According to mindpub.com, 90 percent of the world suffers from stage fright. If it isn’t within one’s forte to showcase their musical talent in public, but they still have the desire to share, the Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s second annual “Battle of the Recorded Bands” is where they belong.

The entrance of submissions began on March 1, and will continue through April 15. The competition isn’t only open to bands. It is open to anyone with musical talent who takes satisfaction in writing their own music or creating covers of songs.

“You can record up to three songs in our studio to submit in the competition,” Arlington Heights Library Hub employee Evan Walker said. “They can be any genre, from pop, to rock, to classical. All we want is talent, regardless of the genre. Our only requirement is that it must be submitted by the deadline.”

The library has partnered with establishments such as Guitar Center, School of Rock and Ticketmaster to make this experience as fulfilling as possible for local teens.Contest winners are awarded gear from Guitar Center and a Ticketmaster gift card.

“We were originally going to have the prize from Ticketmaster be tickets to Lollapalooza for the whole band,” Walker said. “However, we figured it might be more enjoyable to provide the winners with a gift card, so that they could go to a concert of their choice.”

The recordings are not judged by the managers of the Hub, but by local teens.

“Once all the submissions are entered, we post them online for other teens to vote on,” Walker said. “We aren’t the ones that judge the contest, it’s the kids.”

It isn’t just a competition where you have to go in with no experience working in a studio whatsoever, either. Enrolled teens are encouraged to attend workshops with teachers from a School of Rock, another institution providing musical workshops and lessons in downtown Arlington Heights at the library.

“They not only help with classes here, but they also have a paid drum clinic at the School of Rock as well,” Walker said. “It’s difficult for anyone to record a decent drum set, but this class teaches kids how to do that.”

Kids from all over the district are encouraged to participate in the competition and have as much fun as possible with the recording experience. Even after it’s over, the winners are offered opportunities to perform at library-sponsored events such as Pajama Jam.

 “Another perk is getting live experiences, if you choose to do so,” Walker said. “We’d just like for everyone to have fun and be able to have the experience of recording under your belt, either for next year, or for the future.”