Last Updated & Effective Date: November 06, 2026
Open For An Icon: Control 40 (Janet Jackson)
Contractual Acceptance: This is a binding legal contract between you ("Participant," "Entrant," or "Voter") and Airtab Media Group, Inc. (together with its affiliates, production partners, and presenting non-profit partners, the "Operator" or "Airtab"). Your continued participation in the "Open For An Icon: Control 40" talent search competition (the "Contest"), in any manner, signifies your irrevocable acceptance of and agreement to these Official Terms and Conditions (the "Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you are prohibited from registering, submitting an Entry, or casting votes.
Mandatory arbitration & injunctive relief notice: These Terms contain an arbitration agreement, a class action waiver, and a strict limitation of remedies under Florida law. They require that disputes be resolved exclusively via binding individual arbitration rather than jury trials or class actions, and strictly limit recovery to actual out-of-pocket expenses, expressly barring injunctive relief, punitive, or consequential damages.
Age & Residency: The Contest is open exclusively to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of entry. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by federal, state, or municipal law.
Ineligible Parties: Officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents of Airtab Media Group, Inc., the Save Our Musicians Foundation, Amerant Bank Arena, Janet Jackson / Rhythm Nation management, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins / Sonix, Inc., and Launchpad6, together with members of their immediate families (spouses, parents, siblings, children, regardless of where they reside) or household members, are ineligible to participate as Entrants.
Submission Window: Submissions officially open on October 16, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST and close on November 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST. Operator reserves the right, in its sole and absolute operational discretion, to extend or modify the entry window without individual notice.
Free Artist Entry: There is NO PURCHASE OR REGISTRATION FEE REQUIRED to enter or compete in the Contest. Entrants must complete the official digital registration form at openforanicon.com, submit an artist profile, provide a high-resolution cover photo, and provide a valid public or unlisted YouTube link showcasing a live vocal or musical performance of an original song. Strictly one (1) Entry per solo artist or musical group will be accepted.
Limited Promotional License (No Copyright Surrender): Entrants retain full ownership of their underlying original musical compositions, sound recordings, and lyrics. By submitting an Entry, Entrant hereby grants Operator, the Save Our Musicians Foundation, and their respective licensees and assigns a perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicensable license to host, display, stream, exhibit, edit, adapt, excerpt, and broadcast the submitted video, audio, artist likeness, professional name, and biographical materials across any and all media platforms (now known or hereafter devised) solely for purposes of operating, administering, publicizing, and marketing the Contest, the Save Our Musicians Foundation, and the Janet Jackson: Control 40 Event Production.
Warranties & Content Standards: Entrant represents and warrants that their Entry is original, that Entrant possesses all necessary musical, publishing, and master recording clearances, and that the Entry does not infringe upon the intellectual property, privacy, or moral rights of any third party. Operator reserves the absolute right to disqualify any Entry that contains defamatory, obscene, infringing, or inappropriate material.
Voting Mechanics: Public voting commences on November 14, 2026, at 8:00 AM EST and concludes across three progressive rounds. The public voting rounds serve as a talent discovery and community-building mechanism to determine the finalists advancing to the celebrity Judging Round.
Round 1 (Initial Public Vote): All accepted entries are divided into randomized or regional groups. The top twenty (20) Entrants or top 50% of entries (whichever is fewer) with the highest valid votes in each group advance to Round 2.
Round 2 (Group Cut): Group sizes are reduced. The top ten (10) Entrants or top 50% of entries (whichever is fewer) with the highest valid votes in each group advance to Round 3.
Round 3 (Group Final): Remaining finalists compete across consolidated group leaderboards. The top ten (10) overall highest-voted Entrants across the competition advance to the grand final Judging Round.
Round 4 (Executive Celebrity Judging Panel): The top ten (10) finalists from Round 3, along with up to three (3) discretionary wildcard selections chosen by Operator, will be reviewed and scored by the executive celebrity panel. The single Entrant with the highest composite score will be crowned the Grand Prize Winner.
Fraud Prevention & Inactive Entries: Entries that receive zero (0) votes are ineligible to advance. Operator reserves the right to void any votes suspected of being generated by botnets, click farms, fraudulent payment methods, or unauthorized scripts.
Independent Evaluation: Finalists in Round 4 are evaluated independently across five (5) objective skill pillars totaling 100%:
| Category | Weight | Official Evaluation Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Performance Quality | 40% | Vocals (20%): Pitch accuracy, vocal control, dynamic range, and tonal balance. Stage Presence (20%): Command, movement, charisma, and arena audience engagement. |
| Star Power | 20% | Undeniable magnetism, confidence, and the commercial ability to hold an arena stage before a global icon. |
| Originality | 15% | Artistic uniqueness, melodic innovation, distinct style, and creative arrangement. |
| Branding Identity | 15% | Visual aesthetic cohesiveness, artist marketability, and professional clarity. |
| Digital Polish | 10% | Audio/video production quality, overall presentation polish, and engagement across social channels. |
Score Confidentiality: Judge scores are confidential and proprietary to Operator. Decisions of Operator and the judging panel are final, binding, and unappealable.
Scope of Prize: Strictly ONE (1) Grand Prize Winner will be awarded the following package:
Conditions & Forfeiture: The prize is non-transferable, non-assignable, and non-redeemable for cash. Winner must execute standard artist appearance releases, undergo security background checks, comply with arena safety rules, and arrive punctually for soundcheck on December 11, 2026. Failure to respond within forty-eight (48) hours of notification will result in immediate forfeiture, and the prize will be awarded to the next highest-scoring runner-up.
Privacy Protections: Participant personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy available at openforanicon.com/privacy-policy. Data is shared strictly with Launchpad6 (platform administration) and the Save Our Musicians Foundation (donor tax receipts). Operator NEVER sells or rents personal data or telephone numbers to third parties for external marketing.
TCPA / 10DLC Mobile Messaging Consent: By submitting your mobile telephone number and opting in on the registration or voting forms, you provide your express written consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to receive recurring automated marketing, promotional, and operational text messages (SMS and MMS) from or on behalf of Open For An Icon and the Save Our Musicians Foundation. Consent to receive automated text messages is NOT a condition of purchase, entry, voting, or winning. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message. Text HELP for customer support.
System Integrity: Participants shall not: (a) employ automated systems, scripts, bots, click farms, or macros to submit entries or cast votes; (b) scrape, extract, or harvest user data; (c) tamper with servers, voting algorithms, or security architecture; or (d) solicit or trade votes outside of the official verified voting system. Violation results in immediate vote nullification, entrant disqualification, permanent bans, and potential referral to law enforcement.
STRICT WAIVER OF CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES & INJUNCTIVE RELIEF: PARTICIPANTS AGREE THAT IN NO EVENT SHALL SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES INC DBA AIRTAB MUSIC, THE SAVE OUR MUSICIANS FOUNDATION, INC., AMERANT BANK ARENA, JANET JACKSON, RODNEY JERKINS, ALL JUDGES OR LAUNCHPAD6 (COLLECTIVELY, THE "CONTEST ENTITIES") BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CONTEST OR ACCEPTANCE OF ANY PRIZE, REGARDLESS OF LEGAL THEORY. RECOVERY SHALL BE STRICTLY LIMITED TO ACTUAL DOCUMENTED OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES. PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO SEEK EQUITABLE OR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF TO ENJOIN, RESTRAIN, OR INTERFERE WITH THE CONTEST, THE ARENA CONCERT, OR THE CONCERT FILM PRODUCTION.
Florida Binding Arbitration: Any controversy, dispute, or claim arising out of or relating to this Contest shall be settled exclusively by binding, individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted before a single arbitrator in Palm Beach County or Broward County, Florida (or virtually upon mutual consent). CLASS ACTION WAIVER: ALL CLAIMS MUST BE BROUGHT IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A CLASS ACTION, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.
Florida Law: These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict of law principles. If any provision of these Terms is deemed unlawful or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed without affecting the validity of remaining clauses.