jm0984

Hey everyone,

I was coming here to ask what you all know about songwriting competitions - specifically the 2007 International Songwriting Competition. They sent me an email about my songs, and I'm thinking about entering them - haha, just for the chance that they might end up in Tom Waits' hands. Have you had any experience with competitions like these in the past? I know it's a gamble, but I think my stuff's really good, and you can't say no to an extra $25,000, right?

 

Aqualung

What's the worst that can happen? I don't know anything about these types of things, but it seems that if the worst that could happen is you would waste a short time actually entering, then why not?

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Habey Gonzo

True, and who knows? You might even be lucky and get some cash! Where are these competitions done?

jm0984

This one operates out of Nashville. I gave them a call today and spoke to someone who works there - seems very cool. I'm definitely going to submit!

Aqualung

Awesome! Be sure to fill us in on all the details. I'm sure there are members here who have contimplated the same thing but haven't known exactly what to do, and I for one am curious how this will turn out.

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example

i love your avatar

Aqualung

Mine? Thanks.

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Mongo97

Just a general note about songwriting competitions, do a little Googling first to see if everything is on the up and up.

Most competitions want an entry fee, and there are a good number of 'competitions' that are bogus, and pocket your cash with no actual competition. They're preying on the desperate songwriter who enters anything they can in hopes of being noticed.

There are some good legit ones out there, of course, but there's plenty of places that just spam out emails to members of music sites or things like that to try to find some sucker to buy an empty promise, so it's worth looking into the specific competition to find out for sure.

weirdbeard

Hi...also consider poetry comps (there's a fine line - songwriting vs poetry).

As pointed out already, be very careful to pick legit ones. Winning Writers (http://www.winningwriters.com) points out the dodgy ones, but also runs good competitions.

Can't resist hijacking this thread with a bit of self promotion:

:-)

http://www.winningwriters.com/contes...7_guerrero.php

[me!] :-D :-D

Joel

As long as you know its legit I really see no reason why not, whats the downside to 25,000 after all? Heavier pockets is all I can come up with, and you can get used to that extra 1 pound of cash...

Good Luck

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awimbly

This is close...

It's a talent competition that has a separate category for singing. You can sing anything, including your own song.

Or you could write something and have someone else sing it. The prizes involve flying to Hollywood and meeting with agents and managers to audition for movies and commercials.

I plan to register for this, but I want to make sure it's legit. Anyone think it isn't?

It's called Big Shot Live, and the URL is just those words, plus .com

Thanks,

Adam

Neverlife

i dont like anything who decides that one peice of art is better then another. Because its judging how they express it not what it is, you cant say that how 1 person feels is better then another, only that they can describe it better, and get it out. So only the creativity is judged really, because you cant see into the persons soul, and fully understand their intentions.

But thats just my imput, i'm probably crazy.

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awimbly

The winners are picked by people who vote, who can be anyone in the world. The site says there are winners every day (?!) so that at least means a lot of people get a chance to go to Hollywood. I admit contests can be tough when you lose but people love them (American Idol) and this is a way to get around all the studios and companies that only say "no" to people.

bandguy834

Having entered a couple songwriting contests, I've decided that they are pretty arbitrary representations of talent, and more than anything, are usually just ways for people to make money off of a lot of aspiring artists. There are SO many people out there these days writing songs, that any old fraud can run a songwriting contest and get tons of submissions. Charge them $10 per entry and promise some small glory, and you've got a nice income. I don't trust them. There's no great accountability. In my mind it's like buying lottery tickets...

Jesse!

If you enter a competition that isn't widely known you need to be careful.

The entry fee reason has already been explained (though there are plenty of legit competitions with entry fee requirements), but even a free competition can be bad news.

Make sure before you submit anything to a competition that isn't a big one, that you have it COPYRIGHTED.

If someone thinks your song is amazing and then uses it for their own personal profit without your permission, you will have problems.

The truth is, you have an intellectual copyright on it just from being the writer, but it can take years in court and thousands of dollars (tens of thousands even) in court fees to prove this... most people simply can't afford to do that, and sometimes you may even have trouble proving it... especially if you keep all your writing in a paper notebook. Then you're screwed.

Melylou

Agreed! Do a quick google to check it out. I am poor and hardly ever enter anything with an entry fee that is an easy way to stay away from some scam.

ashlog

Always wanted to enter but idk if my songs are good enough.

Melylou

Here is a songwriting competition that I thought would be a good one to post about. There is no entry fee, and I find writing a song about a city I love pretty inspiring.
No reason to be afraid to enter a competition (ashlog) who is going to know that you ever entered... unless ofcourse you win. That's how I look at it.

The winner recieves $10,000 and you have a chance to check out your competition by listening to the songs already uplaoded on the website.
the website is found if you google City Love Music, sadly I can't add a link.

odds10to1

Never, Never, say that! Don't even think it!! You will NEVER see or hear your own work as others do. What may sound owkward or bad to you, just may turn out to be a Million seller. This principal is for everything. I used to paint very expensive houses. I never thought I did a good enough job. But the home buyers Everyone of them always threw a huge party when the job was done and gave me a huge, I mean a HUGE bonus.

Stringbender

I would say check out the Nashville Songwriter's Association International and see what events they have coming up -maybe there's a songwriting competition coming soon. Right now, there may still be some areas that are recovering from the flooding they had recently. i think they have a website, so you may want to check that out.
I don't do songwriting competitions- now, obviously you have all the proper copyright protection in place before you do anything with your songs, but you see- I feel that the odds of anybody getting inspired by my songs- that is more likely in an environment where other songwriters or some unethical folks (and there are some out there in the music business) who go to these things looking for someone they can prey on- I worry that somebody else could steal my ideas and change JUST enough for it to "squeak" through the laws.. I might just be paranoid.
Check the performing rights organizations like ASCAP and BMI- they frequently have songwriting competitions and they are THE standard and the respected authority... their whole job is to make sure you are protected. If anybody has anything going on in nashville that is reputable- they would probably be the first to know about it.

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Stringbender

Let me say what many others before me have said- "If you think you Can't- you're right". Now, no- I am NOT saying you are not good enough- I AM saying you THINK you are not good enough so much that it limits you from actually doing what you've always wanted to do. Now, first- listen to what is currently out on the radio..is what you have AT LEAST as good- if not better than what you hear? Another thing- a lot of folks thought they 'were not good enough" at one point and took a chance anyhow- and got to where they are today. You do it because you want to and something inside you says ..sure..why not? SO- WHY NOT? That first step can sometimes be the toughest..and that first step sounds like it is believing in yourself and that your work IS good enough. Now, why did you write the song/s you wrote?
Is it because you had a feeling- a thought..something on your mind that you wanted to get across to somebody- anybody whomever hears your song?
Seriously think about that question- odds are it WAS because you had a feeling or a thought and something you wanted to convey to AT LEAST one other person.. so it WAS good enough at one point in time- wasn't it?
Now, you have to get yourself from that ONE person to MANY people.. by telling yourself the reason you wrote the song- YES it was good enough and it still is good enough! Some folks may not understand it- or some folks may not like it as much as others- this is art..that's how it is.. hey, I see some Picasso paintings I don't particularly care for- but it's still GOOD art worth millions right?? Understand that there will be some who do not like it or do not think it is good- this is based on their own opinions at that time and it is just one more "No" on the way to "yes".
odds are- your song/s really are good enough.

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LadyT

I'd say to definitely do some research and make sure it's legit. Be very weary if they want you to come out of your pocket. A lot of so called "poetry publishers" pull this scam. So just be careful, and good luck.