Welcome to United States of Song!

Consider October 30th, 2019 to be the official relaunch date: our website and contest name has changed. We are now "United States of Song". Welcome!

So why did we change our name?

Since our debut in 2016, we have used the name "50 States of Song" to refer to the song contest. The website launched later that year. In 2017, we made the decision to change to two semifinals, and in order to keep the same amount of songs in each semifinal, we needed a 51st entry. This duty was fulfilled by Puerto Rico - which is not (yet) technically a "state", and is certainly not one of the 50 states.

It is very efficient in practice to have a 51st song, so we didn't want to change this. But our contest name no longer reflected the reality: we were more than just 50 states.

We (the 2019 jury, committees, and I) have spent the last few months discussing possible names - some were radical, others helped guide us to better choices. Ultimately, the main 'problem' was the number 50 in the title. So it is the only word being changed, and we are pleased with the result.

"United States of Song" is no longer wordplay on the book named '50 Shades of Grey'. It is an homage to the U.S. of A: "United States of" what, with the 'what' being music, songs, and discovery. We no longer limit ourselves to 50; we could move beyond 51, even. The 'States' does not refer to the concept of the 'state' being a qualifier; it's just in reference to the name of the country itself.

Our sub-line "An American Song Contest" was also changed to "Song Contests, Reviews, & More" to avoid conflict and allow for growth. The noun "American" can refer to the Continent, and we wanted to avoid misrepresenting the contest's purpose.

What does this change actually do?

It allows for expansion. As previously said, we felt limited and conflicted by using the '50' name - it was clever, but lacked depth. It allows us to not just run the annual contest, but to begin looking back at artists who have previously competed, discuss new music, and (attempt to) grow our site into a music blogging and discussion hub for underground American music from all parts of the country. We're particularly proud of our support for artists who come from beyond the music executive dungeons in New York City and Hollywood.

The 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 editions will remain under the name '50 States of Song', partly due to the work that would be involved in fixing or editing work completed for those contests. They will become a time capsule as the years go on; a signal of our growth.

We are in the process of changing social media designs (you may notice a revamped website and logo). The website is first, followed by our accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Our hashtag #50SS (or #50SoS) will change to #USoS. The logo design is subject to change.

Our email address will remain 'fiftystatesofsong' until after the 2020 contest.

How does this affect the timeline for 2020?

Not at all. In fact, you can expect the projected 2020 calendar for the annual contest to be published next week, which will coincide with the official opening call for submissions. This submission period will stay open until January, just like last year.

But I liked the old name better...

We liked our old name a lot, too. It had a lot of benefits, such as being first in most alphabetical orders =) But that's a very small plus for being mixed up with "Fifty Nifty United States" song results and ostracizing U.S. territories and commonwealths. At the end of the day, only one word is changing.

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We hope you are looking forward to 2020 like we are, and will join USoS on the journey to Missouri. The final location has not yet been decided, but we have a particular place in mind (have you seen our home page background image yet?) Missouri is the "Show Me State," so expect a lot of visual puns.

Cheers!