Most contests are a scam.  But the reason musicians come to this conclusion is because they pay some big fee to enter a “contest” and they never hear anything back except an email telling them they didn’t win.  Kind of like what I got from your contest.  Sure it had a chart that said I got 3 stars, but why?  Can’t even get a review included with my $30?  Oh well, live and learn.

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Hi.  My name is XXXXXXX.  I was wondering if we could maybe strike a deal.  You see, I have no money because I am not famous yet.  If you can help me become famous, then instead of giving you 30 dollars, I will give you 500 dollars!

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As of next month, anyone who enters our song contests will.

We’re in the final stages of launching our Song Contest Score Card, which will allow the judges to rate six elements of your song or lyric from a  scale of 1 to 5.  The Score Card will be delivered to you via email and saved in your We Are Listening account.

Whether you’re a winner, finalist, runner-up or not selected, you can be sure that at the end of each song contest that you participate in, a Score Card will be emailed to you – free of charge.

This is an example:

Lior,

I just wanted to drop you a quick line to let you know how much the Breaking the Band contest has helped us out.

Tinderbox has been very very helpful and has exposed our music to a much larger audience than we could have hoped for.  Our disc has been getting airplay at CMJ charted stations across the country since April.  We even charted in the top 10 slots at several stations! Our web traffic and album sales have definitely increased since we started working with Tinderbox and we’ve connected with many people we wouldn’t have reached if not for Breaking the Band and Tinderbox Music.

Jon has found 8 shows on networks like MTV, E! and even Oxygen that are interested in using our work in their series.  That’s still a work in progress but chances are pretty good we’ll land some television placements, reach more potential fans and maybe even make some dough for our next album.

I’ve been very impressed with the staff at Tinderbox and their results.  I can’t thank We Are Listening enough for providing us the opportunity!

I hope all is well and you are enjoying the summer thus far!

Best wishes,

Mark Towne
Booking / Drums
Vices I Admire

Also, participants in Round 3 of The Singer/Songwriter Awards and Round 3 of The Lyric Writer Awards may have received a confirmation email from me stating that the notification deadline is May 31st or June 1st, respectively.  This was a typo on my part and inconsistent with the information published on our website and in your account, which is correct.

I would like to apologize for the inconvenience that this may have inevitably caused you and take this opportunity to welcome you to our international song contest series once again.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

With best regards,

Lior Shamir
Managing Director
We Are Listening

P.S. If you’re not yet accustomed to using your We Are Listening account, please read this post for useful information.  If you do not yet have a free account, please click here to review the benefits.

“Lior, I couldn’t be more grateful for the connections you made for me with Beth and Jon.  I signed a contract with Imaginary Friends this week, and also talked to Jon.  I was nervous to work with both of them at the same time, but Jon called Beth yesterday.. and everything will be working out fine.  Jon will be pitching my music to MTV and ETV! and Beth will be licensing for other TV networks.  Jon says there are new shows opening for June, and placements will happen really quickly.  I will let you know if I have more good news!  Thank you so so much.”

- Hee Young

Sometimes (and too often) marketers work to manipulate people.  I define manipulation as working to spread an idea or generate an action that is not in a person’s long-term best interest.

How should We Are Listening ensure the long-term best interests of our song contest participants?

Share your thoughts with me >>

In the spirit of full transparency, I wanted to share his response with you:

Sorry if this offends, but I’m afraid I’m not a big fan of song contests.  While I know they provide a platform for a few; they provide disappointment and false hope to many.  So I’m not sure that I’d be an appropriate judge or partner.

Feel free to add your comments >>

The Truth About Our Song Contest

Can You handle The Truth?

4 Qualified Song Contest Perspectives

What A Song Contest Can Do For You

Radically Improve Your Odds Of Winning A Song Contest

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.