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What is it?
The South West teen song search is an open call to find new singer/songwriter talent. The contest is open to applicants living in Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall who are aged 13 to 19 who write and perform original music. We welcome all musical genres from pop to rock, country to grime and everything in between. Our only request is that your lyrics are clean and inoffensive.
What can I win?
The winner will receive a whole day of professional production and recording of their winning song, along with a professionally recorded live performance video and promotional photo shoot at Brazen Sound Studios, Exeter. Advice from industry professionals to help propel your music career forwards and alongside the media package already mentioned, ready to help you launch.
What are we looking for?
We are not seeking perfection, we certainly don't expect that. What our judging panel would like to see is a good development of ideas, an interesting arc, good chord sequence, interesting lyrical content - finding a way of retelling age old ideas with a fresh perspective. Great hooks, melody and an ability to connect with the listener is also something our judges wish to hear.
You must be able to perform your song either solo or with the accompaniment of no more than one other person. If you are not a performer - you may arrange a solo singer with accompaniment (either themselves or one other person) to play the song for you. If you are an electronic artist, use of a pre made backing track of your own creation is acceptable. You must be the sole songwriter. Songs should consist of the contestant's own work and should not infringe any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.
How to enter
The entry fee is £5 per song. You will find our standard entry form at the bottom of this page. Please complete this form in full. Please provide the lyrics to your song, along with an acoustic/unplugged/raw recording of your song (quality is unimportant, using a mobile phone is fine) alongside your chosen accompaniment (eg piano/guitar).
You will be asked to confirm that you have read the terms and conditions which consist of all the information on this page. If you are under 18 years old, you will need parental permission to take part.
Once we have received your entry, we will check to ensure that it is valid and complete. You will be electronically invoiced for your entry(s) separately. A successful entry confirmation will be sent out within 24 hours of payment.
Rights and permissions
Entrants retain full song ownership rights and all copyrights to all songs submitted. Entering the contest does not in any way affect the writers' ownership of their songs.
Entry into the SouthWest Teen Song Search constitutes permission to use winners' names, likenesses, recordings, videos and voices for promotional and publicity purposes on Soundlaunch and Brazen Sound Studios own websites and on other third party websites and in publicity and promotional materials and press releases. This permission can be withdrawn by the entrant at any time upon written request.
Dates for the diary
Closing date for entries is midnight on the 1st October 2021
You and your parent/guardian (if under 18 years old) must be available on Saturday 23rd October 2021. This date is non transferable and cannot be changed. Semi Finalists will be invited to perform for our panel at Brazen Sound Studios on this day. Finalists will be given the opportunity to record professional video footage of their song. They will also receive constructive feedback from music industry experts.
The winner will be invited to arrange their recording day with the studio.
The judges decisions are final and binding and entrants agree by entering the contest to accept and abide by the judges decisions.
By participating in the Southwest teen song search entrants agree to be bound by the rules as set out here and by any subsequent published revisions of these rules and by the decisions of Soundlaunch which are final in all matters relating to the contest.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions which aren't listed here, please contact Kate Graham at Soundlaunch via email: soundlaunch@gmail.com
Who is eligible to enter?
The contest is open to applicants living in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall who are aged 13 to 19 and writing original music that they themselves perform.
How do I submit an entry?
Use the link to the entry form at the top or bottom of this page. Please complete this form in full. Please provide the lyrics to your song, along with an acoustic/unplugged/raw recording of your song (quality is unimportant, using a mobile phone is fine) alongside your chosen accompaniment (eg piano/guitar/self made backing track).
You will be asked to confirm that you have read the terms and conditions which consist of all the information on this page. If you are under 18 years old, you will need parental permission to take part.
Once we have received your entry, we will check to ensure that it is valid and complete. You will be electronically invoiced for your entry(s) separately. A successful entry confirmation will be sent out within 24 hours of payment.
Contestants are asked to ensure that they have carefully checked their audio files before entry. It is the contestants responsibility to check that submitted recordings are playing correctly before submitting. If faulty non playing recordings are submitted the entry will be marked void.
Can I make changes after submission?
Please ensure that you have checked your entry fully before submitting. No changes may be made to song entries or to a contestants details after your submission. This includes changes to song title, writer's name, audio file, written lyrics and all and any other changes including the email contact address. If a change is required the entrant must contact Soundlaunch to cancel the original entry, re enter the song again as per instructions (above - 'how to enter') with the correct details and pay a further entry fee.
How many times can I enter?
Contestants may enter as many songs as they wish and there is no limit on the number of songs that may be entered. A fee of £5 is due for each individual song entry. Entry fee is non-refundable.
How are songs judged?
We are not seeking perfection, we certainly don't expect that. What our judging panel would like to see is a good development of ideas, an interesting arc, good chord sequence, interesting lyrical content - finding a way of retelling age old ideas with a fresh perspective. Great hooks, melody and an ability to connect with the listener is also something our judges wish to hear.
Do I have to perform my song?
You must be able to perform your song either solo or with the accompaniment of no more than one other person. If you are an electronic artist, use of a pre made backing track of your own creation is acceptable. You must be the sole songwriter. Songs should consist of the contestant's own work and should not infringe any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.
Are prizes transferable?
All prizes are non-transferable and will be awarded to the first name as it appears on the entry form.
What if there is an issue with my emails?
It is the entrants responsibility to provide correct contact details when entering the contest and to ensure that they can receive emails from the contest. Semi finalist and finalist selection emails will be sent to the contact email address supplied on submission. If the contestant has not seen or received notifications or emails because they provided an incorrect email address, or because they failed to check their spam folder, or because their email account is over limit, or because they have a spam blocking system in place that requires verification from the sender, or because they failed to check their emails, or for any other reason, Soundlaunch and Brazen Sound Studios will bear no responsibility or liability.
What does my entry fee cover?
The entry fee covers the administration costs involved in receiving and processing each entry and preparing each entry for the judging panels and is non-refundable.
Plagiarism
If any entry is found to infringe the rights of a third party by attempting to pass work off as their own, the entry will be void and the entrant will be disqualified.
How do you use my information?
By submitting your details to the teen song search, you allow us to collect basic information from you - your name, the name of parent/guardian, telephone number and email address - purely for the purposes of contacting you regarding your entry to the southwest teen song search. The information is held securely in line with our standard privacy policy. We do not pass your details on to any third party nor will your information be used for any marketing purposes. This is used purely to facilitate your entry and to contact you about your entry to the contest.