The Stage

Singing contest winner accuses organiser of failing to provide prize

Published Wednesday 9 December 2009 at 16:55 by Matthew Hemley

A former talent promoter behind a major regional singing competition has been accused of failing to fulfil his promises to a contestant, after it emerged that 2008’s winner has still not received her prize after more than a year.

Terry Mills, who used to be managing director of Star Promotions - an agency that promoted acts such as the Cheeky Girls - began a singing competition in Devon called the FX Factor in 2006.

The last event took place in May 2008, with the contest understood to cost entrants £1 to audition and members of the public more than £10 to attend the live final.

That year’s winner, 19-year-old Anais Hay, says her promised prize was the chance to record a single, which would then be released in a major high-street retailer, and promotion on a Sky television channel.

However, 17 months on, she claims she has yet to receive anything, despite paying to record her own single in the hope that Mills could pass it on for distribution.

“I have had to do everything on my own, with no support at all. I did not even get a bouquet of flowers or a trophy,” she said.

Hay alleges that Mills emailed her and blamed the delay in the prize on the recession. She claims this was followed by another email in which he said he was busy working on a new release for a major record company, but that he would put “100%” into her looking after her once this was completed.

Hay says she does not believe she will see any of the prize promised to her.

Mills told The Stage that he had initially paid for Hay to record her single, but says she was not happy with the quality and decided to pay for another recording herself.

He also said Zavvi, the retailer that had been due to sell the CD, had gone into liquidation, meaning it could not be distributed, and that one of the competition’s sponsors - Red TV, the channel upon which the winner had been due to appear - had also pulled out.

“Despite this, I, as one of a team of organisers, personally financed a photo shoot, recording time in a studio where she recorded her own CD and gave her experience on stage. This was a loss-making gesture, but I felt a personal obligation to provide support to Anais,” he added.

He said the contest was never designed to make someone famous and added he would not be doing another in the future.

Mills also said winners from previous years had not experienced any problems - adding that most had benefited from “lots of work” - and insisted he did not make any money out of the contest.

He added he would meet with Hay to discuss how he could work with her on future projects.