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The Positive Pop Song Contest focuses on songs that inspire, encourage, motivate, educate, celebrate, or entertain... songs with a positive impact, or "positive pop".
We want to encourage all songwriters out there to use their talents in a way that has a positive impact on their audience. One GRAND PRIZE winner will be awarded a full production package, where they will be able to have one of their original songs produced by Worldwide Groove Corporation. There are other additional prizes as well. Every song entered will get a written evaluation from an industry professional, and also hopefully some good exposure. Find out more by browsing the site...
The Positive Pop Song Contest is different than the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and the Great American Song Contest. It's also not the same as the Billboard Song Contest. In the Positive Pop Song Contest, a team of producers will work with the winning songwriter to personalize and custom produce a master qualtiy recording of one of their original songs. Worldwide Groove Corporation also have connections with song publishers and can pass the winning song on to appropriate publishing companies for their consideration. This contest is more than just a title, and free gear, it is one more step toward making a place for yourself as a songwriter. The only other song contest that offers a prize of that nature is the CMT NSAI song contest, which offers an excellent prize, but focuses only on country music. The Positive Pop Song Contest is open to all genres of music: pop, rock, jazz, latin, adult contemporary, blues, swing, folk, hip hop, rap, emo, chillout, downtempo, electro lounge, children's, classical, gospel, contemporary Christian, klezmer, world, top 40, electronica, disco, dance, alternative rock, country, r&b, soul, musical theater, broadway, opera, new age, heavy metal, as long as it's got a positive message or a fun lyric. A good song is a good song, whatever the genre.
ONE GRAND PRIZE
Full master quality production of one song by Worldwide Groove Corporation [$3,000+ value]
One full day of mixing at The Sound Kitchen [$1,200 - 1,500 value]
One year membership to TAXI, the world's leading independent A&R company [$300 value]
Fender Acoustic Guitar [$170 value]
Professional mastering of song at Venus Mastering [$100 value]
Possible one song publishing contract through EMI Music Publishing
Deluxe guitar accessory package from playlikeapro.com
Digital distribution of winning song through CDBaby to legal paid download services
Positive Pop Song Contest T-shirt [priceless]
The Positive Pop Song Contest has added the GMA Gospel Music Association as a new sponsor. GMA will donate one scholarship to its GMA Academy Regional Talent Competition and Seminar for the grand prize winning songwriter. Also, you can now register online for this song contest! Simply make your payment through Paypal, and mail us your song and lyrics later whenever you're ready. Online registration available now.
GENERAL SONG CONTEST INFO
Songs of all genres will be judged by a multi-tiered judging process. There will be 1 GRAND PRIZE winner, 15 DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION winners, and 35 HONORABLE MENTIONS. All songs will receive a written evaluation and given a point rating. READ MORE ABOUT THE PRIZES HERE.
ENTRY SPECIFICS
Entry submission fee is $25 for submissions post marked before 12/31/04 and $30 for all entries after. Final entry deadline is 7/31/05. Winners will be announced on this website Fall of 2005. READ MORE ABOUT THE RULES HERE.
JUDGING
All songs will be judged by qualified industry professionals [ie: publishers, songwriters, artists, record label employees, agents, and music producers] which means your song will be heard by an industry pro. Songs will be evaluated based on: lyrics [message, craft, originality], song structure, and melody [originality, memorability, appropriate for lyric]. Production quality of the demo will NOT affect the point rating given to the song.
We realize that what makes a song "positive pop" can be a bit subjective, so we've come up with this description: A song is "positive pop" when it has lyrics that either inspire, motivate, celebrate, entertain, encourage, or educate. A story with a good moral, or a love song that is positive, or an inspirational spiritual message would be appropriate. Even just a feel good, fun to sing while you're on a road trip song qualifies. It doesn't need to literally be "pop", it can be country, jazz, hip hop, adult contemporary, rock...
Really, it's not so much about what "positive pop" IS, but more about what it is NOT. Things that would make a song NOT "positive pop" in our opinion are: a negative message, break up songs about missing someone, angst filled lyrics, songs that make fun of other people in a mean way, songs that are raunchy or focus solely on being naughty or nasty, songs that tell someone off. If you've got a song that you're not sure about, just go ahead and enter it, it's probably okay. If you're really not sure, take the "is your song positive pop" quiz.
| Songs we consider NOT to be "positive pop"... |
|
Cleaning Out My
Closet [Eminem] We are not in any
way saying these are bad songs, |
QUIZ: IS YOUR SONG POSITIVE POP?
1. Does your
song lament over something or someone unattainable or lost?
2. Does your song make fun of someone in a mean way?
3. Does your song encourage suicide?
4. Is your song about someone/something you hate? Do you talk about how much
you hate them/it?
5. Is your song all about telling someone off?
6. Does your song have the "f" word in it?
7. Is your song about Satan?
8. Does your song only talk about what's wrong with the world today?
9. Does your song talk about someone owning, weilding, or utilizing a gun, knife,
or any other type of weapon NOT for the purpose of defending someone's honor
or virtue?
10. Does your song talk about someone dying a tragic death and leaving nothing
behind but gambling debt, a handicapped widow and 18 illiterate chill'ens?
11. Does your song talk about how hard life is without giving any sense of comfort?
12. Is it about an animal that is missing a leg or needs to be put down?
13. Does your song talk about how naughty or nasty you or someone else is/are
going to be, wants to be, or should be?
14. Does your song only focus on a certain style of underwear, shaking booties,
or the removal of clothing?
As long as you answered "NO" to all of the questions above, you're probably safe. Go ahead and enter the contest.
WHAT IS THE ADVANTAGE OF THIS CONTEST?
Most songwriters know that it is hard to make a living in music. Songwriters who do not have publishing deals are responsible for recording their own songs, or else there is no way to pitch them to artists and get cuts on records. That can get very expensive if they do not own their own studio. And even if a songwriter has their own recording gear, they are often better at writing than they are at playing, singing, engineering, or mixing. In the music industry, song demos are becoming increasingly more produced and competitive, which puts a songwriter with a lesser quality song demo is at a disadvantage. Therefore, the grand prize winner of the POSITIVE POP SONG CONTEST will end up with a MASTER QUALITY RECORDING of one of their songs to give them a boost in their songwriting career. Additionally, Worldwide Groove Corporation will pass the winning song along to several industry contact which will hopefully lead to future success for the winning songwriter. Read more on the PRIZES PAGE.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE ENTRY FORM.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO ENTER?
Entry fee is $25 for all entries post marked on or before 12/31/04. All entries after that date will have a $30 entry fee.
Final entry deadline is 7/31/05.
CAN I ENTER MORE THAN ONE SONG?
Of course. Each song should be on a different CD or audio cassette. And you must pay one entry fee for each song.
WHAT FORMS OF PAYMENT DO YOU ACCEPT?
We accept personal checks, cashier's checks, money orders, Visa and Master Card. Please do not send cash.
HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN MY SONG ARRIVES?
WGC will notify you by email when they receive your entry.
CAN I SEND A CD WITH AN MP3 OR WAV FILE?
We will accept audio CD's as well as CD's with mp3, wav, or aiff files. We also accept audio cassettes.
CAN I EMAIL MY SONG AND LYRICS?
At this point in time we do not accept online submissions. All entries must be send through snail mail.
CAN I KNOW WHAT THE JUDGES THOUGHT OF MY SONG?
Each judge will fill out an evaluation sheet of the song, assigning points to various aspects of the song. There will be space for additional comments, and it is up to the judge if he/she writes anything else. As long as you send us a self addressed stamped envelope, we will send you your critique sheets along with the list of winners after all decisions have been made.
WHY ARE WE LIMITED TO "POSITIVE POP"?
Worldwide Groove Corporation want to encourage songwriters to compose songs that have a positive impact on their listeners. We simply decided this approach would be best. It also gives this song contest a special place among the dozens of song contests out there.
Read our description of what is and what is not positive pop ON THE ABOUT PAGE.
HOW GOOD DOES THE RECORDING NEED TO BE?
You do not need to have a master quality recording of your song. The production of your demo will have no affect on the ratings your song is given. If all you have is a cassette recorder and acoustic guitar, that's fine. Just make sure the recording is a clear representation of your song. The only other consideration is that if you should be one of the 15 winners who receives digital distribution, the recording you submitted is what will be distributed.
WHO ARE WORLDWIDE GROOVE CORPORATION?
WGC are a music production team specializing in programmed pop music and string arranging. They've done work for major record labels as well as for several other creative production companies. WGC's music has been nationally awarded, featured on radio and television, presented at international arts festivals, and sold on 4 continents. They have relationships with established companies in L.A., New York, Chicago, and Nashville. They focus primarily on pop music, but have extensive experience at producing music in many other genres. They are also experienced in vocal production, so if the songwriter should choose to sing on their own demo, WGC will ensure that their vocal performance sounds the best that it can. You can find out more and hear snippets of music that WGC has produced on the WORLDWIDE GROOVE CORPORATION HOME PAGE.
IF I GET DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION, WILL I LOSE THE RIGHTS TO MY SONG?
No. WGC will only put the recording of the song on this one compilation project for the purpose of digital distribution. This is a non-exclusive agreement, and the songwriter is free to pursue any other distribution agreements with other companies.
WHO WILL OWN THE PUBLISHING OF MY SONG?
If the songwriter already has their publishing designated for the winning song, all mechanical royalties from digital distribution will be paid to the appropriate publishing company. Otherwise, the songwriter will have the option of signing a publishing deal for the winning song to WGC's subsidiary BMI publishing company, Rock of Life Music. This is not mandatory.
WHAT ABOUT COPYRIGHT PROTECTING MY SONG?
Copyright law states that as soon as your song is affixed to some type of medium such as paper, or recording, it is automatically copyrighted. You will retain all copyrights to your song. It is recommended you put copyright notice [© Songwriter Name 2004 ] on your recording and lyric sheet. But you need not worry about any of the judges stealing your song. It is not necessary, but if you really want to make sure you're protected, you may register your song officially through the U.S. COPYRIGHT OFFICE.
WHAT IF MY SONG IS COUNTRY OR SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES POP?
"Positive Pop" just has a ring to it. But this contest is open to songs of all genres of music: country, rock, jazz etc. The only requirement is that the lyric fit the description of POSITIVE POP.
ONE GRAND PRIZE
One (1) Grand Prize song will receive full production and recording of one song,
services provided by Worldwide Groove Corporation. [This song does not need
to be the winning song of the contest, it can be any song the winner chooses.]
This includes up to 3 days of studio time at the Groove Portal, professional
programming of music track, overdubs, vocal production, mixing, and mastering.
[$3,000 value] If the songwriter does not wish to sing their own song, we will
hire a professional singer. [Grand prize does NOT include any transportation
to and from Nashville, meals, or lodging in Nashville. Winner is responsible
for all travel and accomodations.] Grand Prize winning song will be digitally
distributed through the following legal paid download services: Napster, Apple
iTunes, Music Match, Rhapsody, AudioLunchbox, BuyMusic, CatchMusic, EMEPE3,
eMusic, MusicNet, NetMusic, Puretracks, RuleRadio, Sony Connect, Viztas. This
distribution agreement is non-exclusive. Winner will also be featured on the
Positive Pop Song Contest website, and receive a Positive Pop Song Contest T-shirt.
FIFTEEN DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION PRIZES
Fifteen (15) DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION WINNERS will be given digital distribution
of their song through the following legal paid digital distribution outlets:
Napster, Apple iTunes, Music Match, Rhapsody, AudioLunchbox, BuyMusic, CatchMusic,
EMEPE3, eMusic, MusicNet, NetMusic, Puretracks, RuleRadio, Sony Connect, Viztas.
This distribution agreement is non-exclusive. Winners also will be featured
on the Positive Pop Song Contest website, and receive Positive Pop Song Contest T-shirt.
THIRTY-FIVE HONORABLE MENTIONS
Thirty-five (35) HONORABLE MENTIONS will receive an honorable mention certificate.
Honorable mentions will be posted on Positive Pop Song Contest website,
and receive a Positive Pop Song Contest T-shirt.
*More prizes may be added as sponsors are secured.
1. Each song submitted
must be songwriter's original work. Songs may have multiple co-writers, but
all prizes will be awarded only to the first writer named on the application.
Contestant may submit as many songs as they wish, but each entry requires a
separate cassette or CD, entry form, and lyric sheet. One check or money order
for multiple entries/categories is acceptable, but you must pay one entry fee
for each song submitted. (Entrance fee is non-refundable. Worldwide Groove Corporation
is not responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, postage due, stolen,
or misappropriated entries.)
2. One (1) Grand Prize song will receive full production and recording of one
song. [This song does not need to be the winning song of the contest, it can
be any song the winner chooses.] This includes up to 3 days of studio time,
professional programming of music track, overdubs, vocal production, mixing,
and mastering. [$3,000 value] If the songwriter does not wish to sing their
own song, we will hire a professional singer. [Grand prize does NOT include
any transportation to and from Nashville, meals, or lodging in Nashville. Winner
is responsible for all travel and accomodations.] Grand Prize winning song will
be digitally distributed through the following legal paid download services:
Napster, Apple iTunes, Music Match, Rhapsody, AudioLunchbox, BuyMusic, CatchMusic,
EMEPE3, eMusic, MusicNet, NetMusic, Puretracks, RuleRadio, Sony Connect, Viztas.
This distribution agreement is non-exclusive. Winner will also be featured on
the Positive Pop Song Contest website, and receive a Positive Pop Song Contest T-shirt.
3. Fifteen (15) DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION WINNERS will be given digital distribution
through the following legal paid digital distribution outlets: Napster, Apple
iTunes, Music Match, Rhapsody, AudioLunchbox, BuyMusic, CatchMusic, EMEPE3,
eMusic, MusicNet, NetMusic, Puretracks, RuleRadio, Sony Connect, Viztas. This
distribution agreement is non-exclusive. Winners also will be featured on the
Positive Pop Song Contest website, and receive Positive Pop Song Contest
T-shirt.
4. Thirty-five (35) HONORABLE MENTIONS will receive an honorable mention certificate.
Honorable mentions will be posted on Positive Pop Song Contest website,
and receive a Positive Pop Song Contest T-shirt.
5. All entries will receive a written evaluation of their song from the judges, provided they include a self addressed stamped envelope with their entry form.
6. Contest is open to amateur
and professional songwriters who have earned less than $5,000 in song royalties
in 2003. No songs under a professional contract may be entered. Employees of
Worldwide Groove Corporation, their families, subsidiaries, and affiliates are
not eligible.
7. All songs will be judged by qualified industry professionals [ie: publishers,
songwriters, artists, record label employees, agents, and music producers] which
means your song will be heard by an industry pro. Songs will be evaluated based
on: lyrics [message, craft, originality], song structure, and melody [originality,
memorability, appropriate for lyric]. Production quality of the demo will NOT
affect the point rating given to the song. However, the 15 DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION
winners will be distributed exactly as their song's recording was submitted.
Prizes will be awarded to the first songwriter listed on the entry form. Void
where prohibited. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply.
8. Winners will be notified by mail and must sign and return an affidavit of
eligibility/recording rights/publicity release within 14 days of notification
date. The affidavit will state that winner's song is original work and the winner
holds all rights to song. Failure to sign and return such affidavit within 14
days, or provision of false/inaccurate information therein will result in immediate
disqualification and an alternate winner will be selected. Affidavits of winners
under 18 years of age at time of award must be countersigned by parent or legal
guardian. Affidavits subject to verification by Worldwide Groove Corporation
and its agents. Entry constitutes permission to digitally distribute songs,
and to use winner’s names, likenesses, and voices for future advertising
and publicity purposes without additional compensation.
9. CDs, cassettes, and lyrics will not be returned. If songwriter includes a
self-addressed stamped envelope, they will receive their written evaluations
and a list of winners after all decisions have been made. Winners will be announced
Summer of 2005 on the Positive Pop Song Contest website.
10. Entry fee is $20 for all submissions post marked on or before 12/31/04. For all submissions after 12/31/04, entry fee is $25. Contest deadline is 5/31/05. Winners will be announced Summer of 2005 on the Positive Pop Song Contest website.
11. Songwriters retain all rights to their songs and lyrics.
12. Each submission must include the following: completed and signed application [photocopies are acceptable as long as the signature is original], CD or audio cassette containing ONE SONG, 3 copies of lyric sheet typed or neatly printed, check or money order for $25 [$20 if before 12/31/04] or if paying by credit card, all necessary credit card information on entry form. All credit card charges will appear on your statement from Worldwide Groove Corporation.
13. Contestant's submission of an entry into the contest constitutes his/her agreement to release, indemnify and hold harmless Worldwide Groove Corporation and its agents from and against any claim, including, without limitation, of copyright infringement or other misappropriation, arising from any acts or omissions in connection with the contest or its operation. All Contestants must sign (i) an affidavit of eligibility and release of Worldwide Groove Corporation from any and all liability, claims, demands, and causes of action for personal injury and/or damage, theft, or loss suffered in connection with this promotion or the use or acceptance of the prize or any portion thereof to be eligible for the prizes; and (ii) except where prohibited, a promotional release granting the right to use his or her name and likeness for advertising and publicity purposes by Worldwide Groove Corporation, and on worldwidegroovecorp.com without additional compensation. Entry into this Contest constitutes Contestant's agreement to sign such releases.
