What is it?

The South West song search is an open call to find new singer/songwriter talent. The contest is open to applicants aged 16 and over who write and perform original music. They welcome all musical genres from pop to rock, country to grime and everything in between. Their only request is that your lyrics are clean and inoffensive.

What can I win?

The winner will receive a a live studio recording at Brazen Sound Studios, a 15 minute slot on stage at Exeter Respect Festival and a coaching session with Kate Graham of SoundLaunch.

What are they looking for?

They are not seeking perfection, they certainly don’t expect that. What their 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 their 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 their 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.

Once they have received your entry, they 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 competition 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.

Dates for the diary

Closing date for entries is midnight on the 31st April 2022

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 the 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 16 and over 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.

Once they have received your entry, they 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?

They are not seeking perfection, they certainly don’t expect that. What their 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 their 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, you allow us to collect basic information from you – your name, telephone number and email address – purely for the purposes of contacting you regarding your entry to competition. The information is held securely in line with their standard privacy policy. They 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.