Thursday, April 16, 2009
Cream Architects of Success: Don't Let the SongDoor Hit Ya on the Ass on Yer Way Out
Posted by Tracy Moore on Thu, Apr 16, 2009 at 1:39 PM
International songwriting competition "SongDoor" has uh, opened its doors for submissions as of yesterday. It's an annual competition that accepts songs from all over, in all categories, with a grand prize that gives the winner a demo recorded in a "hot new recording facility," among other prizes.
Songwriting competitions are a dime a dozen, so, if I were a songwriter, I'd be as wary of most of them as any poet ought to be of those poetry website offers. You know, where any would-be wordsmith commits pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and suddenly finds their poem about cats who play softball in an international anthology, all for the low low price of $79.95. I gather words like sunflowers, sweet in my mouth...
In some ways, it's just as bad as American Idol or America's Next Top Model: these reality shows and competitions that foster the absurd illusion that there is a simple formula for success: get your face out there, and with a questionable amount of talent and a lot of help from the gatekeepers, you're guaranteed to become a household name (or at least good for a laugh). Idol has produced a star or two in nearly a decade, and Top Model has given us a whole lot of chicks happy to get some catalog work. What difference did Bands on the Run ever make for Flickerstick? You know, other than that they're still the butt of a certain age of VH1 watchers' jokes.
Because when it comes to making it big in music, the only rule I've ever heard is that there are no rules. Write your version of "1999" and achieve overnight success, or toil for years with songs every bit superior for nothing but hometown love--if you're lucky. In a city like Nashville, full of folks kicking around with every kind of musical ambition, the idea of a contest open to everyone promising the sort of access and attention that's supposed to come with at least a little bit of hustle and a whole lot of luck seems either intentionally scammy or maybe just really cynical. Something about them just really sticks in my craw.
What say you, Cream readers? I'm not in a band, so I can't speak to the appeal of contests and competitions that seem to dangle the carrot of getting your face out there, getting your music heard, or finally opening all the doors you seem to be banging your head against. Is there any avenue beyond lots of shows, lots of handshakes, shock-and-awe web presence and lots of flyering (digital or otherwise) that actually seem worth the price of submission?
So what of SongDoor? The grand prize:
Entrants are eligible to win the Grand Award, valued at approximately USD $7,745 in music merchandise and services, including a single-song publishing contract with Hard Twist Music-BMI (owned by mega-hit songwriter Bill Shore), a full-band private session demo at 16 Ton Studios, Music Row's hottest recording facility, a one-year full-access membership to SongU.com, a copy of MasterWriter songwriting software, a suite of songwriting software from Tanager Audioworks, a Primo MoB membership to Broadjam, a leather gear bag and an autographed copy of two of hitmaker Jason Blume's best-selling songwriting books. Six Category Winners each receive a valuable package of awards valued at almost $4,670 including a first-rate guitar or vocal production demo and memberships to both SongU.com and Broadjam. [Emphasis added.]
Let's break these perks down.
A single-song publishing contract with Hard Twist Music-BMI (owned by mega-hit songwriter Bill Shore): OK, at first we thought this was no big deal, and that since BMI just administers royalties, anyone can take any old song to them and register it. But it turns out this is semi-special, according to our BMI sources. A typical aspiring songwriter would have to present it to BMI and BMI would have to agree to publish it, we were told. Any old yay-hoo can't waltz in and get repped, contrary to how it may seem.
A full-band private session demo at 16 Ton Studios, Music Row's hottest recording facility: First, in this town, lots of people have lots of access to musicians and studios, so this doesn't seem like such a hot prize. Home recording programs are much-improved these days, so the recording you can work out on GarageBand is probably good enough to convey the quality of the song. The idea of a demo needing to be recorded in a hot recording facility seems counter to the idea of what a demo is: a rough recording of the song meant to showcase the quality of the song, with the quality of the recording to be improved later. Granted, lots of folks are doing this totally DIY these days, but it still seems pointless to have one awesomely recorded demo on which you are ostensibly hanging your shot at the big time's hat.
A one-year full-access membership to SongU.com: Eh.
A copy of MasterWriter songwriting software, a suite of songwriting software from Tanager Audioworks: I'm not qualified to assess the value of this gift, other than that it's apparently worth $150.
A Primo MoB membership to Broadjam: Social network for band promotion. Also known as MySpace. Ha, I kid. This is one of many emerging sites that allows artists to cut out the middleman, manage songs and photos and all that jazz. Value: $200. OK, also known as MySpace.
A leather gear bag: Jackpot!
And an autographed copy of two of hitmaker Jason Blume's best-selling songwriting books. He wrote "Back to Your Heart" for the Backstreet Boys. Got a problem with that?
And all that for only $10. So maybe in this case it doesn't exactly hurt to apply. I'm sure last year's winner would agree. According to the press release, he's now considering booking agents and just played SXSW. Exactly the sort of thing you'd need a contest to get going for you, right?
Comments (6)
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nice breakdown Tracy. I have always found songwriting and "battle of the bands" competitions to be really lame attempts to market some sort of product. In this case it is songu.com, broadjam, 16 Ton, master writer, and leathergearbag.com. It really does not matter who enters. Chances are they will want your credit card, chances are that your music is mediocre at best. Furthermore, services like sonicbids are just as bad. They encourage aspiring writers and musicians to enter all types of contests in hopes that they will get heard by a panel of A and R reps or get a gig at some festival. Most everyone already has a web page and myspace page that has all the same information on it for free.
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I don't think anybody should ever have to pay to compete, although $10 is extremely nominal. If you can't find a sponsor or a way to offset the costs of submitting, maybe you shouldn't be hosting a contest.
They definitely won't be pulling in already-established artists, but I don't see why you have to act so shitty about a contest to win stuff that at least some people are passionate about. This contest might just make some brokeass songwriter happier than a pig in shit. I'm sure your big dream was to write for a free weekly newspaper, right?
No, JEFF, would never do this, plus I don't think they have $10. I know it's not indie to "compete". ever. ...and this contest is one of the worst, but I can't believe you wasted so much time on this blog post. Do some research and find some contests that are legit and that offer desirable prizes like cold hard cash and high-end gear.
You could help these bands out in Nashville that are chasing the dream instead of always pointing out the flaws in everything. You don't always have to be so sarcastic and condescending.
Whatever - no risk no reward. I think the Broadjam Indie Music site has more to offer than MySpace. The list winners. MySpace you only win cause its free.
I bet you ten bucks Jeff The Brotherhood has a trust set up from Jeff The Fatherhood. Snap!
As Executive VP of SongDoor, I'd like to clarify a couple of things, because there is some misinformation here. We have been in operation since 2006 and have the endorsement of BMI, ASCAP, the CMA and NSAI. We go out of our way to let entrants know that we do not guarantee them fame and fortune, a la American Idol. Our aim is to help people be better writers and get some exposure for their music. We give every single person who enters - whether they win or not - a free unlimited access trial to SongU.com and free songwriting software that's worth $120. You didn't happen to mention that. MasterWriter is the industry standard in songwriting software and is used by Gwen Stefani, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Rob Thomas, Kenny Loggins, and many other very successful writers. Don't knock it if you haven't tried it. Broadjam offers very valuable pitching opportunities in addition to a long list of benefits you also didn't mention in your post. Many of our entrants have had songs placed because of BroadJam. 16 Ton Studios is run by Danny White and Scotty Huff, two Nashville heavyweights. Your assessment of their studio is not only incomplete, it's misinformed. Jason Blume has written songs for Britney Spears and many others, and his songs have sold MILLIONS of copies. He is hugely respected by songwriters. Who has recorded YOUR music, and how many copies have sold? And I would advise you to take another look at what Anthony Snape has done since he won in 2008. And to bingham, who says 'this contest is one of the worst' - may I ask what you're basing that on? Your implication that SongDoor isn't "legit" is just plain defamatory.
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