Rhythm of London is a series of music events designed to engage 16-25 year old Londoners with music.

First up is a busking competition – read on for details how to enter…

Are you a musician and or singer between 16 and 25? Would you like to win a chance to perform on a highly sought after busking pitch on the London Underground? Well courtesy of Rhythm of London and Transport for London, you can do just that.

Transport for London has given special permission for Rhythm of London to offer busking sites across the Underground network on Saturday 11 July. This is a unique opportunity to bring your music to the thousands of people who use the tube every day and be part of the live music scene in London.

Some 100 young buskers will win 20-minute slot on a prime performance pitch. That’s not all, the top ten buskers, as voted for by the public and the Rhythm of London judging panel, will have an opportunity to busk for prizes including a year’s licence to perform as part of London’s Underground Busking Scheme, a brand new Epiphone acoustic guitar - courtesy of Gibson Guitars and a guitar signed and donated by Sting

To take part, you need to complete the application form, confirming you have read and accepted the T&Cs by ticking the box, and email a 30 seconds (max) clip of you/ your band playing to ROLauditions@london.gov.uk. The file size should be no larger than 5MB.

A panel of Rhythm of London judges will judge your clip and the top 100 performers will be selected to perform on Saturday 11 July 2009 as part of the Rhythm of London festival.

Once your audition has been successfully sent, keep an eye out on the ROL website, where successful applicants will be announced and details of your ‘busking gig’ will be emailed to you. If you win the opportunity to perform – there will be a chance for the public to view and vote on your live performances on the Underground via the Rhythm of London website.

We welcome any style and any genre! There is no restriction to the type of music that can be played either in your audition or at your Rhythm of London busking pitch should you be successful.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of London’s thriving live music scene! Celebrate and give your sound!

Deadline for submitting your audition is 5pm on 30th June.

Blyk’s London members can engage with Rhythm of London via exclusive music based SMS dialogues, ringtones, wallpapers and a dedicated WAP site. Keep your phones on for more info…

YOU NEED TO KNOW!

Please note: You will not be able to submit an entry, unless you have read and accepted the full terms and conditions of entry. Here are a few key points:

* Do not include material that might be deemed offensive in your audition clip.
* You are not permitted to busk for money during Rhythm of London.
* Buskers and their instruments must fit on an official London Underground pitch (approx semi-circle w 3m x d 1m).
* There is no mains power supply and any equipment must be operated by dry batteries.

It is hard to believe that it has only been two months since Blyk put content on the mobile portal and already thousands and thousands of members have been downloading, playing, listening, watching and surfing around the mobile internet. What did we do before it?

Suddenly Blyk top up and free credit can be used on much more exciting stuff than just calling our mum. Even we have been at it in the Blyk office, we are awash with different ringtones and the stakes have been raised in the Buzz mobile game. The guy in accounts is top of the leader board. However amongst the members there is a clear game chart topper (drum roll) 5 Star Games is the out and out winner. What is it that makes it so popular? Perhaps it is because you get 5 games in one download. A bonus! Clearly our members know where to get a good bargain.

It’s not just downloading that members have been doing each day – have you ever wondered what else people did on their mobile? Our guess is checking out Facebook! It is evidently the most popular social networking site amongst Blyk members. Everyday members are logging in to check what is going on, update their status and upload photos. It would be nice to think that you were also checking the Blyk page on Facebook but my suspicion is that there is a lot more interesting stuff going on with friends.

Lastly, as you know Blyk is always trying to find ways to make more stuff free. We started with a huge sale on all our games and videos which members flocked to get to and coming up we have even better offers in store. We are just making sure we have all the partners on board, so keep your eyes peeled and go back to check On Blyk for some new offers over the coming weeks!

Another jam-packed month is in store for music lovers on Blyk. Not only do we have more urban charts and free ringtones from top grime producer Skitz Beatz, we’ll also see the return of the mighty DJ Ironik with some serious freeness for you all.

Electro-pop pioneers Thunderheist will be touching down with some free ringtones and wallpapers in April. The group are destined for big things and you can check their awesome new music video for “Nothing 2 Step 2” here.

Hotly-tipped indie rockers Twisted Wheel also make their Blyk Music debuts in April. You’ll get access to a free MP3 download from them, plus we’ve been given a WORLD EXCLUSIVE live performance of “Lucy the Castle” which you can check out here and nowhere else.

To round things off we’re expecting Lily Allen to come back with your text questions answered this month. And finally, all we can say is keep your phones switched on for a very, very special competition involving Ciara, a custom pair of Nike trainers and the inevitable envy of the lucky winner’s friends. Don’t say we didn’t warn you…

Last week we saw thousands of you texting in questions to ask Lily Allen. We’ve shortlisted a shed load for her to answer so watch this space to check out the winning 10 questions and answers! And it was great that even more of you downloaded the exclusive Qemist feat Whiley ringtone - keep your phones on for more Qemist giveaways very soon.

This month is looking good for Blyk’s music fans too. One lucky Blyk member will win a personal video performance from new Radio 1 faves You Me At Six! March also sees Mr Scruff back, this time with the chance to win some personalised drawings and wallpapers from the acclaimed DJ, producer (and cartoonist).

We also look forward to hearing from Metric. This Canadian band are about to be massive and will kindly donate an exclusive acoustic version of their new single for Blyk members to download from their login at www.blyk.co.uk. This version of the track won’t be available anywhere else so big thanks to them.

One of the most unique music stories this month is that 30 Blyk members will help film and star in a music video for new grime star Ice Kid. The whole video will be shot on Blyk members’ camera phones with some special ‘bullet time’ effects! Think Matrix, but in grime. MTV Base are running some footage around the making of the video and will be supporting it on-air so keep your eyes and ears peeled. If this sounds like your bag you can still get involved by emailing your name and number to competitions@blyk.com.

As if that’s not enough there’s still more coming this month - we’ll also be introducing you to some great new acts you may not have heard about yet including School of Seven Bells, Xrabit feat DMG$ and the Dolly Rockers. Hotness.

Congratulations to Nadine Salmon from Hackney who won a Nokia N95 courtesy of Green Thing last month. Nadine and thousands of other Blyk members ‘did the green thing’, including sending in their green tips, tales, and signing up for the Green Thing newsletter. See some of their stories below – and for more green inspiration join us on www.dothegreenthing.com

Earlier this month, you shared your 2009 resolutions with us – thank you! We were amazed with the dedication to kicking bad habits, making new starts, shedding the post-holiday pounds, appreciating the family… now the decorations are long gone and longest month of the year is nearly over, are you sticking to your guns? We hope so!

To keep you going, have a look at what other members are doing to make the most of 2009.

You are working from the general:
• Get ontop of my life!

To the specific!
• Going To Try And Resist Haribo x James in Doncaster x
• Learn a language, learn a chat up line from it, try to pull and give blood! Ha!
• Less time on guitar hero and more time with family
• i am going to do more charity work and volunteer my next 26 weekends to a kids workshop who also help with reading and writing difficulties.
• Help even more people then 2008 with what ever is wrong with them e.g helping then get through family problems etc.
• Give up cheese, chocolate and bread… Get slim people! X
• 2 try n b mre eco freindly by mking simple changes such as recycling waste
• Achieve a maximum weight lifting rep of 140kg
• 2 donate blood as i hav a rare blood type
• Being able to wake up a year from now and think to myself: im glad i did all that in 09. My resolution is to live without fear,restrictions and doing what i know i can achieve.
• For 2009 i want to remember that life is short so im going to break rules, forgive quickly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably and never regret anything that makes me smile
• Eat less chocolate
• Eat more chocolate!

A lot of you gave Blyk an ego boost:
• To save all the money i used to spend on texts with my previous network before blyk and use it to buy me my first driving lessons! I can’t wait! Thanks blyk!
• To always keep my fone on 2 keep my refill date
• to succeed in getting something posted on the blyk blog.

Well, we’re pleased we can get you published and save you some money for bigger things!

Last but definitely not least… it’s Colin in Poole:
• Ive thought long and hard about my new year resolution and Ive decided to go with 1024×768. Colin in poole .

Good luck with sticking to your resolutions,

Desi.

Thanks again for all the feedback we’ve received over the past few days.

A bit more background… in the last year, we’ve interviewed plenty of members to find out what parts of Blyk are good and what changes would be valued the most. Apart from enjoying the service which is brilliant, we were told that it would be great to have choice and flexibility in how you use your free Blyk balance.

From 16th February Blyk will load you with £15 of free credit every month; we know that £15 of free credit is not as much ‘free’ as you’ve received in the past. But this gives you (and us!) the comfort in knowing that we can bring you useful and valuable ‘free’ communication long into the future, especially at a time when everyone is feeling the pinch.

What’s more, you can use this in whichever way you choose - calls, text messages, MMS messages or data browsing… You’ll still get great ads, fab freebies and other exclusive offers.

We’re not going to razzle dazzle you with confusing top-up deals either. Simply, top up by £5 and get £5 more, free. Top up by £10, and get £10 more. Again, free.

We appreciate the feedback and we’re glad that you care. And like many of you have said, ‘It’s far better to have Blyk than not to have Blyk at all’.

Blyk is a different network to any other. It was born free. It is a place where free really is free, and Blyk will always offer you something for absolutely nothing. In this case it’s £15 – enjoy!

Many commentators noted that 2007 had been one of the finest years for gaming in recent memory, and perhaps one of the finest of all time. A quick glance at some of that year’s key titles makes it hard to disagree: Super Mario Galaxy; The Orange Box; Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune; BioShock; Call of Duty 4; God of War 2; Mass Effect; Halo 3; Lair (just kidding). These, and several others I could’ve listed, weren’t just great games, they were in many cases landmark releases which offered significant layers of innovation or polish to their respective genres. Compiling the end of year list was an incredibly difficult proposition. For what it’s worth, Portal was my pick for best game of 2007, just edging out Uncharted.

After such obviously lofty highs, 2008 could’ve been forgiven for letting the standard slip slightly, but in many ways 2008 has been just as good. It began pretty shakily with the bruising disappointment of Grand Theft Auto 4 which, although solid, rode on a tidal wave of hype that couldn’t hide the fact that very little had been done to improve the series’ increasingly irritating flaws. There followed a remarkably barren plateau of tedium punctuated only by the horrific low of Haze and the bombastic high of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The consistent stream of quality that 2007 offered seemed a long way away.

Lucky for us then that the end of the year has been absolutely storming, with great titles dropping in at a wallet-worrying rate, whatever system you own (unless you own a Wii, whose desperate search for a must-have title to match Galaxy is getting worryingly bleak). Fable 2, Fallout 3, Dead Space, Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 have all arrived and are all pretty fantastic. In the form of Siren: Blood Curse and WipEout HD Sony’s PSN has also ushered in an exciting new era (for console gamers, you PC guys have been enjoying it for years) where downloadable titles can offer production values that match or exceed that of full-price boxed games. Good times.

With all this in mind I’m going to now attempt to recommend the ONE game you should have on your Christmas list for your system of choice (plus one honorable mention). I know I’ll be leaving off a lot of corkers, so don’t shout at me in any form of “WHT TEH F***?!/! LOLZ” fashion.

Xbox 360: Left 4 Dead. I’m going out on limb here as it’s not yet released, but given that Valve (Half-Life, Team Fortress, Portal) appear to be genetically incapable of disappointing, I’d say it’s a safe limb. Plus this looks like a truly brilliant concept guaranteed to entertain. The idea is you and three mates (online or split-screen) team up and work together to survive a series of assaults from hoards of zombies. It may sound simple, but you normally rely on Valve to inject so much personality and atmosphere into proceedings that this virtually has “classic” stamped on it already. Get it on the list.

Honorable mention: Gears of War 2.

PS3: LittleBigPlanet. This one may already be on shelves but if you haven’t already picked it up it can’t be recommended highly enough. The platformer with the potential to last forever is so revolutionary that’s it’s almost too much to take in. But rest assured, once everyone starts getting the hang of creating their own twisted levels, this will take off. The best value £40 you’ll ever spend. Or won’t spend, because you’re going to get someone else to buy it for you. Aren’t you?

Honorable mention: Resistance 2.

Wii: Animal Crossing: City Folk. I have to be honest, but it’s a tragic truth that the Wii is sorely lacking in games that’ll appeal to any sort of proper gamer, instead preferring to mine the “Philip Schofield’s Cookalong Cookbook” type affairs that reduce most of us to tears. Nevertheless, Animal Crossing is normally still charming enough to be worth a look, even more so if you’ve played and enjoyed previous games in the series.

Honorable mention: £40 worth of points to spend in the Wii Shop. Seriously, if you haven’t yet picked up LostWinds do it now, it’s excellent.

PC: Left 4 Dead. For the exact same reasons as the Xbox. Although if you’re a PC-only gamer you’ve probably already put Grand Theft Auto 4 on your list. If I can attempt to persuade you otherwise, don’t bother with it, if you played Vice City or San Andreas it’s really not that much different. Go zombie killing instead!

Honorable mention: Fallout 3.

Phew. Happy Christmas everyone!

Ok so as usual we’ve got tons of good stuff coming up this month for all Blyk’s music fans. Firstly we have Blyk newcomer S.K.I.T.Z. Beatz who will be providing us with a track for all of you aspiring rappers to spit on. The winners’ reward? A day in the studio with the man himself to make a brand new track. Nice eh?

We welcome the return of Blyk favourites and pop icons Alphabeat this month who are returning with a new single. Look out for an exclusive free track for you to download plus some mobile blogs from the band direct to your phone.

Without doubt one of the most exciting artists to take Hip-Hop by storm this year is T-Pain. This month you’ll be able to sample tracks from his new album “Thr33 Rings” plus download some exclusive wallpapers from our WAP site. Keep those phones on for more info.

If that’s not enough then this month we’ll also be introducing you to some great new acts your mates don’t know about yet - step forward Jason Mraz, Of Montreal and, if we can get clearance in time, a certain Ms Fierce….

S.K.I.T.Z. Beatz
Alphabeat
T-Pain
Jason Mraz
Of Montreal
Who Is Sasha Fierce?

Hello readers!

My name is Robert, I have just finished my A-levels, and now I’m working at Blyk as part of my gap year, where there are loads of interesting challenges to deal with. Prior to working here, I’d heard little about Blyk, but my jump at the company is really paying off! It’s exciting to be at the cutting edge of advertising, learning how mobile advertising works and how it could become a powerful way for brands to communicate with us all in the future.

Truth be told, I’m a bit of a sci-fi geek. So, every time I get a new vision of the future involving advertising (I keep getting reminded of that Dr Who episode where Rose and the Doctor get transported to the parallel dimension with Cybermen, where people get blanket jokes and advertising through antenna in their head); I see that the future will actually be very different.

So how will it be? We should all be able to receive advertising genuinely tailored to us all the time! How many ads do you actually watch (and remember) on TV in a night, maybe about one, if that? (I remember this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSNFE6eUjfY&feature=related from Saturday, the only one throughout a whole film). Hopefully one Saturday in the far future, I will only have to watch the ones that I really enjoy; then get back to watching the film right away because the TV station knows I won’t pay attention to ads about female maternity equipment/ baby food/ old peoples bathrooms…..(the list is near-endless). Sometimes, I actually enjoy watching good ads that I can relate to. So it annoys me that I have to go online to watch them at all, rather than them all being on at the times I am watching TV. (I only found out about the new Cadbury trucks advertisement a week ago when I was doing some work on advertisers for Blyk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7gJrs1jiZM). I guess I only want to see the adverts I love or the ones that are completely relevant to me.

To some extent this is already happening at Blyk, but they are not the only ones to do it this way. Every time you type something into a Google you get a small list of ads at the side with some relation to what you might be interested in, sometimes I click on them, since it is so easy, but frankly they are normally so boring that the only interesting ones are about books on How to become a Psychic or something equally absurd. Facebook similary have ad’s that pop up in my feed that are meant to be relevant to my interests. At least with Blyk, the messages are often entertaining or contain some bits of useful information.

Away from advertising, I love reading some of the feedback that you send back when you respond to advertisements, in particularly I read a provoking mini-essay that someone sent in response to the V. inspired question -“are you proud to be British?”. It made me think about Britons and their identity!

So thank you all you Blyk members for joining Blyk; you are helping us lead the way in advertising. To those that reply, thanks for writing interesting comments, they make working at Blyk even more interesting!

Robert Schoonmaker