Do you want to become a Spokes Model for this year's Bal en Blanc?

Bal en Blanc has a brand new contest for dancers that gives one lucky winner the chance to be a part of the BEB Spokes Models' team that includes free access to the event, full makeup and hair-styling, and more. Watch the promo video: 

To win you must: 

- Share the promotional video about the contest on Facebook.
- Subscribe to the Bal en Blanc YouTube account.
- Share a video displaying your dancing skills on Instagram before March 28th 2014 at 11:59pm.
- Make sure to include the following text as your video description:
''I have what it takes to be a Spokes Model for @balenblancmtl! I want to dance for @Hardwell, @newworldpunx, @CarlCoxofficial, @Nervomusic, and many more at #BalenBlanc 2014 -- Edition 20! #BEB20''.
- Tag @balenblancmtl in the video.
- Share your video on Facebook.
- Send the video file to nic@productionsplayground.com*
- Invite your friends to follow the Bal en Blanc YouTube page and invite them to ''like'' your video once Bal en Blanc publishes the playlist with all applicant videos.
- Be of 18 years of age or older.

For full rules of the contest, please visit the 'About' section of the Youtube video - good luck!

The painful reality of making it as an artist within the electronic dance music world

When you're a big headlining DJ travelling the world, earning $200,000 per gig, flying in private jets, hobnobbing with stars, with millions of adoring fans, life is good. But to many others just a few rungs down the ladder,  there sits artists like OWSLA's Nick Thayer, who are still globetrotting DJs but is finding it hard to make all of the ends meet.

In his latest Tumblr post, he takes readers into an intimate look at how difficult it is to make it as a thriving artist within the electronic dance music world. He reveals how he had actually LOST money in the release of the "Like Boom" EP, released in 2012. What about touring? Nick Thayer gives us a sobering look at the small profit margin after all of the fees and travelling costs of an average three week touring schedule actually looks like. Here's a snippet: 

"You can usually get the club to pay for a hotel on the night of your show, but that’s it. So that leaves maybe ten nights where you are covering it at $100 a night if you can find it. Often they will be much more expensive so you survive by sleeping on couches in friends’ places every second night. That’s $1687 left. Now pay management 15% and we’re at around $1434. Then there is food to pay for cause you can’t live on bar snacks for three weeks. At $30 per day (that’s $10 for b’fast lunch and dinner) for three weeks is around $600 and at that point all you’re left with is around $800 for three weeks’ work, which is not exactly a fortune." (Click here to read the entire post)

What's the takeaway here? SUPPORT your favourite artists! If you like them, BUY their music, BUY their merch, and of course, attend their shows whenever they play near you. Life at the top of the DJ'ing world seems almost too easy, but it's guys like Nick Thayer and even local talents that we need to keep mindful of in order for this entire scene to thrive. Thanks to Nick for reminding us of this important fact. 

To read the entire Tumblr post, click here. Highly recommended. 

Free download: Grandtheft & Thugli - "Heavy Hitterz"

This track comes from 3 Canadian talents, Mad Decent's Grandtheft, and the duo known as Thugli, who bring us a free download called "Heavy Hitterz", check it out: 

To get this as a free download, click here.

(VIA DAD)

Get your drum & bass fix by downloading the WMC Miami WODB LP 2014

In support of their upcoming Miami event on March 27th, Formation Records has released the DJ SS World of Drum & Bass compilation featuring the likes of Drumsound & Bassline Smith, and more for free: 

This is a huge compilation that has been generously released for free, all you have to do is visit the Formation Records site, create an account, and follow instructions to secure your free download. Click here to get started. 

(VIA DAD)

Free download: fresh mix by Canadian drum & bass artist Rene LaVice

The Toronto based RAM Records talent Rene LaVice has created a new hour and a half DnB mix in support of a new drum & bass live show series called EMP Sessions to debut at Aria Complex on April 4th, check it out: 

To get this mix as a free download, click here. 

For more information on the first EMP Sessions event with Rene LaVice headlining in Toronto on April 4th, click here.