What is a 'heat' ?

Qualification rounds are called 'heats'.
The "National Final" is the one between local bands, and "World Final" is the one between bands from all over the world.

Are there some other GBOB technical terms used ?

The definitions of terms generally used are:
National Director: license holder/organizer in a certain country
National Final: the final of a certain country
World Final: the international final between all countries
MoU: Memorandum of Understanding (agreement paper)
GBOB: Global Battle of the Bands

Has there been a GBOB in Lebanon before ?

Yes, Rockring also organized the Lebanon Challenge in 2007.
You can read more info about it here.

When are registrations and when are the qualifications?

Registration already begun, deadline for registering is around April.
The first heat (qualification) should be around May, there will probably be at least 3 heats (with 2 weeks between each), new bands will be in the last heat so they gain about 1 additional month of preparation.

Can solo artists enter?

No. The competition is only open to bands with two to eight members. However, solo artists can put together a band for the competition if they wish

Can cover bands enter?

Cover bands are not allowed in the GBOB competition, but to make it more interesting, Rockring will organize an additional 'heat' just for cover bands. Winners of this heat will get prizes and play as a regular act in the National Final, but they will not be competing in the National Final or World Final. So it will only be a localized competition between those cover bands.

When can I register & when is the competition?

You can register starting today till about 2 weeks before the event itself begins. GBOB Lebanon qualifications will be sometime around May/June (not finalized) - there are 2 weeks between each qualification round ("heat"), then the final.
So the whole event should be about 1-1.5 months long.
The World Final date has not been set yet, but it is usually around the end of the current year or beginning of the next

Are all music styles allowed?

Yes, any band of any style can participate. Bands are judged irrelevant of style

Will we have to sign any kind of contract?

Bands entering THE GLOBAL BATTLE OF THE BANDS will not be asked to sign any licenses nor any kind of management or recording contract. All we need from bands is the permission to use any of their photographs, music and video for purely promotional purposes.
But the bands will be required to sign a "Memorandum of Understanding" saying the band agrees to all the rules set forth here

Is there any registration fee?

Yes, it is set by GBOB Ltd. to 15 GBP (British Pounds), which is the equivalent of almost 25$ . This fee is used to cover part of the travel costs as well as the GBOB license for Lebanon.

Registration after February 2011 is 30$/member.

The registration fee for cover bands is 20$ per member (please read the info above about cover bands).

If there is more than one qualifying event in one city how do you decide which of the winning bands go forward to the National Final?

The winning band from every qualifying event will go forward to the National Final

Will there be important music industry people at the contests?

We always invite record company executives, management companies, members of the press and other music industry professionals to the World Final. National Finals will mosty likely have industry professionals as well

Why can’t we play for longer?

THE GLOBAL BATTLE OF THE BANDS competitions are designed to be fast-paced and exciting. This makes it more entertaining for the audience as it never gets boring. It is usually known how good a band is after one or two songs. The hardest thing is to attract the attention in the first place

Can we use our own amplifiers and drums?

Yes and no. If bands have specific sounds, pedalboards, or small amps they want to use, it is allowed (with permission from the National Director). Any special equipment must be set up on stage before the concert starts and remain on stage until the concert is over. Any equipment on the stage must be available for use by any of the bands.
The drumset will be provided by the organizers.
You must use your own personal instruments (guitars and keyboards etc.) and drummers must bring their own bass drum pedal, snare & additional cymbals if needed.

What kind of back line equipment will be provided?

The kind of equipment that the majority of bands prefer and are probably used to: Marshall, Laney, Orange and Ampeg amplifiers and top name drum kits etc.

Can we play cover songs, even if in our own style?

No. All songs played in the competition must be original compositions, though not necessarily written by the band

Can we play instrumentals?

Yes

Can we bring our own sound engineer?

Yes, but he will only be there as an advisor to inform the organisers’ sound engineer where solos etc come in the songs and any other special requirements

Can we bring our own lighting engineer?

No. The organisers will provide all lighting technicians

Can we bring our own road crew?

No. The organisers will supply all necessary stage crew

Can we bring our own backdrop?

No

Will the organizer's band participate?

No

Will the travel costs of getting to the World Final be covered by the organisers?

Yes. All travel to the World Final will be arranged and paid for by the GBOB National Director in your country (if possible, last GBOB that was the case). Hotel accommodation costs for bands taking part in the World Final will be covered by GBOB Worldwide Ltd

Further questions:
If you have any question not answered here please send us an email using the link in the menu on top or to lebanon @ gbob . com.