Radically Improve Your Odds Of Winning A Song Contest
March 29th, 2010 by Lior ShamirLook For Clues
Gaining a significant edge in a song contest is sometimes as simple as knowing where to look. Most song contests publish a wealth of information about their contest judges right on their websites. Each judge’s professional profile may contain clues as to what type of music is most likely to draw his or her attention. You can use the data to accurately assess your chances and formulate a strategy by looking at which artist, publisher, label or music supervisors the judge is presently working with, then use that information as a guide to crafting a song that is ‘in demand’.
Look For Patterns
Most song contest websites stream previous winners’ songs. Take time and listen to a few winning songs and you will probably be able to see a pattern – a songwriting style, genre or topic – that appears to capture the judges’ attention time and time again. Use this valuable information to your advantage when deciding on which song you’re going to submit for a song contest.
Write Like A Pro
If you’re including a lyric with your song contest entry, it should not read like a page from a book. Format your lyric so that each section of your song is clearly labeled (e.g. Verse, Chorus, Bridge). Use a line space to separate each section of the song, upper case letters to highlight hooks and new sections only, and never include chord changes, notes, or copyright information unless they are specifically asked for.
Clean Up Your Act
Though your song contest submission doesn’t need to be professionally produced, you will be marked down if you’re not hitting your notes, your instruments are out of tune, the band’s not in the pocket, or the recording is inaudible. Make it easy for the song contest judges to truly enjoy your songwriting by eliminating poor performance and unprofessional presentation. Be masterful and your music will shine.
Focus On The Song
Song contest judges are professionals and won’t be swayed by awesome production centered around a mediocre song. When choosing which song to submit for a song contest, focus on the song itself, not the bells and whistles.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
A song contest is not a science experiment. If you want to improve your songwriting, purchase a critique first. Otherwise, participate in a song contest as if you’re pitching your best material to a label, publisher, music supervisor or event by submitting only your most polished songs.