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I’ll say it out loud: the days of mangled html, annoying embedded media, and gawky community sites are numbered. Audience participation is most definitely Web Two-Point-Oh and any site that can deliver what consumers want in clean fashion will stand out. Nothing embodies that more than OurStage. Founded late last year and opened to the public April 9, 2007, OurStage aims to bring artists (music, film/video, and even talks of photography) and audiences together. The availability of ‘prosumer’ quality equipment and accessible software editing has helped level the playing field for independent media producers. However, the final stage of that process, content delivery and matchmaking, is not so trivial. OurStage is a destination for both artists and fans, allowing a mutual exchange of feedback. LOTS more after the jump…

Fans can vote in judging battles spread across 19 channels of entertainment. Entertainment Jockeys (EJ’s) post daily video blogs discussing the latest industry news and current hot trends. Find an EJ with similar interests as yourself and you just found a way to filter through the thousands of entries, focusing your valuable time on noteworthy ones. Users first judge submissions on a face-off situation and can do so as many times as they choose. During the last week of the month, the top 10 artists of each channel face off and fans can vote among them using SMS Text Voting. There is a nominal fee for this which goes directly to fund the $100 per channel and $5000 per genre prizes.

In addition to the cash prizes and brief Internet notoriety, OurStage works with major industry players (CMJ, Verge Music Conference, Urb, etc) to provide partner rewards for emerging talent. Such rewards include inclusion in CD samplers, showcases in major publications, and stage spots at festivals. In the future, OurStage is adding a photography genre which I am personally excited about. It will finally bring a level of competition that it has not seen before. Additionally, OurStage will soon feature custom-merchandising opportunities for artists and music downloads via the site. I am excited for the possibilities this opens up as both a fan and supporter of independent artists, as well as someone who has always aspired to become one.