If you despise your job–and judging by what seems to be available on Craigslist I’m willing to wager that a good chunk of you all do–your way out may have descended; Forward-thinking clothing brand Alternative Apparel is launching a very cool unsigned-artist competition. Scope the contest here. From Alternative Apparel themselves:

Atlanta, GA – May 26, 2010 – Alternative Apparel, the lifestyle clothing and accessories brand known for its quality craftsmanship, unprecedented comfort and signature vintage softness, today announced its plans to launch a national “Unsigned Artist Competition” in search of untapped musical talent to represent the innovative clothing brand. With the help of RJW Collective and Brickfish Technologies, Alternative will kick off the contest on June 7^th, offering aspiring singer/songwriters a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity to millions directly at alternativeapparel.com.

As the first round of the competition, musically inclined Alternative customers who wish to enter will each upload a rendition of Aqualung’s hit song “Brighter than Sunshine” by July 16^th and canvass their friends, family and members of the Alternative community for votes. The top three up-and-coming artists who garner the most votes will then fly to New York on an all-expenses-paid trip to perform as finalists on August 5^th in front of an esteemed panel of industry experts including esteemed panel of industry experts including Kelly Cutrone, People’s Revolution owner and star of reality TV series “Kell on Earth” and “The City,” RJW Collective partner and former Epic Records president Charlie Walk and Alternative Apparel founder and Chief Creative Officer Greg Alterman .

“We’re extremely excited about the possibilities that this campaign holds,” said Alterman. “The goal of the Unsigned Artist Competition is not just to find the face and voice of Alternative, but to foster creativity, individuality and self-expression—all of which are core values at Alternative and have been a driving force in our brand development.” In addition to being featured in an upcoming Alternative fashion campaign, the contest winner will receive a generous $1,500 prize and participate in exclusive interviews with music editors and industry insiders. Alternative’s hot new musical talent won’t be the only winner in the Unsigned Artist Competition, however. The runners up will each walk away with $500 and all other contest participants—including those who cast a vote—will be privy to special discounts and promotions at Alternative Apparel’s online store.

According to Alterman, “the Unsigned Artist Competition will allow us to strengthen our bond with consumers and grow the Alternative community—it’s a chance for everyone to create, share and get involved.” Utilizing the groundbreaking Brickfish social media platform, RJW Collective has designed a program for Alternative Apparel which will enable the clothing company to leverage the power of UGC and interactive social media to connect with consumers, in turn boosting brand awareness. The revolutionary connectivity platform enables participants to share the content they have created on behalf of a brand’s call to action through email, instant message and by posting on hundreds of social networking sites, as well as review and vote for their favorites entries. Program participants are rewarded for creating, voting, reviewing and sharing content, resulting in high-quality brand engagement and loyalty. The contest platform then tracks consumer interactions with this content and provides detailed analytics on program reach, performance, time spent and demographics. This result is a unique, forward-thinking marketing approach that has proven to be more effective than traditional online marketing methods, such as display ads or search optimization.

Props URB