Facilitating Online Access To and Participation In Televised Events

A non-transitory medium comprising computer-readable instructions that when executed by a computer system cause operations to be performed including the following:

• receiving, by a device having at least an audio jack, a speaker, and a display screen, a selection of a pre-recorded audio track displayed on the device's display screen;
• playing the selected pre-recorded audio track through the device's audio jack and not through the device's speaker;
• simultaneously with the playing, capturing an input audio track through a microphone associated with the device;
• and
• combining the captured input audio track and the pre-recorded audio track in a time synchronized manner to generate a combined audio recording.

A computer-implemented method of managing a distributed online contest or event, the method comprising:

• using a contestant module executing on a mobile device to record an audio-visual performance by a contestant associated with the mobile device;
• via a communications network, transmitting the recorded audio-visual performance from the contestant module executing on the mobile device to a producer module executing on a computer system remote from the mobile device;
• evaluating the recorded audio-visual performance to determine whether it satisfies one or more predetermined criteria;
• if the recorded audio-visual performance is determined to satisfy the one or more predetermined criteria, making the recorded audio-visual performance available for viewing by an audience;
• receiving, from a plurality of viewer modules executing on respective audience member devices, votes relating to the recorded audio-visual performance;
• and
• determining a winner of the distributed online contest based at least in part on the received votes.