TAXI.com

Hi
Does anyone have any experience of / knowledge of the ISC International Songwriting Competition?
I have checked out their website but would like to hear your opinions.

Thanks.
Geir

Songwriting competitions, in general, are good for the ego if you win or place high up but rarely do much for commercial success. Exceptions might be if you are an artist/label wannabe and win a MAJOR contest such as Billboard or The John Lennon one. But even then, they are nice credits but *may* not do much more for you. If you're target is Film/TV and not artist then they probably have even less value. The majors are highly competitive and remember you would need to come in first in a category (maybe top 3 in some) to get exposure out of it.

With most of us having only so much money for our music related endeavors, I usually suggest putting the same money you would spend on contest entry fees into gear, software, and professional critiques.

BTW, I know that some Taxi members - Paul Otten and Helen Austin ("Big Little Lions") recently were big winners in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and got to go on their bus tour. You could drop one of them a PM and ask their thoughts.

All JMHO

Best,
Casey

Hey Geir,

I think Casey's comments were spot on.

I used to like the New Song Contest (although again, it's more useful for performing songwriters who have artist aspirations) because they had live regional competitions and workshops, but they kept moving it around, and I lost track of it a few years back. If you live near the location of a regional site, it might be worth checking out.

http://www.newsong-music.com/about-us/

Good luck w/your decision!

Geir: There are various songwriting contests. I've entered the Int'l Songwriting Competition a couple of times without success. I do notice that when they announce their "semi-finalists" there seem to be well over 1,000 names. They do, however, list the judges, which I think adds to their legitimacy.
The John Lennon and Great American Song Contest are two legitimate and long running contests. I will point out that the GASC even offers a critique to entrants.
The International Acoustic Songwriting Awards also seem to be legit. They even advertise Meghan Trainor as a past winner, and if you check her home page, she also mentions being a winner of this contest.
The USA Songwriting Competition seems legit as well. It even brags about winners who have in fact charted on Billboard.
The one I would be leery of is the "Song of the Year" contest. They also claim a Meghan Trainor connection, but I doubt it. A few years ago, there was a thread on Just Plain Folks questioning if the site was a scam. The conclusion was yes, it is a scam. No judges are ever mentioned, and the site saying it is not a scam had the same address as the contest.
Personally, I've won honorable mentions in the USA Songwriting Competition, the Billboard World Songwriting Competition, and 6 out of the past 7 years, awards in the Great American Song Contest. (John Braheny, RIP, was a judge in that contest) In the GASC, in the 2012 Pop category, my tune "I'll Be Goldilocks" won a "Top 5/Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting" award.
So, I like song contests. I disagree that you are necessarily better off getting a professional critique. You can get that for free on Peer to Peer, which has participants who are quite "professional". The ego trip from getting these awards lasts a long time after getting award, and in my case, encourages me to keep trying.
That said, a win in a contest has not, in my case, resulted in many forwards at TAXI. A few times, yes, but mostly not. But I still have a few snazzy certificates on my wall. Maybe next time.
Anyway, here's a link to "I'll Be Goldilocks". Would you forward it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7cjugl6Bpk
Ott

If they were sponsored events, meaning, entrants didn't have to pay a fee, for the primary interest of promoting songwriting, and discovering talent, no doubt they would be extremely advantageous and most worthwhile!

otoh, if the argument can be made that they keep judges employed, cheap way to advertise products, a representation of those that are willing and able to spend the money to participate, it tends to marginalize the contest's songwriting and talent importance.

Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Many good points here.

Geir