Lightning 100’s Music City Mayhem is Nashville’s premiere new music discovery competition, exposing listeners to emerging talent while allowing Nashville’s Independent Radio to identify and support local stars in the making! Thirty-two local artists are chosen to battle it out on-air and online as they vie for the title of Music City Mayhem champions! It’s up to you, the fans, to determine who wins the grand prize.
WITH SUPPORT FROM
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2023 WINNER, MULTI ULTRA!
Thanks for voting over 25,000 times to help us select our 2023 champions, Multi Ultra!
MEET THE CONTESTANTS
PRIZE PACKAGE
The winning band will receive the coveted Music City Mayhem trophy and join the ranks of some of Nashville’s best emerging and established acts. The winning band will also receive an extensive artist development and promotion package that includes the following perks:
- Heavy rotation in Lightning 100 airplay on 100.1FM for 12 weeks
- Advertising package on Lightning 100
- Valued at $3,200
- A performance slot in a Lightning 100 showcase
- Studio Recording Session at SAE Institute
- 2 days of studio time, scheduled with SAE Institute team plus engineer
- Recording in Studio A with SAE’s SSL9000 recording console
- Valued at $1,400
- Annual membership to HOME UNLIMITED & The Elite Artist Program:
- HOME Unlimited provides unlimited bookings for writing, recording, rehearsal and content creation
- The Elite Artist development program provides mentorship, educational workshops, pitch opportunities and music promotion services
- Valued at $2,400
- $300 gift card to Gruhn Guitars
- 1 free case a month of Switters Iced Coffee for 1 year
- Valued at $528
- A pair of T7V Monitor Speakers from Adam Audio
- T7V is a two-way studio monitor optimized for vertical use in a near field application. With its extended frequency response, high dynamic range, excellent transient response, and wide sweet spot, the T7V is perfect in small control rooms for music, video, and broadcast production
- Valued at $500
- $400 Gift Certificate to Nashville Denim Company
- $1000 painting credit from Nashville Paint Company
The Runner-Up will receive:
- $200 gift card to Gruhn Guitars
For official rules, click here.
NEW: VOTER PRIZE
Vote every day to increase your chances to win the Bonnaroo VIP Experience worth $2,000!
Click here to learn about the Bonnaroo VIP perks.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2022 WINNER, TAYLOR BICKETT!
PAST MUSIC CITY MAYHEM CHAMPIONS
2021 — Nordista Freeze
2020 — Fulton Lee
2019 — Creature Comfort
2018 — Jackson Bruck & The Dukes of Hume
2017 — The Voodoo Fix
2016 — Mountains Like Wax
2015 — Smooth Hound Smith
2014 — Phin
2013 — LuLu Mae
2012 — Roots of a Rebellion
2011 — Eastern Block (The Lower Caves)
2010 — Grand Magnolia (Paul McDonald)
2009 — Moon Taxi
“Music City Mayhem has been a true blessing to everyone here at Lightning 100 and the Nashville music community. Just look at our inaugural winner from 2009, Moon Taxi. We just saw them headline Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium and sell over 5,000 tickets. We have discovered so many great Nashville bands from the contest over the years. Every time we ask for submissions, we find someone new to love. Over the years the prize has gotten bigger and more valuable and it’s attracted more and more talented acts. Winning and playing Live on the Green is a big deal. Past winners have realized they were not even ready for all that came from being champions.” – Dan Buckley, Program Director
“Music City Mayhem was an experience that fit its name! It put us on the map overnight. Prior to the competition, it could be tough booking shows and gaining traction in town, but Mayhem helped legitimize what we were doing. Opportunities present themselves constantly now. There is a standard that has to be met in order to win MCM, and we are very thankful to be a part of the list of champions.” – Jackson Bruck, Music City Mayhem winner of 2018
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