara Falls, NY.[4] Theory Of A Deadman and Default were booked to headline the two day event.

Soon after, Supernova.com expanded into several North American markets. Supernova.com has booked numerous headliners into showcases, tours and series, such as illScarlett, Finger Eleven, Silverstein, Bif Naked, 30 Seconds to Mars, Social Code, Breaking Benjamin, and No Use for a Name.

In 2007, Supernova.com ran its first United States national program, Out Of The Garage 2007. The year also saw Supernova.com re-launched as a social community.[5]

[edit] Leadership

Elliott Hurst
Elliott Hurst is the CEO and co-founder of Supernova. He studied at York University where he earned an MBA from Schulich School of Business, a diploma in Arts and Media Management, and a BFA in Film and Video. Elliott’s previous projects include the World University Consortium, and online distance learning co-operative; Online World Library, an aggregator of library resources; and the Casino Club of Canada, a charity fundraising company.

Sandy Hurst
Sandy Hurst is the COO and co-founder of Supernova. Sandy studied at York University and earned an MBA from Schulich School of Business and a BA in Psychology. Sandy’s previous projects include Machinehead Studios, a recording studio in Toronto; Club Rockit, a live events venue; and Canadian Booksellers Association.

Sanford Liu
Sanford Liu is Supernova’s Director of Interactive. Sanford holds an Honours Bachelor for Computer Science from the University of Toronto. His previous endeavours include Toronto District School Board and Henderson Bas, a Canadian interactive agency.

[edit] Battle of the Bands

Supernova.com shows are based on a Battle of the Bands format and feature approximately 12-15 local bands playing on any given night without an application process, fees, or auditions. There are also no age restrictions for either bands or audiences.[6] Bands sign up on Supernova.com, create a profile, and wait for a live show opportunity.

Bands are not compensated for ticket sales, but they are permitted and encouraged to sell merchandise at these shows without any commission fees. Because running all-ages shows can be quite costly because of expenses such as venue rental and security, much controversy surrounds Supernova’s ticket model.[6]

Bands are asked to sell tickets in order to secure the best set times, but every band is guaranteed an opportunity to play regardless of ticket sales. The band that sells the most tickets is offered first 'dibs' on their choice of time slot; the second best selling band gets second choice, etc. Each band also has an opportunity to gain exposure by sharing an audience with other bands of the night. Some bands have deemed this to be an unfair catch, accusing Supernova of being “yet another cog in the machinery of the music industry” (Walker, 2003).[6]

Prizes are awarded for each Supernova show, and differ for each show, tour, series, and sometimes by city. Prizes are awarded based on Supernova.com judging, and 'Wildcard' fan voting online after the show. Bands are judged by in-house judges. Judging criteria is based on show performance, stage presence, crowd reaction, and song originality. There has been much controversy surrounding the selection of judges and the credibility of their opinions. Several bands have claimed preferential treatment, and have said that bribes are accepted by the judges, although no instances have ever been reported.

Supernova.com shows rely heavily on bands generating self-promotion. Supernova.com provides bands with free promotional materials such as flyers, tickets, and tools on their website, to help bands advertise and promote their shows. These materials are available at no extra cost to the bands.

Supernova.com offers bands playing their shows a standard backline for the performance. Any additional equipment needed is at the discretion of the bands. A standard backline includes:

[edit] Battle of the Bands Trademark

Supernova owns the trademark of Battle of the Bands in Canada.[7] It was trademarked in 1998. Companies like Yamaha [2], Paramount Pictures [3] and Rogers [4] have partnered with Supernova to create branded Battle of the Bands to gain access to this trademark.

[edit] Tours

Supernova books professional headlining acts and incorporates them into Battle of the Bands shows; often presenting them with a multi-city tour.

Past headlined tours include:

[edit] Series

Supernova offers bands tiered competitions in the form of series. These series feature multilevel Battle of the Bands shows in various cities with bands competing to be a finalist in a final round. Rounds are normally broken down into qualifying, city finals, regional finals, and voting rounds.

Annual Supernova series include:

  • Summer Warfare [8]
  • Out of the Garage [9]
  • Band on the Run [10]

Past series include:

[edit] Participating Cities and Venues

Supernova produces shows in various cities in Canada and the United States.[17]

[edit] Cities

[edit] Canada

Greater Toronto Area
Hamilton
London
Kitchener
Guelph
Oshawa
Ottawa
Barrie
Montreal
Winnipeg
Calgary
Edmonton
Vancouver
Victoria

[edit] United States

Buffalo
Brooklyn
New York City
Chicago
Los Angeles
Detroit
Cincinnati
Columbus
Dallas
Houston
Pittsburgh
Seattle
Milwaukee

[edit] Venues

[edit] Canada

Annex Wreckroom
El Mocambo
Healey’s Roadhouse
Reverb and Holy Joe’s
Mavericks
Café L’Inconditionnel
The Pound
Tom Lee Music Hall
Chapel Arts Centre
Croatian Culture Centre
The Underground
Avenue Skate Park
Jet Nightclub
Graffiti Gallery
Music Hall Lounge
Foundation Nightclub
The Dungeon
Absinthe
The Gig

[edit] United States

Club Infinity
20th Century Theatre
Liquid Lounge
Fitzgeralds
Garfield Artworks
The Modern Exchange
Studio Seven
Whiskey Dicks
Rave Bar

[edit] Battle of the Bands Prizing

Bands participating in Supernova Battle of the Bands can expect to win prizes such as recording time at a local studio, and merchandise packages that include CD duplication, production, branded apparel and accessories. In special cases, Supernova has booked a first place winner into a headlining tour and into music festivals such as NXNE 2008 and CMW 2008 [18].

[edit] Supernova.com

Supernova launched its first website in 1997 to give indie bands an online home. Supernova.com existed as a means for bands to register, create a profile, and to sign up to play Battle of the Bands. Over time features were added to the website such as picture uploads, customizable profiles, messageboards, and voting polls.

In 2007, Supernova.com re-launched as a web 2.0 social network. Users interact with each other by posting and sharing content such as blogs, photos, audio, and videos. Fans, bands, and industry members can also create their own profiles and promote themselves to others. Bands promote their music and shows, fans promote their interests in music and bands, and industry professionals promote their services.

Supernova.com comprises user-generated and Supernova-generated content. Supernova.com lists dates for upcoming Battle of the Bands shows and features news, reviews, band interviews, and contests.

Supernova.com is also an online extension of Supernova’s Battle of the Bands. Fans are able to go online after a live show and vote for their favourite band to win a prize or advancement into a qualification round.

[edit] Supernova Alumni

The following professional artists have played Supernova shows:

Band Year Venue City Series/Tour
Billy Talent 1995 Gasworks Toronto Battle of the Bands
Sum 41 1996 Opera House Toronto Battle of the Bands
Three Days Grace 1996 Opera House Toronto Battle of the Bands
Sassing Mackenzie 1998 The Reverb Toronto Battle of the Bands
Finger Eleven 2000 Playdium Mississauga Musicfest
Swollen Members 2002 Playdium Mississauga Musicfest
Rascalz 2002 Playdium Mississauga Musicfest
Bif Naked 2002 Playdium Mississauga Musicfest
GOB 2002 Playdium Mississauga Musicfest
30 Seconds to Mars 2002 Playdium Mississauga Musicfest
Default 2003 Summit Park Mall Niagara Falls Musicfest: Rock The Border
Theory of a Deadman 2003 Summit Park Mall Niagara Falls Musicfest: Rock The Border
Britt Black 2005 Various Various National Tour
Flashlight Brown 2005 Various Various National Tour
Social Code 2005 The Docks Toronto muSICK Series
Gymclass Heroes 2005 Club Infinity Buffalo Musicfest
Breaking Benjamin 2005 The Docks Toronto muSICK Series
No Use for a Name 2005 The Docks Toronto muSICK Series
Magneta Lane 2006 Playdium Mississauga Summer Warfare
Silverstein 2006 Playdium Mississauga Summer Warfare
illScarlett 2006 Various Various National Tour
Cancer Bats 2006 Playdium Mississauga Summer Warfare
Armchair Cynics 2006 Various Various Western Tour
Idle Sons 2006 Various Various Ontario Tour
Social Code 2006 Various Various National Tour
Summerhero 2006 Various Various Ontario Tour
The Black Maria 2006 Various Various Western Tour
Johnny Truant 2007 Various Various National Tour
The Saint Alvia Cartel 2007 Playdium Mississauga Playdium Warfare
Rides Again 2008 Various Various National Tour
The Mission District 2008 Various Various Ontario Tour
Rebel Emergency 2008 Various Various Ontario Tour
Hail The Villain 2008 Playdium Mississauga Playdium Warfare
The Johnstones 2008 Playdium Mississauga Playdium Warfare

[edit] Supernova Controversy

[edit] Ticket Sales

Supernova has been criticized for their ticket model. Concerns were publicized when a Street Cents viewer wrote into the show about Supernova’s ticket policy. He was frustrated with being asked to sell tickets to a Supernova show. Street Cents, a youth advocate television program, approached Elliott Hurst with the viewer’s concerns. Elliott explained that many clubs and venues will not let a band play unless they can guarantee a crowd.

[edit] Judging

Concerns have been raised regarding Supernova judges. As posted by a user on Supernova.com, the judges are not visible. This leads bands to believe that no judges are present. Supernova conceals the identity of its judges at shows to discourage prejudiced judging.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Supernova.com Series & Tours"
  2. ^ a b Wall, K: "Logging on to the Indie-Net", Young People's Press, August 27, 2003
  3. ^ "About Supernova"
  4. ^ Michelmore, B:"Summit Park Mall Gets Ready To Rock",The Buffalo News, July 11, 2003
  5. ^ Cannon, J.:"Supernova.com A Site of Tools for Bands and Battle of the Bands"
  6. ^ a b c "Street Cents". Season 14, Episode 14. Perf. Connie Walker. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. CBC, Toronto. 3 February 2003.
  7. ^ "Industry Canada"

[edit] External links

  • Supernova.com[19]
  • Supernova on YouTube[20]
  • Supernova on Myspace[21]
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