Elton John is teaming up with YouTube to host a contest that will crowd source music videos for three of his classic hits from enterprising up-and-coming video directors. Titled Elton John: The Cut, the contest will be for his three songs "Bennie and The Jets," "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer," which need some official music videos.
All three songs were released before the rise of the music video, so John is looking to crowd source the three videos with this contest.
"We're excited to partner with YouTube to bring together generations of artists and music lovers around a shared passion for storytelling," says Elton John in a statement. "YouTube is a rich tapestry of creativity, and I can't wait to see how the breadth of talent from the dance, live-action and animation communities apply their vision to these cherished songs."
Entries for each song will have to feature different artist elements. "Rocket Man" will be an animated feature, "Tiny Dancer" will be live-action and "Bennie and the Jets" will have to feature choreography.
Elton John, his writing partner Bernie Taupin, a panel of YouTube creators and music industry judges, will select the three entries. Three established YouTube creators will select a shortlist for the final panel to choose. The winning three entires will be premiered on YouTube during the summer of 2017.
"This is a dream project that puts iconic music from a legendary artist in the hands of new creative talent, to reinvent these classic hits," says Vivien Lewit, YouTube's Global Head Artist Content & Services. "We're beyond thrilled to partner with Elton John and Universal to enable this program and bring to life a new way for the passionate fan community on YouTube to experience these songs that have inspired generations."
Once the choices are made, they will work with Pulse Films, the team behind Beyoncé's Lemonade, to produce the final versions of these films. The winning directors also receive $10,000 for future endeavors.
The contest is open now, Dec. 12 and will close on Jan. 23. Find more details on the competition's website.
