BBC poll counts down music talent

Soul singer Joss Stone is fifth on the Sound of 2004 list

Some of the best new bands, singers and rappers in music have been uncovered by a BBC News Online survey of influential UK music writers and broadcasters.

About 60 impartial opinion-formers named their favourite new artists for the BBC News Online Sound of 2004 poll.

A countdown of the resulting top five acts began on Monday, with fifth-placed soul singer Joss Stone, and will end on Friday when the winner is revealed.

Rapper 50 Cent topped last year's list and went on to become a global star.

Mercury Music Prize winner Dizzee Rascal, reggae chart-topper Sean Paul and rock band The Thrills were among the others on last year's top 10.

Find out what happened to the 10 artists tipped to be the Sound of 2003

For the survey, BBC News Online asked the music experts - ranging from magazine editors to radio playlisters - for their top three artists to watch in 2004.

Those tips were added up and a list compiled of the top 10 artists.

The first artist to be revealed from this year's list is 16-year-old Joss Stone, in fifth, who has been hailed by some as "the white Aretha Franklin".

The full top 10 will be revealed on Friday, along with the winner, after the countdown of the top five. A new interview with one top five artist will be posted every day this week.

Bands and singers who already had a top 20 UK single by 31 December were ineligible in the survey.

Contestants on TV talent shows in the last 12 months plus artists who were already famous - such as soap stars - were also ruled out.