About

The Six "W"s of #USoS

WHAT?

The United States of Song is an idea: an online music competition which gives the limelight to up-and-coming music artists from all over the country. We truly believe that great music comes from all parts of our nation; not just New York City and Hollywood.

Each US state and territory can be represented by one song in the contest, and the song that gets the most votes wins. It's as simple as that; it's meant to fit American standards and tastes. It involves the entire country!

When a new contest begins, the songs are posted in recaps for you to listen, watch, and judge for your votes - did we mention that YOU choose the winner? Once you've determined your favorites, vote for them by submitting an official ballot.

The Semifinal Rounds include the top 13 songs with the highest number of votes (points) from each semifinal, as well as the home state's entry. Then you vote one final time for your favorites in the Final Round. Whoever comes out on top in the Final Round voting is the winner!

WHO?

You! ... I guess?

More philosophically: the bands, singers, and musicians from all over the United States, whose music is linked here. There is one song from each state of the United States of America, and sometimes other US territories, too. The musicians have individual goals - likely none involving pitting their music against other music - but each song (and artist) has unique sounds, instruments, voices, and lyrics. We hope you find something you like!

WHEN?

This is an annual competition, with our first edition having been in 2016. Each year we start a new contest in early Spring of the given year, and it comes to an end in the Summer. This past year's winning song came from dEM aTLAS, an R&B singer slash rapper out of Minneapolis, Minnesota - did you like their song?

WHERE?

Right here, online. And, in a sense, we don't want it anywhere else! This is not an official competition, by any means, and we're not here to make any profit from this.

We're on Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Spotify, Twitter... so we encourage you to follow our social media using the links in the footer. You can receive updates about songs, votes, and other news.

WHY?

This "idea" is not a new one. Have you ever heard of the Eurovision Song Contest? It's a popular event in Europe which has been ongoing for 60 years. American television networks are attempting to create a similar contest to air on NBC starting in 2022, so they know the interest is out there.

Even then, we may never see a music contest quite like the one they have in Europe. Therefore, the best we can do is online.

Now: this is not an attempt to replicate; rather, we have a set goal. We want to expand the American public's view of music beyond what we hear on the radio, on television, and in other media. We need something that could open the doors for musicians without the fear of being glued to a contract (The Voice, X-Factor). Minimally, it creates a sense of pride for the listener (you) when you learn there is some pretty cool stuff coming from your state's music scene!

HOW?

The songs chosen follow a set of rules and guidelines, namely:

The song must be under 4 minutes in length.
The song must be an original composition. No covers!
The song must have been released publicly during the previous year.*
The artist must have a strong connection with the U.S. state or territory they represent.
The artist must not have had a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (or a Top 10 hit on various other Billboard charts) at any time prior to the contest. We want up-and-coming artists only who release original compositions.
* If the song was not released in the preceding year, the accompanying music video must have been.

The song that represents each state is chosen by a committee, but it is with the hope that in future years the contest will expand and the choices can become more of a public activity.

If you are interested in joining our song selection committee, or if you're interested in submitting a song to represent your US state, send an email to United States of Song.