GBB 2024 Wildcard Competition Rules and Application – Swissbeatbox - World’s largest Beatbox Platform (2024)

In short

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About the competition

The Grand Beatbox Battle 2024 will take place in the TOYOSU PIT in Tokyo, Japan, on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd November 2024, with the 7toSmoke Battle and Afterparty happening on the 4th of November 2024 at another venue(TBA).

All information regarding GBB 2024 and how to buy tickets can be found on the offical event website gbbofficial.com

Below is a list of significant changes – if you would like more information about these changes, the categories themselves, or reasons why we made them, please see below under the relevant category.

1. The main event lasts 3 days
   1. The event will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (1st – 3rd November 2024)
   2. The 7 To Smoke and Afterparty will be held on Monday, 4th November(public holiday), and is treated as a separate event.
2. The categories, wildcard spots, and total participants for the 2024 edition are:
   1. SOLO 6 (total 16 including 10 pre-qualifiers)
   2. LOOP 6 (total 8 including 2 pre-qualifiers)
   3. CREW 3 (total 4 including 1 pre-qualifiers)
   4. PRODUCER 3 (total 4 including 1 pre-qualifier)
   5. TAG TEAM 6 (total 7 including 1 pre-qualifier)
3. Every category will have its qualifications through wildcards. Only the solo and loopstation categories will have live events that will qualify besides wildcards. (please see FAQ for more info).
4. People already qualified for the GBB24:
   1. GBB23: top 3 in Solo, Tag-Team and Loopstation
      1. it has been confirmed that among the Top 3 winners of GBB23 in the LOOPSTATION category, only Matej has decided to participate in GBB24. This decision has resulted in a decrease in the number of prequalifiers for the Loopstation category from the initially anticipated three to now just one
      2. it has been confirmed that among the Top 3 winners of GBB23 in the TAG TEAM category, only JAIRO has decided to participate in GBB24. This decision has resulted in a decrease in the number of prequalifiers for the TAG TEAM category from the initially anticipated three to now just one
   2. GBB23: Crew 1st place Winner
   3. GBB23: 7tosmoke winner – qualified for the Solo category
   4. GBB23: Producer 1st place winner
   5. GBB23: U18 1st place winner – qualified for the Solo category
   6. Beatcity: 1st place winner – qualified for the Solo category
   7. Florida Beatbox Battle: 1st place winner – qualified for the Solo category
   8. Great North Beatbox Battle Canada: 1st place winner – qualified for the Solo category
   9. Mena Region: qualifier – qualified for the Solo category
   10. Beatland Battle: 1st place Loopstation winner and 1st place Solo winner
5. The final confirmations of participation from the GBB23 pre qualifiers are due by the 30th of January 2024.
6. If any pre-qualified people can’t participate or cancel, they will be replaced with a wildcard winner from GBB24 (and not the 2nd place of the battles!).
7. Participants at GBB24 are required to be aged 16 or above(at the time of the GBB24 happening). In the event of a minor (under the age of 18) winning a wildcard spot, it is mandatory for the participant to be accompanied by a guardian. The organiser does not bear the responsibility for covering additional expenses related to the guardian’s participation, including but not limited to visas, flights, hotels, and food. Failure to comply with this requirement, i.e., attending the event without a guardian when under 18, is strictly prohibited. In cases where a legal guardian cannot be provided, disqualification will ensue, and the next eligible participant in line will be selected.
8. The individual judge’s results will still be shared, but anonymously. Artists, teams and crews can contact judges directly and ask for feedback about their wildcards privately.
9. The pre-eliminations of the 7 To Smoke will happen on the day of the event. There will be an open elimination for about 2 hours. More info TBA.
10. GBB participants, judges and everyone else are allowed to enter the 7 To Smoke.
    For the elimination, you must be 18 years old (unless you are a GBB participant).

General Rules

Please ensure you read EVERYTHING in this document with care and detail. If you miss a piece of information that is important for the application process, and that in turn leads to a disqualification of your wildcard, we will not be making any exceptions. It is up to YOU to inform yourself about all rules and regulations regarding the GBB24 wildcard application process!

The wildcard competition for Solo, Tag-team, Producer Showcase, Solo Loopstation Battle and Crew categories will be open for submissions from midnight on the 21st of January until 11:59 pm CET of the given date of the ending of each category. To participate in the wildcard competition, participants must upload their wildcards to YouTube and then post the link in the submission form available here on the Swissbeatbox website.

Wildcards can only be registered ONCE – if you have uploaded a wildcard earlier in the registration window and then decide later to upload a new one, this new wildcard will not be accepted. Instead, we will only judge the original upload. If you delete your original upload and try to replace it with a new one, you will forfeit your wildcard and not be accepted into the competition. This is to avoid confusion in the registration and judging process that happened at GBB19 – wildcards were replaced with newer versions that were not registered correctly, and some people’s wildcards were not judged at all. So, MAKE SURE that the wildcard you upload is your FINAL version, as you cannot edit or re-upload it later.

Any recording method is allowed for the wildcards – that is to say, you can use anything from a smartphone camera to a professional setup with a separate microphone and camera. You need to be clearly visible on camera (no masks or visual effects covering your face or mouth). No lip-syncing or other video techniques are allowed – every wildcard for every category must be filmed and recorded simultaneously! You may process your audio recording with basic dynamic (compression), EQ plugins, and reverb – this must be done in post; the recording itself must be raw. Automated processing, such as EQing and compressing the kick and snare differently, is not allowed; the entire recording must be processed the same. Also, distortion, delay, or any other time-based or frequency distortion effects are strictly forbidden, as these alter the integrity of your audio recordings.

These things will be strictly monitored, so if you try to use any illegal processing methods without telling us, we WILL find out, and you will be DISQUALIFIED from the wildcard competition.

You must submit a copy of the raw audio and the raw video (with camera audio included) when you submit your wildcard. For loopstation, producer category, tag-team, and crew, you must also submit a screen capture of your recording taking place. This is to check for cheating and the integrity of the application.

If the original raw audio/screen capture/raw video is not present / absent when you submit your wildcard, your application will not be accepted.

All participants MUST introduce themselves in the video as follows – “My name is [ARTIST NAME], and this is my [CATEGORY – e.g. Solo, Loop, etc.] wildcard for the GBB 2024 World League.” If this statement is not included at the beginning of the video, it will not be accepted. This is to avoid people using previous uploads or shoutouts as wildcards for this event – your wildcard MUST be a unique video made specifically for entry into the GBB24: World League event. It is also designed this way to encourage creativity and innovation within the beatbox community. Your introduction will NOT be included in the timing of the wildcard submission. The time starts from the moment you start your wildcard beatbox routine (that includes vocals, rapping, singing, or any beatbox sound).
The title of the Wildcard Video must be labelled as follows:

[ARTIST NAME] – GBB24: World League [CATEGORY] Wildcard (OR) Grand Beatbox Battle 2024: World League [CATEGORY] Wildcard (e.g. Pepouni – GBB24: World League Solo Wildcard).

Finally, the length of the beatboxing time in the wildcard video must be no longer than plus 10 seconds of the length of that category. For example, if the wildcard is allowed to be 3 minutes long, then you are allowed a maximum of 3 minutes and 10 seconds of beatbox time in that video. This does not include your intro or outro in the video, only the beatbox time of your wildcard.

If you are over the allowed amount of time, every second you beatbox overtime will take 1 rank off of your final ranked result (starting with the first second being too long). That means, the judges will not punish you for being over the allotted time, but once the final rank score has been confirmed, your rank will be reduced by the amount of seconds you have gone overtime.

Undertime will not be punished; however, you are punishing yourself by not taking full advantage of the allowed time to show your skills and music, and those who take full advantage of the time given will have a better chance to win a wildcard spot.

Videos must be uploaded to YouTube, and the link posted in the registration form available here on our website.

If we suspect any rules have been broken, we will review the wildcard application. If we cannot verify the legitimacy, for example, illegal processing or lipsyncing, you will be disqualified, so please make sure you keep all relevant files on hand, both the raw audio, the raw camera, the project file where the audio was mixed (if you did not mix it, then please discuss it with your sound engineer to make sure he keeps a copy of the project), and the screen capture of your recording.

Wildcard Category Overview and Rules

Following are the specific rules, guidelines, and application dates for each wildcard category.

Solo Battle

1. Beatbox time: 2 minutes + 10 seconds
2. Wildcard Competition dates and announcements.
   1. Applications open from 21st January (00:00 am CET) to 9th March (11:59 pm CET).
   2. Judge Announcement: 31st March (time tba)
3. Wildcard Judges:
   1. FootboxG
   2. Colaps
   3. Hiss
4. A minimum of 5 wildcards will be chosen.
5. You must submit an original raw (unprocessed) version of your audio recording and a raw copy of your main camera file, including the camera audio.

Tag-Team Battle

1. Beatbox time: 2 minutes + 10 seconds.
2. Wildcard Competition dates and announcements.
   1. Applications open from 21st January (00:00 am CET) to 23rd March (11:59 pm CET).
   2. Judge Announcement: 12th April (time TBA)
3. Wildcard Judges:
   1. River’
   2. Colaps
   3. Chris Celiz
4. 4 wildcards will be chosen.
5. You must submit an original raw (unprocessed) version of your audio recordings (both channels, if you recorded using multiple microphones), along with a raw copy of your main camera file, including the camera audio.

Loopstation

1. Beatbox time – 3 minutes to 3 minutes and 30 seconds.
2. Wildcard Competition dates and announcements.
   1. Applications open from 21st January (00:00 am CET) – 9th March (11:59 pm CET)
   2. Judge Announcement: 30th March (time tba)
3. One main loopstation device allowed:
   1. BOSS RC505 mki
   2. BOSS RC505 mkii
4. One simple MIDI controller (TBA) is allowed.
   1. Pre-approved MIDI devices:
      1. Launchpad Pro MK3
      2. Arturia Beatstep
      3. Arturia Keystep
   2. If you have one not on the approved list, please contact us ASAP via [[emailprotected]]
5. You can use these devices to their fullest extent, as long as you follow the below rules.
6. All sounds must be generated live through the human voice or body via the microphone.
   1. No pre-recorded samples (this includes using the metronome so that it is audible to the public – this is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN).
   2. There is only one connected microphone.
7. The output must be limited to one stereo pair. No multiple output signals will be allowed.
8. Wildcard Judges:
   1. Bizkit
   2. Kristof
   3. Tioneb
9. A minimum of 4 wildcards will be chosen.
10. You must submit an original raw (unprocessed) version of your audio recordings, along with a raw copy of your main camera file, which also includes the camera audio.
    1. The camera angle must also include the entirety of your setup, including and especially the back of the loopstation, so we can confirm the setup and recording process.

Producer Showcase

To simplify the issues with judging the loopstation battles regarding using extra devices, we have decided to split the category into Loopstation and Producer categories. In the Producer category, you will be allowed to use unlimited devices and controllers, creating whatever custom setup you want. However, this comes with a few restrictions regarding the use of your setup, as follows.

1. Everything must be either vocally sourced or vocally triggered.
2. Everything must be performed live – i.e. no pre-recorded samples.
3. The judging system will be updated to include a category for vocally sourced performances. Simply put, the more you use vocally sourced elements, the more you score in this category. This will be released in the coming weeks.
4. Additionally, those who pre-program their entire set may also lose points in the showmanship criteria. This is to avoid a completely pre-programmed set, which is supposed to be a live performance. Pre-programming is allowed to a certain extent; just avoid programming your whole set, as it will affect your score.
5. The output to the FOH (mixing desk) or recording must be a stereo signal; no multichannel outputs are allowed.

You will be required to submit a full breakdown of your setup when you submit your wildcard. This is to ensure that everything follows these guidelines and that the judges can judge your wildcards accurately.

All other relevant details and rules follow here:

1. Producing time for the wildcard is between 4 – 5 minutes.
2. Wildcard Competition dates and announcements.
   1. Applications open from 21st January (00:00 am CET) to 23rd March (11:59 pm CET).
   2. Judge Announcement: 13th April (time TBA)
3. This category will not allow the use of only one looper; it needs to include at least one extra audio processing device.
4. There is no limit to the number of extra devices.
5. All sounds must be sourced or triggered by the mouth.
   1. Re-sampling is allowed, for example, sampling your voice into a sampler and playing that back.
6. No pre-recorded sounds.
7. Midi devices of all kinds are allowed.
8. No instruments.
9. You must email [emailprotected] with your full setup and signal flow of each device (the approval process may take up to 96 hours).
   1. If you do not get official approval for your setup, your wildcard will not be accepted.
10. Wildcard Judges:
    1. Inkie
    2. Kristof
    3. Tioneb
11. Minimum 3 wildcards will be chosen.
12. You must submit an original raw (unprocessed) version of your audio recordings, along with a raw copy of your main camera file, which also includes the camera audio.
    1. The camera angle should encompass the complete setup, with a particular emphasis on capturing the entirety of the final output, including the rear view. This is essential for the purpose of verifying the setup and recording process.
    2. If this is not possible, then you will also need to include a screen capture of your live recording.

Crew Showcase

1. Beatbox time: 3 minutes + 10 seconds
2. Wildcard Competition dates and announcements.
   1. Applications open from 21st January (00:00 am CET) to 23rd March (11:59 pm CET).
   2. Judge Announcement: 14th April (time TBA)
3. The number of members for a crew is a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 5 people.
4. Wildcard Judges:
   1. Chris Celiz
   2. Colaps
   3. Slizzer
5. Minimum 3 wildcards will be chosen.
6. You must submit an original raw (unprocessed) version of your audio recordings, along with a raw copy of your main camera file, which also includes the camera audio.

Contractual Obligations

Participating in GBB will lead to the acceptance of everyone joining the competition and being available for the SBX team to sort out any questions about the artist or judge at GBB. Everyone will sign a contract that video and audio rights belong to SBX for the GBB24 competition itself, and every artist will provide any necessary information needed to come to a proper realisation of the event GBB, e.g. give personal information (secured address to ship prizes, give email and contact so we can reach out share important information such as time table or GBB rules), so the team can prepare (vegan, vegetarian, any sickness, religious orientation), book flights in time, give consultation about any questions in terms of musical rights to get to full clarification (e.g. artist is signed at the label, but is allowed to perform or is allowed in case of winning the event to do further projects with SBX if wanted and both sides agree (go on tour, record an artist week etc.))
Further contractual information will be shared with wildcard winners, GBB participants, judges, and hosts.

1. If those standards are neglected, and arrangements and engagements are broken, SBX has the right to plan the event GBB for the individual case and situation of the artist differently or even disqualify an artist, team or crew from the event or take videos down.
2. Monetising videos is extremely important for SBX since the entire history of GBB is based on it. Without the income from YouTube, we cannot develop the project GBB, so we need every video to monetise. We take orientation from our slogan; we love beatbox and the beatbox family, where we reinvest our income to make the event next year better. If we are blocked and lose money, we risk to be not able to continue our business appropriately, so we kindly want to ask everyone to understand those circ*mstances by agreeing to these terms and conditions.

Safe Space

Everyone that wants to participate, either as wildcard participants, already qualified participants (through battle qualification or previous GBB qualification), judges, part of the SBX team, part of the GBB team, volunteers, participants as a fan of the event, sponsors; everyone has to accept that SBX/TVAM is not tolerating insults (such as disruptive disrespect, personal attacking, mental and physical disturbance, racism, bullying, other indignities and offences) to one another or any form of harassment (such as sexualism, gender, primitive behaviour, mental and physical violence and such, more to define). We are beatboxers and want to prove a good example and keep a clean image of beatboxing. The GBB exists to help an artist to get closer to a successful career and reach personal milestones, so we cannot tolerate any of the mentioned disruptions. Our team will check every report (more info tba). Any given case will be analysed and has to be tangential to the event or the involved people (participants, judges, SBX & GBB team). The following actions can happen depending on the case:

1. Disqualification of the current year for GBB, or suspension for a certain period (eg current year of GBB and next year)
2. Permanent exclusion of all our future events, permanent suspension
3. The board can decide, depending on the given situation of a given case, how long the perpetrator is going to be banned from GBB and events organised by SBX!
4. SBX can punish for specific cases or take actions, e.g. exclude participants from prizes, tours and other given programs and projects for a year period of time (we will decide case by case, this is important)
5. Options for punishment – verbal warning, ejected from the venue for the day or the entire event without refund, or temporary or permanent ban from SBX events, depending on the case.

Submit your wildcard

Have you read and understood everything related to your category? Alrighty then, we’re excited to see your Wildcard for GBB 2024. Do not hesitate to reach out to [emailprotected] if you have any questions. Good luck!

Competition closed. No more submissions are accepted.