Songwriting competitions?

[seamless]

Hello,

 

Just wondering if any of you guys take part in songwriting competitions, and what your reason is (why or why not). I'm just starting out in music, and it seems like a chance to get a little bit of visibility at least. The only downside seems to be the co$t ($30 entry fee per song in places).

 

Just wondering what other people's take on this is ... waste of time, or somewhat valuable?

 

Thanks ...

[WattsUrizen]

I've sent in material to competitions before, but I stopped doing so about a year ago. Mostly because the successful entries tended to be very commercial rock/pop type music. That's not to say they were bad songs, but that I knew my music was not going to be well received by the judges.

 

Maybe it was just the competitions I entered.

 

As for visibility... It's really the performers who get noticed these days.

[seamless]

Bump

[HOWDJA]

I entered the Billboard song competitions 3 times back in the early nineties. Twice I received honorable mention. Didn't win anything other than a couple of certificates to hang on the wall. After having success the first 2 times, I found that it gave me a lot of confidence to keep writing better material. In that respect, it was a very good thing that I entered. Success breeds success.

 

On my third try, I had a song that I knew was far superior to the first 2. Yet, I didn't win squat this time around. I didn't let it get me down. A year later, I had 2 publishers pick up the same song down in Nashville.

 

Moral of the story: Like a gunfighter who positions himself with the sun at his back......any advantage is worth taking. If it helps you learn or gives you confidence to maybe write a better song, than do it.