Deezer and Firestone are once again supporting new talent with a second edition of 'Road to the Main Stage'

23 February 2023 - Press release

After a successful collaboration in 2022, Deezer and Firestone are once again partnering for the ‘Road to the Main Stage’ music talent showcase, where young artists are given a platform to promote their talent to millions of music fans. 

For the 2023 edition of this multi-country talent search, Firestone, its agency WAVE and Deezer are searching for up-and-coming artists and groups in France, Germany and the UK.

‘Road to the Main Stage’ provides money-can’t-buy opportunities for the winning acts, including a gig on the Firestone stage at Rock en Seine (FR) and Southside Festival (DE) in 2023. The winners will also get to record a studio recording session of their next EP in the Paris HQ.

“We’re excited to continue our successful collaboration with Firestone and once again provide a stage for emerging artists through 'Road to the Main Stage'," said Mazen Abdallah, VP Brand Partnerships and Ad Sales at Deezer. “Deezer has a long tradition of supporting the growth of new artists and connecting them with a bigger fanbase. Firestone shares this ambition, and after the success of last year's collaboration, it was clear we had to do it again.”

Firestone’s UK Marketing Manager Andy Mathias said: “What separates 'Road to the Main Stage' from so many other grassroots initiatives is the incredible prizes afforded to the winning artists. Just like Firestone tyres, our music programme has developed and evolved, and our partnership with Deezer continues to add credibility and prestige to our competition.”

The competition is hosted on a dedicated platform and organized in four different steps:

1. Call for entries (8th February to 22nd March 2023): young artists are called upon to apply directly on the platform by submitting their best project (track or EP) as well as a description of their musical universe and a few photos. To participate, artists must not have signed a contract with a record company nor have released a full album.

2. Pre-selection and public vote (12th April to 24th May 2023): several artists are pre-selected by Firestone and the Deezer teams to continue the competition. The shortlisted projects are then voted on by Deezer users to choose their favorite artist.

3. Selection of the Grand Prize Winner (15th June 2023): the artist with the most public votes is then elected the Grand Prize Winner of the competition.  He/she/they will have the chance to perform on the Firestone stage atRock en Seine and Southside Festival. In addition, the winner will receive a recording session at the Deezer studio in Paris, and their artist profile will be featured on the platform.

4. After recording their new EP, winners get extra media exposure on Deezer to boost their visibility and streams. 

Each competition phase is supported by a powerful audio, video and display media plan on Deezer.

‘Road to the Main Stage’ is a unique opportunity and experience that newcomer artists Renard Tortue (FR), Jante (DE) and Dweamz (UK) could take advantage of after having successfully participated in the competition in 2022. 

For over 100 years, Firestone, an iconic brand in the automotive industry, has been encouraging new artists. As far back as 1928, Harvey Firestone launched The Voice of Firestone, a radio show that gave a voice to emerging artists.