It has been announced today that Cockermouth Rock Festival has been chosen as a festival partner for the Live & Unsigned 2012 competition.

Live & Unsigned which is the UK's biggest unsigned music competition for original unsigned bands and artists offers the winning act the chance to play at The O2 in London alongside some of the UK's best musicians as well as £100,000 in prizes, including an additional new main cash prize of £10,000 for the winning act to spend on development. 

Suggestion - Live & Unsigned, which is the UK's biggest unsigned music competition for original unsigned bands and artists, offers a £100,000 prize fund throughout the competition. Grand Finalists play at The O2 in London alongside some of the UK's best musicians as part of Live Fest, and the winner gets an additional new main cash prize of £10,000 to spend on development. 

Auditions will begin in January 2012 and all acts in the competition are auditioned live. Acts that make it through the audition stage will get to perform to industry judges, A & R associates and celebrity guests. Judges set to join the panel in 2012 include Radio 1 DJ’s Annie Nightingale, Tom Deacon and Daniel P Carter, Kerrang’s Alex Baker and Happy Mondays star Bez. 

CockRock has always actively encouraged unsigned bands particularly including Under 21 local bands who the festival dedicates the stage 'The Session Tent @ CockRock' to. The festival now see's thousands of unsigned bands and artists apply to play every year from both the local area and nationally, the team have even had applications from as far away as Russia, Australia and America! 

To build upon their passion for supporting unsigned bands and artists, the team behind CockRock will give four acts from the Live and Unsigned competition the chance to play to an ever welcoming crowd at the 2012 festival. 

Clint Stamper chairman of CockRock said ' We are delighted to have been chosen to work with a large national competition such as Live & Unsigned, CockRock is a big supporter of unsigned acts and we feel that the competition really echo's the festivals aims & objectives'.

Cockermouth Rock Festival is an annual non profit three day 5000 capacity grass roots festival held in Cockermouth, Cumbria.
Affectionately named 'CockRock' by local festival goers, the festival is now in its 8th year and is situated on the edge of the beautiful Lake District with idyllic camping, full panoramic views of the Cumbrian Fells and a friendly atmosphere that is second to  none!  

For more information on Live & Unsigned please visit www.LiveandUnsigned.uk.comThe festival was set up in 2005 to help provide support in the way of funding for two local causes, The Pride of Cumbria Air Ambulance and the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue, as well as to encourage and promote local bands and musicians.