Hot16

Raedio, Issa Rae‘s “audio everywhere company,” and Honda are partnering to create a new music competition series to discover and develop new artists and take their emerging careers to new levels.

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Breaking Out: An Artist & Discovery Platform contains multiple endeavors, and its first one launched Monday, while others will be announced in the coming months. Honda Hot 16 is a unique freestyle competition where Raedio and Honda are in search for the next breakout star.

“Partnering with Honda to discover new talent will redefine how audiences engage with artists and music experiences,” said Clarissa Reformina, Raedio senior vp of strategy, in an emailed statement. “This collaboration is aligned with Raedio’s mission to serve creators first with new platforms and produce culturally relevant music, digital content and podcasts.”

Artists can text “HONDA HOT 16” to 310-356-9895 to learn how to upload their freestyle in order to be considered in the competition, or they can visit theraedio.com/raedioxhonda. Artists can then download the #HondaHot16 beat provided by Raedio, record their best 16 bars over it and submit it. The top three winners of the 16-bar competition will be announced on March 1, 2023.

The first-place winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles in the spring and the opportunity to be the opening performer for a very special headlining act at the Roxy Theater. The second and third place winners will have the chance to win a one-on-one meeting with a Raedio executive, studio time with an engineer, Bluetooth audio devices and cash gift cards.

The competition series was also launched to help expand Honda’s music programming, which includes the Civic Tour that has provided more than five million fans with exclusive, interactive concert experiences and Honda Stage partnership with Billboard that brings music’s up-and-coming stars to the stage and their stories to life.

“Honda’s collaboration with Raedio advances our commitment to helping artists on the rise by providing them with a platform to pursue their dreams,” added Phil Hruska, senior marketing manager at Honda. “This latest Honda music initiative also enables us to build new relationships with young, multicultural customers and introduce them to fun-to-drive Honda vehicles.”