More than 20,000 amateur singers have entered a contest run by a Shanghai local TV channel that will use online voting to pick the 100 best singers to take part in a series of TV specials later this year.

The show, E Qu Cheng Ming (To Become Famous with One Song), began accepting melodic applications eight weeks ago. Contestants record themselves crooning a favorite song and then send a digital version to the contest's Website (www.go2sing.com).

Each week, the 10 best singers are chosen by a combination of online voting and votes from a panel of industry experts. After 10 weeks, the final 100 contestants will be named, and they will face off in a series of televised show-downs concluding with a grand final that will be broadcast live on Shanghai Oriental TV News and Entertainment Channel.

"With so many people taking part in the contest or voting, the Website has become a good arena for amateurs who really love singing or audio production to show off their talents and share their knowledge," said Wu Xiaofeng, a producer with the TV station and organizer of the event.

To avoid cheating and ensure transparency, contestants and voters are required to register using their mobile phone numbers. "Voters are welcome to raise suspicion any time about cheating singers and provide us with clues to find any violations. Their information has already helped us in cracking several cases, such as contestants uploading the original singer's version of a song to cheat in the competition," the producer said.

Wu said the Website would stay up after the contest as a platform for fans to share information and opinions on singing and producing audio records.

"We came up with the idea for the contest and Website after realizing many amateur music lovers have learned to use advanced audio software to produce their own songs. There are many amateurs who really enjoy singing and recording their voices. We can help them," Wu said, adding professional music producers and singers have been invited to give lessons on the Website from time to time.

Many contestants say they are thrilled at the chance to show off their voices to a large audience.

"I feel so excited and happy to have the judges review and give advice on my singing online. The judges are all famous experts from the industry. This is a major attraction to me," said Cong Shan, who was chosen as one of the weekly top 10 singers with his original song, Love Civilization. "It would be great if the contest made me famous. I'd love to become a professional singer if I have a chance," said the 21-year-old college student.

(Shanghai Daily July 29, 2005)