What is Hard Working Class Heroes?  Hard Working Class Heroes is an Independent showcase festival for Irish bands & musicians.  This year there will be 100 bands in 6 venues over 3 nights in Dublin City Centre.  The venues are Shebeen Chic. The Button Factory, The Workmans Club, The Mercantile, The Grand Social & Twisted Pepper.  Hard Working Class Heroes and The City will feature bands playing in bookshops and coffee shops all over the city and the HWCH Industry will have plenty of panels and delegates to pose and answer questions on the industry  How do I/we get to play It?  You can apply to play the festival by creating a profile on Breaking Tunes & applying through your Dashboard. It’s all explained here:  When do I Need to apply by?  Applications opened on June 16th & are closed on July 16th  Why does it cost €10  First Music Contact who co-run the festival had their funding cut by 40%, yet we want to continue developing Breaking Tunes as a valuable tool for Irish artists to connect with the greater music industry worldwide. It’s all explained in greater detail here:  Do I get refunded if I don’t get in?  If your application is unsuccessful you can redeem your €10 application fee against the price of a weekend ticket for the festival. You can still attend the industry panels & book speed sessions with industry attendees. It’s also a great opportunity to check out live shows & network with other bands.
	Who picks the bands?  There is a panel of 35 judges hand picked from the music industry around the world. Representatives have included :  Labels: Barsuk, Downtown Records, Minty Fresh, (all USA), Warner Music UK, Universal Music Group UK, Domino (UK), Maple Music (Canada), Sony Music (Ireland)  Management: Kevin Patrick (The Ramones, Matt & Kim), Larry Little (ex-The Killers), John Epsom (Sons & Daughters), Monotone Management (The White Stripes), Justin Moffat (The Blizzards)  Publishing: Kobalt, Chrysalis, Bug Music, Sony ATV  Industry Websites/Blogs: Record Of The Day, Nialler9, Hype Machine, RCRD LBL  This is just a small selection of the judges we have had in recent years.  How is it judged?  The Judging criteria is split into 4 categories, Songwriting ability, Quality of Songs, Quality of Recording & Gut Feeling. Bear this in mind & submit your best work to give yourself the best possible chance of being accepted. The highest rated bands from each judge go forward to make up the final 100 bands.  When do I find out if I got accepted or not?  If you’ve applied you’ll get an email mid-August to let you know if your application was successful or not. Any advice?  It may sound obvious when you read this but put your best foot forward, give yourself the best possible chance. If you were hearing your band for the first time what song would you put first? Would you like to read a biography that outlines your life story or one that’s short & creates intrigue? Would you prefer to see a band portrait that looks like it was taken on a camera phone or one that was professionally shot?  So bearing these questions in mind make sure your Breaking Tunes profile is completely up to date, your biography is short & to the point/interesting, your photos are of the highest possible quality/resolution & all your gigs are up to date.  Then go here & apply for Hard Working Class Heroes 2011. If I don’t get accepted can you tell me why?  You can get in touch with us by ringing (First Music Contact) on 01 8782244 or 01 8782250 & asking for feedback on your particular application. All of our judges are required to provide feedback on the artists in their categories. It will be constructive & give you a better chance of successfully applying in the future.  What if I have any more questions?  If your question has not been answered here, email us at info@hwch.net or call us in the office (First Music Contact) on 01 8782244 / 01 8782250.