Gospel Music Channel joins the likes of Fender, Guitar Center, Van’s Warped Tour, PacSun and Joe’s Jeans in partnering with FameCast Media to develop and launch a digital entertainment experience aimed at giving independent Christian musicians the chance of a lifetime.

The 2009 Indie Spotlight competition is a user-generated content (UGC) contest that is open to all artists and musicians of all styles whose music is written to uplift, inspire and entertain. In conjunction with Integrity Music, Fender Musical Instruments and FameCast Media participants are invited to upload their performance video at indie.gospelmusicchannel.com.

“As the nation’s only television network and leading website featuring all styles of Christian/Gospel music, supporting and discovering independent artists is critically important,” commented Philip Manwaring, GMC vice president of digital media. “To expand the reach of this contest and include as many fans as possible, we decided to make the Indie Spotlight contest an online platform.”

The contest website features two ways for people to get involved. The artists entry requires that participants submit a sound recording of one original song written by the entrant. Submissions should be no longer than six minutes in length and should be accompanied by a digital photo or cover image.

Fans can also register online and find, listen and vote for their favourite artists or groups. Public voting will help to determine the top 15 finalists who will be featured on Gospel Music Channel’s website. Artists will receive feedback from a panel of industry professionals that will make up the judges for the contest.

Ultimately one grand prize musician winner will have the chance to record with Integrity Music, $5000 in new music gear from Fender and appear on Gospel Music Channel. As well, three lucky fans will have a chance to win a high definition LCD flat screen TV.