JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum The Great White Rhino Hunt is On, Aim Very Kawefully, $10 fee

The massive hunt for the rare and valuable Great White Rhino, otherwise known as the American Idol Songwriting Contest is ON and the Website is up (songwriter.americanidol.com/ ). There is a $10 submission fee and the deadline for the online submission of WAV files is April 17th (it's a single song publishing contract and no one currently tied to another publishing contract is eligible, I believe). A&R people pick the top 20 and the public listening online pick the top one, with the marvelous acuity and common sense that has given Sanjaya Malakar a career. Submission is by WAV files and instructions are on the site. Now, everyone grab their long guns!

I liken it to buying a lottery ticket. Insiders will likely be spotted the first 5 of 6 numbers metaphorically, but if you feel lucky and want to spend 10 bucks go for it. So.. do you? Do you feel lucky punk?

= )

Brian

PS: If you have a song that thematically sounds like a victory song for the winner (soaring... uplifting.. positive.. contemplative.. etc.. ) that's what I'd enter. Save your heartbreak and beer drinking and death metal songs for something else.

I'm entering my "Mollusk Station" song

If I win maybe it will drive Simon nuts and force him to quit the show. I'd love to see Sanjaya belt it out.

I was going to send 'em "Rotten Candy." I was always positive it could be a hit--it complies, I think, with every one of the Nashville Rules as I understand them:

o It has only 2 verses;
o It has (horrors!) a bridge;
o It has choruses after each verse and after the bridge;
o It has different music for the chorus than the verses;
o It is less than 3 minutes long;
o It is uptempo;
o It is a tearjerker;
o It has lyrics that do not make sense but sound like they should.

From my end, it is gender-neutral--it can be sung by either a guy or a girl--and it can be played with or without a lead break.

I kinda hope they don't pick it. With the show so focused on humiliating and intimidating innocent people, I would worry that their selection of my song meant there was something wrong with it. I'd rather spend the ten bucks and be able to tell audiences, "And here's the song that was rejected by American Idol..."

The Artist Formerly Known as Moonless Joe

I wonder just how many 10 bucks they will get. And who knows someone might earn a few hundred bucks handout from the multimillions that the program producers will make. I would rather go for a surer thing. Now what were my lottery numbers again. I BET BRIAN USES THE SAME NUMBERS.

Yeah.. this is the biggest and easiest moneymaker they've ever come up with. I bet they get at least 100,000 songs if not more. Of course we got 350,000 songs in our awards. I'd love it if they got less with their largest TV audience in the world. Maybe folks would understand the scope of what we do better.

Brian

Awww Brian now you've made me feel like I'd be betraying JPF to enter


JK LOLOLOLOLOLOL

Cheers

They won't get my ten dollars... I'd rather support music education or a charity.

Just my two cents. I just won't support a show that humiliates people in that way.

Emily

I think I shall enter my dissonant hard rock song, with odd meters, wierd intervals left and right, no 1-4-5-1 to be found, and that people find strange in general. Screw the lottery, I'm gonna get rich with prudent decision making, one prudent decision at a time, with submission to American Idol as the first prudent decision I've made in a long time!

Mike,

Was that sarcasm? .. if not it sure makes for really funny sarcasm. = )

Brian

Well.. to be perfectly honest ... I don't have any problem submitting a song. I don't really enter into contests much anymore.. but the odds are not any better than any other contest I've entered. The cost is less... $10 bucks is a drop in the bucket considering the demos I've sent out!
Who know's .. miracles of miracles ... my song could be a winner ... maybe not ... but for 10 bucks I could find out!
Joanne

The fact that they are going to let the public vote is a good thing. (assuming of course it's an honest system.. no one would ever know one way or the other since voting is kept secret on AI). The bad thing is that it's the same public that has chosen to keep Sanjaya on the show. So it's not going to be rational voting. If you don't have a killer quality demo I think it's a total waste of time. The public will not likely vote for a weak demo nor will they "hear through" it to pick a great song. Since they get to pick the finalists, they can make sure a Sanjaya like song won't make it to the voting stage. It will earn them zillions.. make them look like good guys.. and of course they will own the publishing.. but that said, if you somehow got chosen, you're going to make a LOT of money!

Brian

Brian

Well, I did it--I figured, "What the heck." I hadn't done anything frivolous in months, and the ten bucks is definitely frivolous; I am expecting absolutely nothing out of it except the ability to tell audiences, "And this is the song that American Idol rejected..." Had to ask whether that was going to be worth ten bucks, and I do believe it is.

I have noticed on other songwriters' sites people talking about an Important Contest they're entering, or have to enter, with a deadline of April 17, and I presume this is it. They all seem so starry-eyed. And young. Wish I could warn 'em, or something.

Me? Except for the 3-1/2 (I think) stars somebody kind attached to my posts a while back, I am star-free. No starry eyes here. I have a Moon. (Thanks, Billvis.) And now I can issue Pronouncements that start with "Upon reflection..." (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)

The Artist Formerly Known as Moonless Joe

10 dollars frivolous? Really?

Here's a link for you then! = )

http://www.jpfolks.com/JPFStore/index.html

Brian

Am I the only one who thinks that the winning song is already picked. Even before the comp was announced. It will be another bland poppy. It will sell billions and then be forgotten in a few weeks time just like the winning "ARTISTE". Sorry I could not think of another word that was appropriate. The worst bit of all is THEN THEY WILL DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.

Actually several of the winners are very well known and very successful. So are several of the runners-up and finalists. The biggests busts so far are Ruben (though he did sell well at first) and last year's winner who may be the least successful of all. I think Jordin will turn out to be a superstar. Blake may as well. Not so sure about the Lakisha and Melinda. Melinda is the real deal but won't connect to the masses like Jordin will. Jordin can do any genre and has the charisma and is cute enough to have very wide appeal in the US. And at only 17 she has nothing but upside. There aren't many people around here who could hold her water when they were only 17. No matter it's faults, I'd still rather watch AI and have shows like that popular than another crime drama or pointless sleazoid tabloid show. We used to have old variety shows and talent shows dating back into the 50's. This is just the current version. Could it be better? Sure. Could it be worse? Just look at what else is on around the TV channels.

Brian

You beat me to it Brian
I have no use for American Idol as a show. I used to try to watch it a little, but it the format and the "judges" turn me off, but to name a few past winners who did well--Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken. all sold millions and are still selling millions. Carrie Underwood for sure IMO has long lasting staying power. maybe the other two also.
Wy

Everyone who enters this contest should keep in mind the style of song they AI usually likes the finalists to sing as their first singles on the finals shows...... very positive contemporary pop, inspirational in feel with lyrics that speak about "attaining the impossible" or "this is my moment!" ..those kinds of things.

So, this "American Idol"... what is it, like a show?

I am going to enter my song "I don't dance sober" and ask that they put the ten bucks on my tab.

if i lived in the USA...I think i would give the ten bucks
to the first homeless punter i meet...no..on second thoughts
i would spread it around..i would give a dollar each to the first
10 homeless people i meet...at least it aint going into Cowell,s Collectin Tin...What will that guy think of next...
How about ..Nursing Home Idol....

So how much DO you win in this lottery? Hmmm...

The only thing is... unlike the lottery... the songs will be listened to and evaluated by A&R reps first, to get to that top 20.

Yet just like the lottery... anyone can enter and tons of people know about it. Which means a LOT of people will enter who know literally nothing about the market, the business, or the craft of songwriting.

That means your odds should go way up for being picked for the top 20--because working songwriters know the tricks and the themes those reps will be combing through the junk for.

I don't have anything that would "fit" to enter, much less a quality demo. So I'll pass.

However... I do have a story!
I was on the fence about entering a playwriting contest a few years back, because I was unfamiliar with the format. (I love theater, but I hadn't written drama before.) I mentioned this in an online forum, and one of the professors who ran the contest answered me. He said, basically, "Trust me--if you can write a decent sentence, your entry will automatically be way better than most of the absolute junk we get every year." He talked about slogging through bunches of really, really bad entries, while less than 10% were even close. So I entered. Why not? I didn't win, but I was a finalist both times.

Something to think about!
If you have something suitable, it SHOULD stand out to the reps more than the rest of the garbage they're bound to be slogging through.

I'm not going to comment on the ethics of the contest or the moneymaking it does for the show.

But if it was me and I was holding the contest, you bet I'd charge some sort of entry fee-- because it'll slow down the guaranteed tidal wave of really, really bad entries just a touch. And I would want to be paid for my time spent having to listen to so many horrible, lousy, utterly bad songs trying to find a good one. LOL

Linda

Why not write a song just for the contest? They have set the parameters. They don't require a radio ready song or a complex arrangement. They need a great melody and a great lyric. This would be a good challenge to test our skills. Professional songwriters have to be able to create a song according to parameters within a short timeline. There is still time to write a song.

Wait. On second thought I should be trying to influence others not to enter, LOL. (I'm working on my song right now.) I started it 2 days ago. It's almost done. I don't mind the entry fee for this contest. It's very low really.

Nobody has to talk anyone in or out of anything. Our goal here is to make sure folks understand what they are or aren't giving up. If you still decide to move forward WITH the info, then go for it. But we don't want someone coming back later and saying "I had no idea that I was giving up my rights to my song by entering." It appears that there's rules for the contest but there's separate rules for anything entered onto their website. I am not sure what happens when there's 2 aggreements with different terms. Only a real attorney with expertise in this sort of thing could answer that.

Brian

Brian, I was responding to Linda's comment:



The other part of my statement was a little joke. Did you notice the LOL.

I guess I should have used the little quote thingie on my first reply.

Hi fellow songwriters and starving artists:

Can anyone lend me $10.00??? I have a sure-fire winner. It's named, "Sanjaya" and it will probably never go away if they select it. (Just kidding! I actually have written a song by that title and it's fairly positive by taking up his situation on the show.) One of my pet peeves about "Idol" is the general scorn and humiliation they heap on some of those kids.

In reality, Sanjaya probably has a sure-fire future in music even though he's had nothing but negative publicity. As they say, any kind of publicity is better than none. (Just ask Anna Nicole Smith!) I suppose it would be difficult to get through the flames, though!

In all sincerity, it really makes me angry that these folks would charge songwriters $10.00 to submit a song. Have you seen the "hoops" they make you jump through in order to sumbit a song? They don't appear to be allowing submittal of a CD. Instead, they want you to use Microsoft's miserable interface. How's that for insult upon injury.

I will say this... once you get past the quirky set-up of "Idol" it is nice to watch some of the really talented contestants such as Melinda Doolittle. That young lady is going to be around for a long time after "Idol" has disappeared. (It's probably just because she's from my former home-town, Brentwood, TN.)

To those of you that possess the courage (and ten bucks) to enter, best of luck. Brian is probably right! (Isn't he always?)

All my best,

Dave Rice

As I always say when starry-eyed newbie songwriters ask about songwriting contests....

"there is money to be made in songwriting contests... unfortunately, it's not the songwriters who are making it."

AI makes a cool million dollars on the songwriting contest, costs them $200,000 to do so. You do the math.

Learned an interesting thing about the Sanjaya phenomenon in my music business course- a large group of voters have somehow organized to keep Sanjaya on to spite the judges and the show, kind of interesting, though perhaps its just a rumor, I cannot verify it but it seems plausible enough...

Mike

If you have a great song enter it.

If you don't have a great song, enter it.

The only thing to consider is, who makes the money ?

Great artists and songwriters make their money from years of experience, and years of trial and eror. It doesn't come overnight. My 2 cents.

cheers, niteshift

I'd like to enter, but I'm a Brit. Looked at the web page and can't see if Brit entries are excluded. The song I had in mind to enter was co-written with an American.

Hmmm.....interesting angle...

How about just getting your Americian co-writer to do the enty. Now that would work OK ?

cheers, niteshift

I'm a old veteran song contest participant who has won many major and not so major contests. One earned me $25000. That's more than I would have ever made on the song alone. In fact, I wrote it for the contest, and it would never have existed, but for that. It never got released, as is the case with most contest winners. I stay away from contests now, for the very reason they don't produce results.(for the winners). However: You can't ignore the fact that AI contest, if you win, or even get in the top twenty, almost guarantees exposure. Maybe they exploit people, maybe they don't. Participants in the show do so voluntarily. You know what to expect, going in. So, that doesn't bother me. You want to be a star: You gotta face Simon. I have entered two songs in the contest. Two, that IMHO, probably would never see the light of day, otherwise. Not that they're bad songs, they are not. It's just, as all of you should know, The odds of getting a song recorded are what? 1 in a million? In 40 years I've written hundreds of songs, to date, I have about six cuts. Multiply that by all the writers on JPF and elsewhere and the odds are huge. What are you gonna do? Keep your babies in a closet? Who else is listening to them? /Glen (Mr. Cynic)

Glen,

If you spend a dollar and buy a lottery ticket, you've spent 90% less and will make WAY MORE money than if you win the AI song contest. So wouldn't it be a much better investment to buy lottery tickets? Same logic you use. At least in that case about 50% of the money goes to a local school or government program.

Brian

No, the rules specifically state that the writer AND co-writers must all be American citizens.

BAW: Not to get into a debate: A lottery ticket has nothing to do with showing off your talent. If you're just looking to make a buck, yeah, but the odds are probably a lot less in the contest. To each his/her own. Why not both?