Well, not all-out war, per se, but certainly a bonafide BATTLE OF THE BANDS feud!

HomeTownBandstand.com, part of the Hometown Times, Inc. family, is seeing a daily rise in numbers and hits since launching the site on April 1, 2007.

“We already have about 50 total members,” stated Sherry Sabine, President of HomeTownBandstand.com (HTB). “In seven days, we’ve had over 500 songs listened to and more than 2,000 pages viewed.”

The site was created to marry the music community with fans, promoters and venues. As it grows and develops, users will be able to log on and find bands in their local area, as well as local venues.

The same will be true for bands – they will be able to find local venues looking for acts to play or promoters looking for bands to work with. Additionally, bands will be able to post Video Press Kits on the site, which will enable venues and promoters to shop for new and upcoming bands easily.

Contests will feature prominently on the site and will change from month to month. The April contest is by popularity vote – the songs with the most ‘listens’ win.

Before long, the site will cross the country.  In fact, an up-and-coming female artist was featured on The Today Show on April 13 and shared with viewers that she had been discovered via the Internet.

One special feature HomeTownBandstand.com will offer is helping people find venues and bands to visit during vacations. Site visitors will be able to go to the web site, look up the city they will be visiting, view bands that play music in their genre of interest, find clubs where those bands will be appearing and set their plans in motion to visit while on holiday.

Fans love the site, as they are able to find bands right from their own backyard and support them at local shows, as well as get to know them online.

A major feature of the site will be the 'Intro Video.'  Basically, an 'Intro Video' is an introduction of the band to viewers. About 2 – 3 minutes in length, the video will feature the band answering questions about themselves, short action clips, and other items of interest.

“The beauty of the 'Intro Video' is that in just a few moments, a band can tell their story – who they are – to their audience. Viewers can get a real feel for what they're all about,” stated Sabine.

A feature show at Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Duluth is planned for May 26 as part of the prize package for the current BATTLE OF THE BANDS contest. Namaste Studio’s in Cumming, GA will be offering 12 hours of studio time in their high-end recording studio. Additionally, Rain Piercing Productions will not only shoot a professionally produced music video for the winning band, but will create a 4 – 6 week long ‘webisode’ about the making of the video.

Music fans are encouraged to visit www.HomeTownBandstand.com and listen to the amazingly talented bands featured there.

Bands are invited to build a page (each band can operate their own store from their site page), load all the music, pictures and video feed they want (virtually no limitations), and enjoy the beginning of something very special.

Additionally, if bands are interested in creating an 'Intro Video,' they are encouraged to contact Fred Scott at fredscott@hometownbandstand.com for further information and participating production companies. The cost of the video is $65.00. “Please note that it is not mandatory that an 'Intro Video' be produced through a participating studio, this is just a tool to help bands looking for a studio,” said Sabine.

For more information, visit www.HomeTownBandstand.com.