.

Time until sign-ups begin:

Friday, June 28, 2013

SpinTunes #7: Round 3 Challenge

Perfect Pitch - Write a product jingle for a real product that does not currently have a jingle.  This should be a real product you've seen advertised on TV or the internet.  So the judges can see what you're advertising, we will also require a link to an official product description. (your jingle must be EXACTLY 30 seconds) (your submission is due by Sunday August 4th 11:59PM)

Submitting Entries:- Entries must be received by the given deadline. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail in my inbox. PLEASE do not wait until the last hour to send me something. If there is a blackout in your area, your computer crashes, or your dog actually eats your thumb drive...I will not care. You are allowed to send in a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens & you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song & send in a better version closer to the deadline. 1 minute late is still late, people.


- Send your file in a format that Bandcamp accepts. (.aiff, .wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) You can find the specific requirements for Bandcamp files HERE.

- Name your file the song's title, but without spaces & punctuation.

- Title of the e-mail should be the title of the Challenge & your band's name.

- Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail. (If your song doesn't have lyrics...consider yourself eliminated. Instrumentals can be pretty, but SpinTunes does require lyrics.)

- Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collabed with someone.

- If you have a BandCamp account, you can just send me a link to your song on BandCamp if you include all the info I mentioned above. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!

- Other file sharing options if you need them: YouSendItSound Cloud & Drop Box. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services. Please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.

Side Notes:

- Remember that you are allowed to send in a little background about your song. Some people don't like to do that, and you don't have to, but if you want to write a couple sentences about your song I'll post it on the BandCamp page for people to see. Some judges will look at the lyrics & this extra info, but they aren't required to.

- If you didn't sign-up in time to compete in SpinTunes #7, you can still complete the challenge & send in a song. It'll be uploaded with the other entries as a "Shadow Song". Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests.

- The only other way to get your music played at the LP is to cover "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown.

- Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

SpinTunes #7: Round 1 Challenge

Child's Play - Write a song to a childhood toy. (2 minute minimum) (your submission is due by July 7th 11:59PM (Sun)

Submitting Entries:- Entries must be received by the given deadline. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail in my inbox. PLEASE do not wait until the last hour to send me something. If there is a blackout in your area, your computer crashes, or your dog actually eats your thumb drive...I will not care. You are allowed to send in a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens & you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song & send in a better version closer to the deadline. 1 minute late is still late, people.


- Send your file in a format that Bandcamp accepts. (.aiff, .wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) You can find the specific requirements for Bandcamp files HERE.

- Name your file the song's title, but without spaces & punctuation.

- Title of the e-mail should be the title of the Challenge & your band's name.

- Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail. (If your song doesn't have lyrics...consider yourself eliminated. Instrumentals can be pretty, but SpinTunes does require lyrics.)

- Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collabed with someone.

- If you have a BandCamp account, you can just send me a link to your song on BandCamp if you include all the info I mentioned above. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!

- Other file sharing options if you need them: YouSendItSound Cloud & Drop Box. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services. Please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.

Side Notes:
- Good luck everyone. I don't care who wins, but I hope you all have fun & maybe even learn a little something along the way.

- Remember that you are allowed to send in a little background about your song. Some people don't like to do that, and you don't have to, but if you want to write a couple sentences about your song I'll post it on the BandCamp page for people to see. Some judges will look at the lyrics & this extra info, but they aren't required to.

- If you didn't sign-up in time to compete in SpinTunes #7, you can still complete the challenge & send in a song. It'll be uploaded with the other entries as a "Shadow Song". Check the FAQ if you don't know what that means. You can even complete past challenges from previous contests.

- The only other way to get your music played at the LP is to cover "Today's The Day" by Inverse T. Clown.

- Feel free to leave any questions in the comments.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

SpinTunes #7: Profiles




(Profile order is based on who sent in their entry form first.)


Edric Haleen:  Edric may well be SpinTunes' Miss Congeniality -- but he loves it. And he's back for more. (You've been warned.)




LinksWebsite

R1:  Twenty Years On

R2:  Possibilities

R3:  Summer (A Jingle)

R4:  Reality (placed 3rd)



Governing Dynamics: Governing Dynamics is a one man alt-rock "band" from Independence, MO. GD's music has been described as "creamy" by weirdos, and reminiscent of Radiohead, Counting Crows, The Pixies, The Replacements, and other cool bands by people who were being too kind.


LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

R2:  Synesthesia

R3:  Voted Out Kim's Etsy Store!!!

R4:  No One At The Projector (Shadow)



Wait What (LBC)*: Wait What is an English New Wave musical group formed in 1980. The name means "yellow bell" in Chinese, and is the first note in the Chinese classical music scale. The group found their greatest success in the United States, with five Top 40 hits, including "Everybody Have Fun Toni--- no, wait, that's Wang Chung. Shit. Never mind.

LinksYouTube

R1:  Deadline Victim Stick (Shadow)

R2: 

R3

R4: 



TurboShandy: Conjured from the mind of a disgruntled songwriter from Northern Ireland with no band in late 2011, TurboShandy is a one-man powerpop project inspired by alcohol, sugar, and girls. The music takes its cue from bands like Ramones, the Wildhearts, 90s/00s pop punk, post punk, and pretty much anything with big hooks they think cool. Their first mini-album, 'No Wonder No One Talks To Her' was released in August 2012 and a follow up is currently being recorded.

LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  (The Mandatory Retirement Of) Action Man

R2:  Generic Relationship Song

R3:  Voted Out Haggis In A Can

R4: 



Emperor Gum: I'm going to eat you. You think I'm joking, but I'm going to stuff you in my mouth and chew till you disintegrate. I'm going to start with your palms.




LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  Guardian

R2:  Voted Out Halcyon

R3

R4: 



The Orion Sound:  Sup ma bros, ya be chillin’ wi’ the king o’ sound, biatch. Who dis be, you sayin’? Boy, youre about to find out! Ma name be Oliver Parsons and I’m up 4 spanking dem hoes left, right and cen’re. I got dis sick do on ma heyd dat makes me look like pussay magnet – and it works. I get dem bitches in ma car and show ‘em ma yootoob swag. Dey don’t know what’s hit ‘em (it’s usually ma pen15) and dem gurls (and guys when I feel like it) are just begging 4 mor’.  I not got school smarts, cuz dey is 4 nurds, but ma street cred is off da chartz. Gimme yo’ support or I’ll steal ya fuckin’ cat so I can say I got ya pussy! Also I play music.

Links:  Website@olirulz_747 - YouTube

R1:  Turn You On

R2:  Deadline Victim

R3:

R4:



The Boffo Yux Dudes: Laughably ignorant schlubbs who have been doing this for a long time, We're very dangerous, in that our music gets stuck in your head and you can't get it out short of a crowbar. The Dudes reformed in 2009, creating music new music for the confused masses. Allan Morgan and Tom Giarrosso head this version of BYD with rabid optimism that they'll be remembered for more than just all those replays on Dr. Demento. We also do impressions of small barnyard animals and shadow puppets with our fingers.

LinksWebsite - Twitter - YouTube

R1:  Super-Elastic Bubble-Plastic Fabulous Rubber-Stretch Man

R2:  Bloodstream

R3:  Voted Out Krypton

R4: 



Mariah Mercedes: Hi, my name is Mariah and I'm a 17-year-old hooligan and part-time rockstar from Minnesota. I started writing and recording my own songs when I was 14, and joined SpinTunes shortly after. I've since started up some bands; Gold Lion and Shee-Rah, and now I'm super excited to start SpinTunes #7 and participate in some good ol' music writin' again!

LinksWebsite - Twitter - YouTube

R1:  This One's For Blankie

R2:  Breach

R3:  Voted Out Catan Jingle

R4: 



Army Defense: The Deans of Pop, hailing from all over Minnesota and Wisconsin.





LinksWebsite

R1:  Voted Out Stretch Armstrong

R2: 

R3

R4: 



Jailhouse Payback: Guitars, drums, a bicycle, a shotgun, and the truth.





LinksWebsite

R1:  Voted Out WillieTalk

R2: 

R3

R4:



Blimp Exhaust: Still lovingly handcrafted in a garage.






LinksWebsite

R1:  My Nerf Gun And I

R2:  Goodbye

R3:  K. K. Jingle

R4:  Miss Leon (placed 4th)



RC: All you need is ignorance and confidence and the success is sure. - Mark Twain





LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  Pong Song

R2:  A Marriage In Seven Parts

R3:  Chillow

R4:  Home (winner)



Ménage a Tune: JoAnn Abbott and Ted Kiper live in Virginia, have created at least ten songs over the past year and a half, and participated in Spintunes 4 and 5.




LinksWebsite - Twitter - YouTube

R1:  Perfect Place

R2:  Transition

R3:  Voted Out Cialis - Viagra (Shadow)

R4:  Johnny's All Weather Drive-In (Shadow)



MC Ohm-I: Originally from Brooklyn, NY (now residing in San Diego, CA), MC Ohm-I is an up-and-coming nerdcore rapper. Some of his biggest songs include "All Mah Math Nerds" and "Nerd You Up". His music is made purely for entertainment and he's shown is capable of writing about even the silliest things.


LinksWebsite - Twitter - YouTube

R1:  Furby Life

R2:  Deadline Victim

R3

R4: 



Glen Raphael:  Though born hairless and unable to fend for himself, Glen Raphael overcame these humble beginnings to develop useful skills such as spinning fire, juggling, and writing funny songs about quantum physics, bedbugs, and gorillas. He sometimes wins awards doing it. You should buy his album _Lady Liberty_. Click the Band Website link! Click it! NOW!!!

Links:  Website@glenraphael - YouTube

R1:  I Like Pong

R2:  Deadline Victim

R3:

R4:



Sid Brown: Sid dabbles in songwriting from time to time playing mostly guitar and fiddle. As of late he has kept to himself strumming in a quiet corner of North Carolina, keeping hidden so as to not melt the skulls of the innocent with his sick melodies. It is also rumored he hates the sound of his own voice. The highlight of his career was playing fiddle in a very cool cover band with Kevin Savino-Riker years ago.

LinksTwitter

R1:  8-Bit Skies

R2:  Voted Out Wormhole To Hell

R3

R4:



Trader Jack: Most of my stuff starts out as cowboy love songs, and then I drop the bass. I only seem to write when I'm doing these contests. ...so I guess I have to do them.




LinksWebsite - YouTube

R1:  Voted Out Baseball Cards

R2: 

R3

R4:  Miscreant Love (Shadow)



Jasper Lewis: Jasper Lewis is a singer-songwriter living in New York City. The eldest son in a family of traveling musicians, he grew up on the road, and learned to write songs from instructional manuals he stole from local libraries across the country.


LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  Voted Out Slinky

R2: 

R3

R4: 



Steve Durand:  Steve Durand is a trumpet player and songwriter who likes to infuse his music with swing and jazz stylings.





Links:

R1:  Fireball XL5

R2:  Voted Out Airport Rag

R3

R4:



Riker's Island: Riker's Island is a collaborative songwriting endeavor between former Spintunes champion Kevin Savino-Riker and his fiancée Tiffany Edna Thompson. We don't have a biography since we've only been a band for about six minutes at the time of writing.


LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  Play Doh

R2:  Hell-A-X

R3:  Deadline Victim

R4: 



Ominous Ride: Ominous Ride is the product of dangerously precarious self-exploration and a slew of nefarious chemicals. Never letting the inevitability of mediocrity get in the way, O.R. has built a reputation for melting minds and skewering hearts. As one fan put it, "I wish I had been conceived to this music..."


LinksWebsite

R1:  Teddy

R2:  2 Minute Meltdown

R3:  Beano Jingle

R4:  Waiting For Julietta (runner up)



Niveous: I'm a Songfight veteran and the Nur Ein host, here to make dark songs and odd sounds.





LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  Voted Out Eat Your Hair

R2: 

R3

R4: 



Cherry Pi: is a smoldering powerhouse of molten song who graced the douchebags of the Spintunes community with her slutry hit 'Guess What.' She enjoys bounty hunter docu-dramas, pole dancing, bare baiting, beauty pageant reality shows, nude oil wrestling, and math.


LinksWebsite - Twitter

R1:  Deadline Victim Among The Clouds (Tribute To A Childhood Stud Muffin) (Shadow)

R2: 

R3

R4: 



SHADOWS



My Zorlon Cannon by glennny (no profile available)



Ross Durand: Ross writes songs. He plays guitar and sings so that he can deliver his songs. He hopes his songs can make people think, laugh, and/or not feel alone in the world. Concerning Spintunes - there is a popular definition of insanity that says it is the state of doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. Apparently Ross is insane.


Links:  Website - Twitter - YouTube

R1:  Old Tin Top

R2: 

R3

R4: 



Pigfarmer Jr: Son of a Senior Pigfarmer.







Links:  Twitter

R1:  

R2: 

R3:  Chicago Handcuffs Theme - Chicago Handcuffs Theme 2

R4: 



Brian Gray: If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die. That strain again! it had a dying fall: O! it came o’er my ear like the sweet sound that breathes upon a bank of violets, stealing and giving odour.



Links:  Website - Twitter

R1:

R2: 

R3

R4:  Grind



Dr. Lindyke: Two people, one name.  It's mad science.







Links:  Website - Twitter - YouTube

R1:

R2: 

R3

R4:  HDR

Monday, June 10, 2013

SpinTunes #7: Sign Up Page

It's time for SpinTunes #7. The rules are in place. New judges are...well...I'm working on it.  But they will be working on the challenges soon. Now it's time to see who will be competing in SpinTunes #7.

I will need everyone who wants to participate to copy & paste the following text into their e-mail. Fill in the needed info, and then e-mail it to me at the address I provided below. Make sure you put "Spintown Contest" as the subject of the e-mail so I don't think it's spam. Also use an e-mail that I can reach you at if need be. Don't panic if you don't get a confirmation e-mail immediately after signing up. I'll message you back within 24 hours of getting your e-mail.


I _____________ give Travis Langworthy permission to upload any music I submit into his contest onto his blog (Spintown) & bandcamp. I realize it will become part of an album consisting of numerous other artists, and that it will be available for anyone to download for free. I also promise to give my very best effort in each round to complete the challenges. Providing NEW songs that have not been released before in any form. I also agree that anything that goes wrong during this competition is Heather's fault.
Name: (The name you or your group wants to be referred to during the competition.)
Bio: (Give a brief description of your group/music/history in 500 CHARACTERS or less. I know it's brief, but it's more than Twitter allows. :p Besides, links to your sites will be provided if people want to learn more about you. No URL’s or links will be allowed in the bio section.)
Twitter: (If you got one & want to share. *optional* If there's multiple accounts for multiple band members that's fine.)
YouTube: (If you got one & want to share. *optional*)
Band Website: (If it's different than either of the above. *optional*)
Pictures: (I need a band picture or logo. The image should be 100x100, and if it's not I'll do my best to make it so. Don't forget to actually attach the picture.)

Judges:
Here's a list of the people that will be making the challenges, reviewing your work & of course voting on the songs:

1. Ross Durand - The current SpinTunes champion.
2. Dave Leigh - Half of Dr. Lindyke & SpinTunes veteran.
3. Brian Gray - SpinTunes veteran.
4. T.C. Elliott - Song Fight & SpinTunes veteran.
5. Felix Frost - SpinTunes veteran.

Schedule:
Sign ups will last until June 24th 11:59PM (M).

The first challenge will be posted June 26th 1AM (W).

My best guess as to what the whole schedule will look like can be found HERE.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

SpinTunes #7: Schedule

We usually manage to stick to the schedule, but as usual it's flexible if something comes up.  If you notice any obvious mistakes just let me know.  I gave a couple extra days for the round 1 challenge because some people will probably be taking a long weekend for the holiday.

June 10th (M) - Sign up page gets posted.

June 24th 11:59PM (M) - Sign ups end.

June 25th 6:30PM-7:30PM (T) - Profiles get posted.

June 26th 1AM (W) - First challenge is announced.

July 7th 11:59PM (Sun) - First song deadline.

July 8th 8PM (M) - Listening party will be held HERE, and hosted by Tom.

July 9th (T) - Songs are made available for free download on BandCamp.

*During this gap:
- judges will rank the songs
- judges will review the songs*

July 12th 11PM (F) - Judges reviews are due.

July 13th before 11PM (Sat) - Reviews & Eliminations are posted.

July 14th 1AM (Sun) - Second challenge is announced.

July 21st 11:59PM (Sun) - Second song deadline.

July 22nd 8PM (M) - Listening party will be held HERE, and hosted by Tom.

July 23rd (T) - Songs are made available for free download on BandCamp.

*During this gap:
- judges will rank the songs
- judges will review the songs*

July 26th before 11PM (F) - Judges reviews are due.

July 27th before 11PM (Sat) - Reviews & Eliminations are posted.

July 28th 1AM (Sun) - Third challenge is announced.

August 4th 11:59PM (Sun) - Third song deadline.

August 5th 8PM (M) - Listening party will be held HERE, and hosted by Tom.

August 6th (T) - Songs are made available for free download on BandCamp.

*During this gap:
- judges will rank the songs
- judges will review the songs*

August 9th before 11PM (F) - Judges reviews are due.

August 10th before 11PM (Sat) - Reviews & Eliminations are posted.

August 11th 1AM (Sun) - Final challenge is announced.

August 18th 11:59PM (Sun) - Final song deadline.

August 19th 8PM (M) - Listening party will be held HERE, and hosted by Tom.

August 20th (T) - Songs are made available for free download on BandCamp.

*During this gap:
- previously eliminated competitors will rank the songs
- judges will rank the songs
- judges will review the songs*

August 24th noon (Sat) - Judges reviews are due.
- Eliminated competitors rankings are due.

August 24th 8PM (Sat) - Reviews are posted & the winner is announced.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

SpinTunes #7: Official Rules

If something is confusing, needs clarification, if you just think I made a mistake or forgot something feel free to mention your concern in the comments below. It will be addressed in good time.


Schedule:
The schedule will be similar to past contests. There will be 4 rounds. You will have 8-11 days to write, record & send in your song. There will be a short break between each round. During this time the song will be voted on, reviewed & prep for the next round will be made. For more info click: HERE.


Judges Voting:
There will be 5 judges who are not participating in the contest, but will be allowed to shadow. Each round they will individually rate all the songs from favorite to least favorite. Then the judges scores will be posted & added up. Here's an example of what the judges scoring would look like:



Popular Vote:
Popular vote will still be a tie breaker, but it will also be a way for people to earn points toward their overall round score. In rounds 1 & 2 the popular vote will be scored like a judges ranking. In rounds 3-4 the popular vote only counts as a tie breaker.


If there is a tie in the popular vote in rounds 1 or 2, whoever turned their song in first will rank higher.


Eliminations:
Each round people will be eliminated from the competition. The number of eliminations each round will not be known until after the round 1 songs are turned in. I want the number of people eliminated in rounds 1-3 to be the same (or close to the same), and 4 people left for the final round. So if 25 people submit songs for round 1: 7 people would be eliminated in round 1, 2 & 3....leaving 4 people in the final round. More details to be posted when the round 1 deadline has passed.


This is not a head to head contest, each round the competitors with the lowest vote totals are eliminated. After the eliminations all the point totals goes back to 0. You don't get to keep points from previous rounds.


Ties are settled by a popular vote in the form of a poll I'll start for each round. If somehow that is a tie as well, the point totals from the previous round will decide the winner. If by some miracle everything is tied, the final deciding factor is me.


Final Round:
In the last round, everyone who has been eliminated (who also submitted at least 1 song) will be allowed to rank the songs. This round the judges have no say in matters, but they will still be required to review each song. Rules for a tie are altered just a bit. Popular vote is the first deciding factor, then the judges, and then I am the last deciding factor.


Challenges:
The challenges will be similar to the old Song Fu & "Non Optional" Nur Ein challenges. If you go through the old challenges you'll see that they could be anything. You could be given a theme, restrictions, a technical challenge and hopefully you're forced to do things you've never done before. The challenges will be created by myself & the other judges before the contest even starts.


Submitting Entries:
- Entries must be received by the given deadline. Otherwise it'll be posted as a shadow. Received means that it has to appear in my e-mail inbox by the given deadline. I will be going by the time stamp on the e-mail in my inbox. PLEASE do not wait until the last hour to send me something. If there is a blackout in your area, your computer crashes, or your dog actually eats your thumb drive...I will not care. You are allowed to send in a draft of your song early just in case something horrible happens & you miss the deadline. Then you can add polish to your song & send in a better version closer to the deadline. 1 minute late is still late people.




- Send your file in a format that Bandcamp accepts. (.aiff, .wav or .flac) (at least 16-bit/44.1kHz) You can find the specific requirements for Bandcamp files HERE. You do not need to send in MP3's.
- Name your file the song's title, but without spaces & punctuation.
- Title of the e-mail should be the title of the Challenge & your band's name.
- Include the song lyrics in the body of the e-mail. (If your song doesn't have lyrics...consider yourself eliminated. Instrumentals can be pretty, but SpinTunes does require lyrics.)
- Include information on anyone that needs credited if you collabed with someone.
- File sharing options if you need them: YouSendIt, Sound Cloud, Drop Box, RapidShare, ZShare & MediaFire. Please send an e-mail as I already stated, but with the download link if you need one of these services. Please follow directions so your file doesn't wind up in my spam or trash folder accidentally.
- If you have a BandCamp account, you can just send me a link to your song on BandCamp if you include all the info I mentioned above. Make sure you have it set as a free download, and have it set so that I don't have to put in an e-mail to download it if you pick this option. THIS IS THE BEST FILE SHARING OPTION!


Hosting:
Each round I'll be uploading the songs onto BandCamp as an album. The songs will be set for free download only. BandCamp makes it easy to download songs, you can share 1 song individually or the album as a whole.


If you want to be entered into the contest, your song must be on the album & made available to everyone for free. Otherwise you are DQed from the contest.


Prize:
I didn't plan on there being a prize. No trophy. No cash. I’ll be happy to mail you a t-shirt that says you’re the new champion, but the real prize is knowing you won & the music itself. If you need gifts & thousands of fans to motivate you to write songs in this competiton...it ain't for you.


The winner will be allowed to be a judge in the next competition, unless they wish to compete.


Listening Party:
Tom Giarrosso will be hosting the listening party for each round (he will also help with uploading). Hopefully we can all get together in one virtual place while the songs are played for the very first time for people.


Meet The Judges:
Here's a list of the people that will be making the challenges, reviewing your work & of course voting on the songs:

1. Ross Durand - The current SpinTunes champion.
2. Dave Leigh - Half of Dr. Lindyke & SpinTunes veteran.
3. Brian Gray - SpinTunes veteran.
4. T.C. Elliott - Song Fight & SpinTunes veteran.
5. Felix Frost - SpinTunes veteran.
 

* I am the alternate judge. If a judge is unable to do his/her job, I'll step in and take over. If the judge has to withdraw from the contest totally, I'll fill in until I can find a replacement. If I happen to have a guest judge lined up already, there will be no need for me to step in as alternate. (Buck stops with me, but then I blame Heather.)
* There could be "Guest Judges" who drop by from time to time. A guest judge has to be approved by me ahead of time. I'm not promising anything, but if I can swing something cool for you all I want to leave that open as a possibility. When a guest judge ranks & reviews a round, it does count toward the scores for the round. If a song is disqualified by the regular judges, the guest judge's rankings will be edited to stay in line with the judges decision. There will be 1 or 2 guest judges each round if I can swing it. No promises though.


Judge Responsibilities:
- Reviewing entries each round. Shadow entries don't have to be reviewed, but it would be nice if you found the time. You can type up your review or you can vlog it on YouTube. If you decide to vlog your review on YouTube, it needs to be kept private until after I post the reviews on the blog.
- Making the challenges via a super secret website I set up.
- After the songs get posted each round the judges will be allowed to post their thoughts on who failed to met the challenge. (in the super secret location) 48 hours after the songs get posted we need to have a decision on what songs did or didn't meet the challenge. If you don't speak up in that window of time you'll have to live with a decision I make on my own.


Any judge who does not go along with a decision about a DQ will not have their rankings count for that particular round. However I will post any reviews they provide. Hopefully this does not happen again.


Twitter:
For those of you that don't want to check this blog every day, but also use Twitter, I'll be posting updates on Twitter as well. @SpinTunes was created just for this contest. You can unfollow it right after the contest if you want, my ego can take it. There is a Twitter list that includes all the judges & competitors (SpinTunes List). Well, at least all the ones I know that are on Twitter.


Song Sharing:
You are allowed to share your songs before the LP. In my opinion the songs will be better if you can go to another musician in this contest, share what you've got & get feedback. So if you want to share with a few friends or fellow competitors before the listening party feel free to do so.


However...


I would prefer it if you kept it low key, and not pimp it all over the net (via Twitter, YouTube, etc...) until after the LP, but that's up to you as well. It does take a little excitement away from the LP if people have already heard the songs. Common sense. Just don't try to get feedback from a judge, or from me since I'm an alternate.


Rerecording & Remixes:
In previous contests some people sent their song in ON TIME, but then after the deadline wanted me to post an updated version onto the album (they added bells & whistles). My response to that is ok, BUT you will be judged by what you turned in before the deadline. So anyone who decides they want to make a better mix of their song, and have it replace the one they sent before...that's fine. Send me the info, and I'll switch the files out. I might not do it instantly, but it will be done. Now I'm not going to have someone send me a new mix every month because they like remixing their own stuff all the time, but I'll allow 1 update of each song down the road. These songs are something you should be proud of, and some people are bugged by not being able to add everything they want in that small window I give them...so hopefully this helps...while still being fair.

In the end, album order is determined by how you scored in the round. But until the judges have scored the round, album order is originally determined by submission order. Your order on the album will change if you send in an updated file.

Multiple Songs:
You can enter 1 song each round until you are eliminated. There is no limit on how many shadow songs you can enter each round though. If you are still in the contest & have multiple songs you wish to enter, you just have to pick 1 song to be your official entry, while the other is listed as a shadow song.


You are not allowed to enter the contest as a part of more than 1 group. So if you enter as yourself, you will not be allowed to enter again as a part of another band

Wrap Up:
I will once again be busy with work & other responsibilities. I will enlist the help of judges & a few other trusted members of our community to help out from time to time. Don't be shocked if someone other than myself responds to you via one of the SpinTunes social media outlets.