Bill Wyman signed a sponsorship deal for his young bands' AIMS project at a press conference last month. Drinkists Pernod have shelled out the necessary cash to enable AIMS, in the shape of the Rolling Stones 48-track mobile studio, to hit the road.

Bill's idea in setting up AIMS is to encourage talented young players who would not normally have access to professional advice and facilities. With this end in mind, the Stones' mobile is set to record selected new acts, spending 7-10 days in each of the following cities — Norwich, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Glasgow and Newcastle.

"I deliberately chose those places," Bill told us, "as they were the least well served with studios. But next year, we hope to cover other areas, such as Northern Ireland."

So how do Making Music readers get involved? The AIMS project is being co-ordinated by the independent local radio stations in each of the regions. To qualify for entry, either you or another member of your combo must live within earshot of the relevant radio stations; to enter, you need an entry form (from HMV stores, local music shops, or the radio station), and three songs on tape. Bill promises that not only will every tape be listened to (and they expect 600-700 for each city), but all unsuccessful applicants will receive a written critique of their songs. The best bands will then be recorded by the Stones' Mobile, and will receive a master and cassette copy of their work, to use as they wish.

The listening panel will include Mr Wyman, Andy Fairweather-Low, music business people, and some ordinary punters — "I'll just pull some kids in from the road outside my office," Bill said when we saw him. I asked what advice he expected to be offering: "The singer's out of tune, and the drummer speeds up," Bill smiled. He reminisced about a comment made by the BBC on the Stones in their early days: "'You're not commercial, and your singer sounds like a black man — it won't work.' Basically, we'll be looking for songs — you've got to have good songs."

The regional details are as follows: closing date for Norwich, the first area, is August 7th. Radio stations in this area are Broadland, Saxon, and Orwell. Second city is Nottingham: tapes must be in by August 15th, to Radio Trent, Leicester Sound, and Trent 945. Third venue will be Portsmouth; tapes by September 15th to Ocean Sound in Fareham. Glasgow's Radio Clyde needs your demos (plus entry form) by October 15th, and finally Metro Radio and Radio Tees in Newcastle want cassettes by November 5th.

After the bands have been recorded, the five best will be chosen to play alongside some major names at a big charity concern at the Royal Albert Hall sometime in Spring 1988.

We'll keep you informed.