General
Eligibility
Registration
The Contest
Video/audio
Account manager
Technical issues
Prizes

GENERAL

Q: What is Fender® Get Road Worn?
A: Fender Get Road Worn is a competition to find America's most "road-worthy" band. Fender believes the road is where a band is broken in and proves they have what it takes to make it. Bands will compete for fan votes and Buzz Factor online at getroadworn.com until one act emerges victorious - and takes home a $50,000 prize package from Fender and Toyota.

Q: How do I enter a competition?
A:  First, you must register as an artist and create your Backstage. Once you have registered and confirmed your account via email, you can log in to your account. To enter a competition, you simply need to upload a video and an audio track. Be sure to pick a genre that fits with your music. For more information on how to upload a video, click here.    

Q: What if I don't have a video?
A:  Make one! You do not need to submit a professional video to enter the competition. Have a friend shoot a video of you performing or simply film yourself with your web cam. If you don't have access to camera equipment, try renting it.

Q: I’m not an artist, should I be here?
A:  Yes! Fans are crucial to Fender Get Road Worn as they have the power to decide which artists deserve the spotlight. As a registered fan, you can:

• Access our worldwide music community
• Find your new favorite artists & join their fan club
• Vote for the artists that you think deserve to get noticed
• Explore, create & share your own personal playlist
• Been seen & heard with your free fan page and blog

Click here to register as a fan, or click the "Join Now" link at the top of every page.

Q: I've sent several emails to getroadworn@famecast.com but have not received any response. Does Fender Get Road Worn read my emails?
A:  Absolutely. We read every email that we receive and can assure you that your voice is being heard. However, due to the high volume of emails we receive, we are not equipped to respond to every email. If you do not receive a response from us it is likely because we've already answered your question in this list of FAQs. Please take a moment to look through this list; if you don't find an answer, please be patient and we will respond to your email as time allows.

Q: How do I unsubscribe from Fender Get Road Worn emails?
A:  To unsubscribe from Fender Get Road Worn emails, click the "unsubscribe" link located at the bottom of any email you have recieved from us. If you would like to only receive certain emails from us, you can change your Email Options in your account manager.

Q: Can I upload MP3s of my songs?
A:  Yes, you can upload MP3's via the Media section of your artist account manager. If you're logged into your artist account now, click here to go directly to the "Add Audio" page.
 

ELIGIBILITY

Q: What are the age requirements?
A:  Artists and fans must be at least 18 years old to participate in the Fender Get Road Worn contests. If you are between the ages of 13 and 17 years old, you must have parental consent to participate.

Q: Can two or more people enter together?
A:  Yes. Solo artists, bands and collaborative works are all welcome to enter. Multi-member groups that enter together are considered to be a single entry.

Q: Do we have to be in a specific genre of music?
A:  No. The competition is open to all genres of music. We value and enjoy all music.

Q: I have audio tracks but no video, can I compete?
A:  No. The competition requires you submit one video and one audio track. If you don't have a video, make one.

Q: I am already on a record label. Can I still enter Fender Get Road Worn?
A:  No, Fender Get Road Worn is about getting one up and coming band road worthy. Bands must not be, under a recording contract with a music recording company, management company and/or agency, either individually or as part of a group.  

Q: I am not a U.S. resident. Can I still participate?
A:  No, the Contest is open only to U.S. citizens who are legal residents of the contiguous 48 states of the U.S. and the District of Columbia.

REGISTRATION

Q: How do I register?
A:  Click here to register as an artist or fan. Or, click "Join Now" at the top of every page.

Q: I never received a confirmation email after registering. What do I do?
A:  First, check your spam/bulk folder with your email provider. It's probably in there. If not, you can have the confirmation email resent to you by going here. Before doing so, be sure to add getroadworn@famecast.com to your contacts/address book so that the email does not get filtered into your spam.

Q: When I try to register it tells me that my email address has already been registered.
A:  Either you've already registered and you haven't received your confirmation email, or your email is in our system and you need to use your secondary email. An email address cannot be registered twice.

Q: I perform under two different artist names. Do I need to create two separate accounts?
A:  Yes. If you would like to submit videos under both artist names, they must be under separate accounts. And you will need a unique email address for each account.

Q: I am not an artist. Do I have to register?
A:  You are not required to register to visit Fender and watch music videos. But, you must register in order to vote and post comments.

Q: I've registered, but I would like to make changes to my profile, i.e. edit my band members, change my address, etc. Where can I do that?
A:  You can make changes to your profile by logging in and selecting the Profile tab in your account manager (HINT: If you are logged in and trying to find your account manager, use the "Account" link located at the top of every page). Don't forget to click "Update" before leaving the page or you will lose your changes!

Q: My fans, friends and family are having trouble registering to vote. What should I tell them?
A:  Read the answers to the above questions, it is probably related to one of the above issues. If not, please contact us with the specific details of your problem.

Q: I forgot my password. What should I do?
A:  At the top of the page, click Login. Enter your email address into the appropriate field and click "forgot password?". An email with your password will be sent to you.
 

THE CONTEST

Q: How does the contest work?
A:  All artists who have uploaded a video and audio track are entered into the competition. Based on a combination of Buzz Factor and votes, the field is narrowed to the Top 100, Top 50, Top 25, and Top 10. The Top 10 entries will be reviewed by a panel of qualified industry professionals who will weigh in on who makes the Top 5 round. Votes, Buzz Factor and the industry professionals will determine the ultimate winner. Please read over the how it works for additional information.

Q: How do I submit my media into the contest?
A:  Once an artist has uploaded both a video and an audio track, they will be automatically entered into the competition.

Q: How can I be certain I am entered into the competition?
A:  You can view your contest entries at any time by going to your Contests tab.

Q: What is a Buzz Factor?
A:  It’s a rating of 1-100 that our system automatically (and continuously) computes based on your fan activity on Fender Get Road Worn, FameCast and on other places like MySpace, Google, blogs, etc. The more you promote, the higher your Buzz Factor, and the better your chance of launching your career. Click here for tips on improving your Buzz Factor.

Q: How does voting work?
A:  You must register with Fender Get Road Worn to vote. After registering and logging into your account, watch music videos and click the vote button for any artist that you think is best. You may cast one vote per artist, per day and you may vote for as many artists as you wish. 

Q: How can I see my vote count?
A:  We do not display vote counts.

Q: If I send people to my artist Backstage page, will they be able to vote for me from there?
A:  No, people cannot vote for you directly on your Backstage, however, your Backstage does provide a link directly to where they can vote for you. If an artist is currently competing in a contest, you will see a "Vote for this artist..." link displayed above the video player. Click this link to go directly to the artist's video on the appropriate contest stage.
 

VIDEO/AUDIO

Q: How do I upload a video or audio track?
A:  To upload a video/track, you must be registered as an artist and logged into your account. In your artist account manager, click the Add Video or Add Audio button located in the upper-right corner of your Media tab. To ensure your video is entered into the contest, be sure to select the appropriate genre and sub-genre in Step Two. Audio tracks are not eligible for the contest.

Q: How do I upload a cover image for my media?
A:  To upload cover art, log in and go to View All under Media to view your media list. Under the Actions column, click the Edit link next to the media you would like to add a cover image to. Near the bottom you will see an Image File upload field. Browse and select the image you want. Be sure to save your changes by clicking Update before leaving the form!

Q: Can I submit a cover song?
A:  No. Fender Get Road Worn is looking for artists to submit original music. However, there are two exceptions. One being if the copyrighted work that you'd like to submit is in public domain, and two being if you, the artist, has already secured and can provide proof of the necessary rights to perform the work for distribution on the web. For more information, please see the Terms and Conditions of Use.

Q: Once I submit my work, does Fender Get Road Worn own the rights to it?
A:  Fender Get Road Worn only retains the right to market and use your video and/or audio track; we do not own your song, lyrics, film, etc. The artist maintains all intellectual property rights to their work.

Q: What’s the policy on profanity?
A:  Fender does not encourage profanity, however, we do support an artist's freedom of expression and therefore will allow responsible use of profanity and explicit content. We do retain the right to remove any videos that we believe to be abusing this policy.

Q: How do I embed a video or audio track?
A:  To embed a video/track onto another web page, go to to the video/track and click the embed < > icon located directly beneath the video player. Click the Copy button and then paste the code into your web site, blog, MySpace profile, etc. For example, to embed a video onto your MySpace page, log into MySpace and click Edit Profile. Paste the embed code from your video on FameCast into one of the sections located under Interests & Personality, such as About Me or Interests. You can type text both before and after the code to explain the video or let people know when the voting deadline is. For more help with embedded players, click here.

Q: What are the icons beneath each video for?
A:  The Facebook icon, , is for embedding videos/tracks in Facebook. Click here for directions on how to use it. The other icons, del.icio.us , digg,  StumbleUpon and  My Yahoo Web are for bookmarking and tagging your favorite FameCast videos and audio tracks. Clicking these icons takes you to the login page of the selected service, where you can log in or create a new account in order to share the video/track with other users of that service.
 

ACCOUNT MANAGER

Q: What do I do with my artist Backstage and account manager?
A:  Your artist Backstage is your personal homepage at GetRoadWorn.com. This is the place for you to connect with friends and fans, manage videos and audio tracks, and organize & promote yourself. You can also create and maintain a blog, notify your fans of your upcoming gigs, and send messages to your fan club using the messaging tool. Use your BackStage as a promotion tool to increase your fan base.

Q: How do I update my Backstage?
A:  Simply log in to your account and you'll be taken automatically to your account manager. From there, update your Backstage using each of the tabs at the top.

Q: I have an artist account. How do I enter other FameCast powered contests?
A:  Go to the site on which the contest is being held. When registering, check yes when asked if you have a FameCast profile. Or on you artist Backstage, go to the Contest tab.

Q: How can people join my fan club?
A:  On your artist Backstage, fans can click the "Join fan club" link located across from your band name and avatar. This link is also located on your contest stage when your video is playing.

Q: How can I remove offensive or unwanted comments on my videos/tracks?
A:  As an artist, you have the ability to remove any comment posted on your Backstage or on your contest video. To do this, log in and click the Comments tab located in your account manager. This page shows you all comments other users have posted on your profile/videos/tracks (Comments) as well as all comments you have posted on the profiles/videos/tracks of other users (Posted Comments). Under the Comments tab, find the comment you wish to remove by clicking View on the appropriate comment location. Then simply click the blue Delete link next to any comment you want to remove.

Q: How do I change the order that my videos or audio tracks appear in my BackStage?
A:  To change the order of your videos/audio tracks, log in and click the View All link under the Media tab in your artist account manager. In your media list, you will see up and down arrows next to each of your videos/audio tracks (they are located under the Actions column). Use these arrows to reorder your media however you like. The video appearing as Track #1 is the one that automatically plays when someone goes to your Backstage page. If you've only uploaded audio, the audio appearing as Track #1 plays by default.

Q: I received an email notifying me of a friend request, but I don't know where I go to approve or decline the request. Can you help?
A:  Log in to in your account manager. Your Dashboard and Friends link will both list any friend requests that are awaiting your approval.
 

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Q: What do I do if I have problems uploading my video or audio track?
A:  Please report all upload issues using the Upload Report form.  

Q: Why do videos stream in segments rather than buffering and playing in their entirety?
A:  This site uses a pure streaming technology. Each time you want to play a video, it will be streamed through the Internet. If you have an unstable connection, videos may display choppy.
 

PRIZES

Q: What is the prize for Fender Get Road Worn?
A:  The grand prize winner will get the ultimate package to get them Road Ready.    

Prize Package details
 
Vehicle
Customized 2008 Toyota® Tundra® 4D Crew Cab
2008 6x10 Gear Trailer Customized by Studio Number One and OBEY GIANT
$1500 Fuel Allowance
 
Bass Gear
Fender® Road Worn™ 50s Precision Bass® Fiesta Red
Fender Road Worn 60s Jazz Bass® Sunburst
Fender 610 Pro Speaker Cabinet       
Fender TB-600 Amplifier Head
 
Guitar Gear
Fender Road Worn 60s Stratocaster® Sunburst
Fender Road Worn 50s Telecaster® Blonde
Fender Super Sonic™ Amplifier Head
Fender Super Sonic™ 412 speaker enclosure
Fender BAND-MASTER® VM 212 Speaker enclosure
Fender BAND-MASTER® VM Amplifier Head
 
Drums
Gretsch® MCE825PT Catalina Maple 6-Piece Drum Shell Kit