The
Great American Song Contest
 

A SURVEY OF SONGWRITERS

As songwriters, we understand the value of winning a prestigious songwriting contest. As songwriters, we want to receive recognition for our work and gain opportunities in the music business.

Still, some of us have heard negative things about songwriting contests. We've heard some big contests screen thousands of songs without even listening to them thoroughly. Or perhaps we don't like the idea of paying high entry fees just so one person can win a big cash prize. In short, we have doubts about the large songwriting competitions.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST:
TO PROVIDE A CLEAR BENEFIT FOR EVERYONE WHO ENTERS

Sponsored by Songwriters Resource Network, the annual Great American Song Contest offers a positive alternative to Big-Cash-Prize competitions.

The Great American Song Contest is based on the philosophy that a good song contest should be less about money and more about providing real opportunities for songwriters. (See Why This Contest Is Best)

In addition to excellent awards and prizes, the Great American Song Contest is designed to offer advantages for every songwriter, composer and lyricist who enters.

Since the first year of our songwriting contest in 1999, many songwriters who participated told us the Great American Song Contest was the best competition they had ever entered. (See Songwriter Testimonials below.)

An updated version of this article is available here:
Creating A Better Songwriting Contest

WHAT SONGWRITERS ARE SAYING
ABOUT THE GREAT AMERICAN SONG CONTEST

"To say the Great American Song Contest has exceeded my expectations would be an understatement. Everything was handled very professionally, the caliber of judging was impressive & the results were more than I could have hoped for." — T. Douglas Bush, San Diego CA

"You offer a wonderful song contest. The low entry fees and song evaluations make it an easy choice. It's really a great idea." — Connie Maxwell, Kill Devil Hills NC

"Thank you so much for a great songwriting contest that's so helpful and encouraging to new songwriters." — Don Campfield, Mishawaka IN


Great American Song Contest
Lyric Category

WHY WE SPONSOR A SONGWRITING CONTEST — A BRIEF HISTORY

When the idea of a songwriting contest was first discussed at Songwriters Resource Network, everyone agreed we should sponsor a contest ONLY if it provided real benefits for songwriters.

It was decided we should do a survey of songwriters, lyricists and composers to find out what kind of songwriting event they preferred.

A SURVEY OF SONGWRITERS

To create the best possible songwriting contest, SRN conducted a survey of songwriters from all over the U.S. and Canada. Below are the results, the comments and the suggestions we heard most often.

First of all, some songwriters questioned the value of the large commercially oriented music competitions.

"Frankly, I think the big song contests are often more interested in making money than helping songwriters," said a songwriter from Texas. "I think some songwriting contests just use a lot of hype to get tons of entries. A few people win but everyone else gets zero benefit."

"Some big song contests seem more like song lotteries," commented another songwriter. "It seems like writers pay costly entry fees only to end up paying for the big cash prizes for a few lucky winners."

Some writers who is the past participated in other songwriting contests questioned how thoroughly their songs had been reviewed.

"I've heard that some song contests will often only listen to the first minute or so of the songs," said one Michigan songwriter. "If songs are not even listened to completely, how fair is that?"

"It would really be helpful to get critiques from judges," said a songwriter and lyricist from Tennessee. "I entered one songwriting contest and they didn't even confirm my entry. They didn't give me any feedback about my work. All they did was cash my check."

CREATING A BETTER SONG CONTEST

The songwriters we surveyed offered the following recommendations.

  • Don't be just another big-cash-prize competition trying to attract thousands of entries
  • Focus on Quality — Not Quantity
  • Offer multiple awards & prizes in each category
  • Offer a wide range of song and music categories
  • Provide songwriters with evaluations from qualified judges
  • Help songwriters get heard in the music business
  • Keep entry fees low and keep hype at a minimum

These recommendations were the basis for the first Great American Song Contest, which was launched in 1999. The event soon became a hit with songwriters around the world.

Since 1999, we've added contest categories and many well-known music industry professionals to serve as judges. (See Judges & How Songs Are Judged )


Great American Song Contest
Lyric Category

EVERYONE who enters our contest can expect the following:

Multiple awards & prizes in all categories — a total of 45 awards, 5 in each category

ALL entries receive a respectful and complete review

ALL entries receive a written evaluation from a contest judge

ALL contest participants are notified upon receipt of their entries

ALL participants receive a list of the winners and a complete song contest summary

HIGHLIGHTS & INFORMATION LINKS

Contest Categories
Prizes & Benefits
Song Contest FAQ
Songwriting Contest Judges
International Entries
Rules & Entry Form

NOTE: This international event is open to songwriters, lyricists & music composers around the world.

To learn more about Great American Song Contest winners and hear their songs, click Award Winners

An updated version of this article is available here:
Creating A Better Songwriting Contest

 

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Songwriters Resource Network

  


 

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Fun Facts!

Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" was written in 1970 as a tribute to his friendship with his partner Art Garfunkel. But their relationship became strained and the two disagreed often. At one point they even argued over whether Garfunkel should sing the song.

According to Simon, the song's third verse was Garfunkel's idea. Simon wrote it but says has never liked it. Despite the disagreements, arguments and doubts, the song become their greatest hit, and spent 14 weeks at Number One!

 

 

 

 

Fun Fact

The title character in Chuck Berry's classic "Johnny B. Goode" was based on the songwriter himself, according to Berry. "The original words were ... 'that little colored boy could play." But I changed it to 'country boy' or else it wouldn't get on the radio." — Chuck Berry