Song contests-leveling the field?

[halster]

OK, you have a song contest between:
Jimmy Buffett's - Margaritaville
Ozzy Osbourne's - Crazy Train
Taylor Swift's - You Belong With Me
Mozart's - The Requiem Mass in D minor

If you rate by Lyrics, Melody and Arrangement, and the final decision is made by each judge by "I just like this song better" (obviously Wolfgang is going to get a bad shake in the Lyrics category). Let's make it a little more interesting, Ozzy's song is a garage-produced demo and the lead guitar was out of tune and the timing was bad. In the judging rules though it says "Production quality should not be considered".

Thoughts?

[butterfly]

;DSounds like the one we have every year. It's which way the wind blows at the time, I suppose. I heard a comment from one of the judges who owns a music store here in town after last year's contest: "It isn't always clear if the person singing the song with the beautiful voice actually wrote the song or not..."
What did you say??? Who cares and what does that have to do with songwriting? Oh well, enough said lol

[halster]

This discussion is not aimed at any specific song contest, only general information to make/understand song contests better.

My thoughts are this. If you enter a song in a song contest it should be the best song you have to present. I doesn't matter if it was recorded 10 years ago. It should be radio-ready if possible and the best production you can get your paws on. Anything short of that is not a song for a song contest, it's a workshop song.

A song contest song is a song the writer feels is finished. Sure, feedback is given and sometimes songs are reworked according to the info on the feedback, but for the most part the artist is not going to rework the song, it is finished.

A workshop song is a work in progress and is still in a fluid state (as thought of by the writer). The writer is asking for listeners to give them feedback on what should be changed about the song. The writer may know something is wrong but just cant really figure out where or why. The song generally isn't yet fully produced, or the writer is running a home studio where changes are easily done.

[pianoman]

Song writing is an art form. It's effectiveness at stirring an emotional response in someone is completely subjective. So, the same song will appeal to some but not others. You can't be serious about any art-"contest"! It's an oxymoron for goodness sake...lol.

If ya wanna have a contest with it, keep it in perspective. Have FUN with it. Enjoy being amongst other artisans who are also trying to express what's deep inside them.

Just be aware... most song-writing contests exist to either sell you something, or take something from you. As long as you're watching out for the snakes and leeches which lurk all around these contests, you can still have fun.

And remember...Neither Stairway To Heaven or Louie Louie would fare well in a contest largely focussed on "formula", which most are. Write from your heart and trust that no matter what's coming out of you, it is uniquely you. Expressing THAT is the heart of songwriting.

The contests should be just for fun. The results will always be subjective at best..."coldly-charted" (as Neil Peart would say) at worst.

[socalmicskills]

I don't know, but it would be awesome to mix them all together and make one song out of them.