DRAFT FOR LEGAL REVIEW. Not yet approved by Technotainment's CLO. Do not publish until the placeholders in [SQUARE BRACKETS] are filled in and the notes marked "Legal review" are resolved.

Entry Terms and Rules: Technotainment's Music Summit Malta Talent Search

In collaboration with Music Summit Malta.

Version 2026-09-24

Please read these terms before you apply. When you submit an application, you agree to them. If you are 16 or 17, your parent or guardian must also agree to them for you (see section 3).

Our [Privacy Notice](./msm-privacy.md) explains how we use your personal data. It is separate from these terms.

1. Who runs the Talent Search

The Talent Search is organised by [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], trading as Technotainment ("we", "us", "the organiser"). Company registration number [COMPANY REG. NO.]. Registered address: [REGISTERED ADDRESS].

It is run in collaboration with Music Summit Malta. [CONFIRM: Music Summit Malta's role, and whether it has any responsibility under these terms.]

Contact: [TALENT SEARCH CONTACT EMAIL]. For privacy questions: [DPO/PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL] (suggested: privacy@technotainment.com).

"You" means the person or act entering. For a duo or band, it means all members, and the person who fills in the form applies for all of them.

2. Key dates

Shortlisted acts will hear from us on the same day the panel agrees the shortlist. This may be only a day before the showcase. Please only apply if you can be in Malta on 9 October 2026 if you are shortlisted.

3. Who can enter

To enter, you must:

1. Be unsigned or independent. This means you do not have a recording contract with a major record label. Independent releases, and deals with independent labels or distributors, are fine. [Legal review: confirm the definition of "major label", and whether publishing or management deals affect eligibility.]
2. Be at least 16 years old on 8 October 2026. This means you were born on or before 8 October 2010.
3. Have a parent or guardian's confirmation if you are 16 or 17 on 8 October 2026. See below.
4. Be able to get to Malta for the showcase on 9 October 2026 if you are shortlisted.

For duos and bands: every member who would perform must meet these rules. The person applying confirms this for the whole act. We may ask for proof of age for any member. Any member aged 16 or 17 needs a parent or guardian's confirmation too. [Legal review: the form currently collects one date of birth and one guardian per application. Decide how to cover other members under 18.]

Parents and guardians. If you are 16 or 17:

• you must give us the name, email address and phone number of a parent or legal guardian;
• we email them a link that explains what they are agreeing to;
• they must open the link and click the confirm button;
• we hold your application until they confirm, and we send a reminder after 48 hours; and
• by confirming, your guardian agrees to these terms for you and accepts responsibility for your participation.

If your guardian has not confirmed by [GUARDIAN CONFIRMATION CUT-OFF, suggested: 5 October 2026 at 23:59 Malta time], we may not be able to consider your entry.

Who cannot enter: employees of [LEGAL ENTITY NAME], the judges, and their immediate families. [CONFIRM: exclusion list.]

We may ask for proof that you meet these rules at any time. We may refuse or remove an entry that does not meet them.

4. How to enter

1. Fill in the application form on the event page before the deadline.
2. Add 1 or 2 songs. For each song, give either a link (for example Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Dropbox or Google Drive) or upload an audio file (MP3 or WAV, up to 30 MB).
3. Originals and covers are both welcome. Tell us if a song is a cover.
4. Tick the confirmations and submit.

Entry is free. No purchase is needed.

After you apply, we email you a reference ID and a private link to your status page. Keep this email. Anyone with the link can see your status, so do not share it.

Please send one application per act. Applications that arrive after the deadline, are incomplete, or are sent in another way will not be accepted. If a link stops working or is set to private, the panel may not be able to hear your song. Please check your links. A phone recording is fine. We judge the song and the artist, not the production.

5. Your music and your rights

You keep ownership. You own your recordings and songs (or the people you got them from do). Entering does not transfer any ownership to us.

You promise that:

• you have the right to share the recordings with us for this Talent Search;
• everyone who performed on or owns the recordings has agreed to this;
• your entry is your own performance, and it does not break anyone else's rights or the law; and
• the information in your application is true.

For covers, the song itself belongs to its writers and publishers. We only use covers as described in this section.

The licence you give us. You give us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to copy, store and play your submitted recordings, and to use your act name, bio and the links you share, only to judge entries and run the Talent Search. This includes:

• letting the panel and authorised event staff listen to, score and discuss your songs;
• playing your songs during the Day 1 A&R listening session [CONFIRM: this is a closed session for the panel and event staff only]; and
• announcing shortlisted acts and the winner by act name.

This licence is not for any other use. We will not release, sell or publish your submitted recordings. The licence ends when you withdraw, or when we delete your entry under our Privacy Notice, whichever comes first. It does not cover the showcase footage, which is dealt with in section 6.

6. The showcase: filming and photography

The showcase on 9 October 2026 at Hard Rock Cafe Malta is a public event. It will be filmed and photographed, and may be streamed or shown on screens at the venue. The audience may also film on their phones. We cannot control that.

If you are shortlisted, we will send you a showcase release before the event. It will explain how we plan to use footage and photos of your performance, for example on Technotainment and Music Summit Malta websites and social media, to promote the Talent Search and future events. If you are 16 or 17, your guardian must sign it too.

Your choice: you can tell us at any time, by emailing [TALENT SEARCH CONTACT EMAIL], that you do not want footage or photos of your performance used for promotion. If you tell us before the showcase, we will not use them for promotion. If you tell us afterwards, we will stop new uses and remove content from our own channels where we reasonably can. We cannot recall content that has already been shared by others. Opting out does not affect your place in the showcase or how you are judged. Wide shots of the venue that show you in the background may still be used.

We will not publish a recording of you performing a cover unless the music rights needed for that use are in place.

Legal review: Decide between (a) opt in: promotional use only with a signed release, or (b) opt out: promotional use by default, with the right to refuse set out above. Option (a) is the safer approach for performers' rights under Cap. 415 and for applicants under 18. Confirm the release covers performers' rights, image rights and the music rights for covers.

7. How judging works

• Screening. The panel reviews entries and votes on who goes to the A&R listening session.
• Day 1, A&R listening session (8 October 2026). The panel listens to each song and scores it. The criteria include voice and performance, the song or interpretation, identity and originality, production, commercial and US market potential, live potential, momentum and artist readiness.
• Day 2, showcase (9 October 2026). Shortlisted acts perform a short live set, acoustic or with a backing track. The panel scores each performance on criteria including vocals or musicianship, stage presence, connection with the room, song choice and star quality. The audience can also vote. The live result combines judges' scores and audience votes. We will announce the split before the showcase [CONFIRM: currently planned as 70% judges and 30% audience]. If there is a tie, the judges' score decides.
• US pick. After the showcase, the team decides which acts, if any, to consider for the US.

The judges are Eddie Wenrick, Wesley Ellul, Aidan Somers and Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis. We may add or replace judges.

Scores are tools. The platform adds up scores to help the panel. People make every decision. The panel may use its judgement and may move an act up or down, with a recorded reason.

Conflicts of interest. If a judge knows an act personally or has a business link to it, that judge will not vote on that act.

Decisions are final. Judging is at the panel's discretion, and the panel's decisions are final. This does not affect any rights you have under the law. We may not be able to give individual feedback to every entrant.

No promise of a deal. Entering, being shortlisted or winning does not mean we, Technotainment Records or anyone else will offer you a recording, publishing, management or any other deal. Any deal would be a separate written contract. We recommend you take independent legal advice before signing any deal.

8. Audience voting

Audience votes are only accepted while voting is open, from people who verify their email with a 6-digit code. One vote per verified person per act. You must not try to influence the vote unfairly. For example, you must not use fake or disposable email addresses, use bots, or ask others to do so. We may cancel votes that we reasonably believe are not genuine, and we will record why.

9. The prize

[PRIZE TO BE ANNOUNCED.] We will announce the full prize before applications close. The winner will be named on stage at the showcase.

Unless we say otherwise when we announce it:

• the prize cannot be transferred and has no cash alternative;
• we may replace a prize with one of similar or greater value if something outside our control makes that necessary; and
• the winner is responsible for any tax on the prize.

[Legal review: add prize conditions once the prize is known. Confirm that no gaming or lottery rules apply, given that entry is free and the result is based on skill and judging.]

10. Travel, accommodation and costs

Entering is free. Unless we tell you otherwise in writing, you pay your own costs of taking part. This includes travel to and from Malta, accommodation, food, visas, insurance and equipment. [CONFIRM: any travel support for shortlisted acts, and add it here.]

You are responsible for:

• having a valid passport and any visa you need to enter Malta;
• your own travel and health insurance; and
• getting to the venue on time for your call time.

We will give shortlisted acts a call time and a brief. The venue provides a basic setup. You do not need a full band rig. You must tell us your technical needs in advance.

Under 18s at the showcase: you must be accompanied by your parent or guardian, or an adult they name in writing, while at the venue. [CONFIRM: this rule.] You must follow Maltese law and venue rules, including on alcohol.

11. Conduct

We want the Talent Search to be safe and respectful for everyone. You must:

• treat other acts, judges, staff, venue staff and the audience with respect;
• not harass, bully, threaten or discriminate against anyone;
• not be under the influence of illegal drugs, or be drunk to the point of being unsafe or disruptive;
• follow instructions from our team and the venue, including safety instructions; and
• not damage property or equipment.

12. Disqualification

We may disqualify an act, at any stage and including after the result, if we reasonably believe that:

• the act does not meet the entry rules;
• information in the application is false or misleading;
• the act does not have the rights it promised in section 5;
• the act broke the conduct rules in section 11;
• the act tried to manipulate judging or audience voting; or
• the act's participation would break the law.

We will tell you why and, where it is fair to do so, give you a chance to respond first. If a prize has already been given, we may ask for it back.

13. Withdrawing

You can withdraw at any time, without giving a reason. Use the link on your status page, or email [TALENT SEARCH CONTACT EMAIL] with your reference ID. We will stop considering your entry. Our Privacy Notice explains what happens to your data. If you are shortlisted and withdraw, please tell us as soon as you can so we can adjust the running order.

14. Changes and cancellation

We may need to change the dates, times, venue, format, judges or prize, or cancel the Talent Search. We will only do this for a good reason, for example events outside our control, safety, venue availability, or a problem with the platform. If we do, we will tell you as soon as we can by email and on the event page.

If we cancel or move the showcase after you are shortlisted for a reason within our control, [LEGAL REVIEW: set out the policy, for example that we will consider reasonable, documented, non-refundable travel costs you have already paid].

We may update these terms. We will not make changes that unfairly affect entries already made. If a change is important, we will tell you by email. The version date is shown at the top.

15. Our responsibility to you

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability for:

• death or personal injury caused by our negligence;
• fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
• anything else that the law does not allow us to limit or exclude.

These terms do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer under Maltese and EU law.

Subject to that:

• We are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of us breaking these terms or failing to use reasonable care and skill. We are not responsible for loss or damage that was not foreseeable.
• We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events outside our reasonable control, such as extreme weather, strikes, travel disruption or failures of third-party services.
• We do not guarantee that the website will always be available or free of errors. We are not responsible if an application or vote does not reach us because of a problem outside our reasonable control. Please apply well before the deadline.
• Your personal belongings and equipment at the venue are your responsibility, unless loss or damage is caused by our negligence or breach of these terms.
• If you are taking part as a business, for example as a company that represents the act, we are not liable for loss of profit, revenue or business opportunity.

16. General

• If any part of these terms is found to be invalid, the rest still applies.
• If we do not enforce a right straight away, we can still enforce it later.
• These terms, the Privacy Notice and any showcase release are the whole agreement between you and us about the Talent Search.
• These terms are in English. If we provide a translation and there is a difference, the English version applies, unless the law says otherwise.

17. Law and courts

These terms are governed by the law of Malta. Any dispute will be dealt with by the courts of Malta.

If you are a consumer living in another EU country, you keep the protection of any mandatory rules of the law of that country. You can also bring a claim in the courts of the country where you live.

Please contact us first if you have a complaint. We will try to resolve it quickly and fairly.

18. Contact

[LEGAL ENTITY NAME], trading as Technotainment [REGISTERED ADDRESS] Talent Search: [TALENT SEARCH CONTACT EMAIL] Privacy: [DPO/PRIVACY CONTACT EMAIL]

Version 2026-09-24