Are you a MOTOROKR Star? Asks Wyclef Jean & Fergie

Motorola, today, is launching a ‘sensational competition’.

Have a guess.

Two words as a cue:

‘MOTOROKR’ and ‘star’.

What do you think the sensational competition involves?

American Idol style voting, anyone?

Win a recording contract?

Judging by Wyclef and Fergie?

All expenses yada yada?

Yup.

That’s the one.

The competition, which will be judged by music icons and Motorola brand ambassadors Wyclef Jean and Fergie, gives ten finalists the chance to experience the life of a superstar with an all expenses paid recording trip to New York. One budding pop star will then be chosen to win an amazing prize, which includes the chance to record a brand new song specially written by Wyclef Jean for the competition, vocal coaching by acclaimed singer Fergie and a recording contract with a major record label.

If you’re a budding talent, you can send a glorious piece of shit 100 pixel wide rubbish video via MMS.

Or. More likely. Better idea: Submit a video performance online.

Or even better, turn up to the roadshow touring Britain. The MOTOROKR Star Audition Booth is visiting six major shopping centres — Bristol, Lakeside London, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow.

Once this has taken place, the public, predictably, are asked to vote for their favourite entries.

In January 2009, the 100 most popular tracks will be judged by a panel of music industry experts to find the ultimate top 10 entries.

The 10 finalists will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York with a professional recording session in the city’s top studio.

And if you win?

An expert judging panel, which will include Wyclef and Fergie, will then choose the winner. The UK MOTOROKR STAR will receive:

· A recording contract with a major record label*

· Vocal coaching by Fergie

· A 12 month management deal* with Maximum Artist Management, whose clients include The White Stripes, Eva Longoria and Elisha Cuthbert

· The opportunity to record a song specially written by Wyclef Jean for the MOTOROKR STAR competition

Interestingly, you don’t get a free Motorola ROKR handset.

You’d think that if you went all the way, you might qualify for a free handset?

Or, will everyone be using iPhones anyway?

The underlying point of this no doubt expensive marketing effort is to shed light on Motorola’s ROKR handset range.

Yeah.

Every time someone says ROKR to me — and, let’s be clear, that doesn’t happen often — I think of that godawful original ROKR handset that would store, what was it, 100 songs?

Despite issuing the press release today, the Motorola ROKRStar site isn’t yet online. Give it a few days and you can find out more here: www.motorola.com/motorokrstar

I wonder just how far behind Motorola are going to be when Sony Ericsson bring out their Omnifone handset and when Nokia’s Comes With Music hits the marketplace.

The MOTOROKR Star marketing will be immediately forgotten by the normobs when they’re in Phones4U selecting their new Sony or Nokia.

The ROKR E8 — Moto’s flagship music handset certainly looks good. More and more though, I wonder if the handset maker is being forgotten by the UK at least.

When’s the last time you bought a Moto?