Eurovision in the USA: 'American Song Contest' on NBC in 2022

Friends and family! It's either time to lose your collective brains due to excitement or from pure rage! Today the EBU announced that the 'American Song Contest' will be coming to USA broadcaster NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation), slating a 2022 debut.

This is big and exciting news for me. I made this website to run my fan-made contest under the same premise; having an official contest under the same guise will be a dream come true! What makes me even happier is the premise that all states and USA territories are eligible to compete. Whether they can actually get 55 entries is another story in itself, but hopefully they have some ideas up their sleeve in the form of state broadcaster channels and local calls for action (If not, give me a ring, guys - I'm prepped and ready to serve for California or Wisconsin!) The guys behind the scenes making this happen are experienced with Eurovision, so I'm hoping they don't completely let go of the ESC concept and mutate it into something unwatchable.

Based on this news, the American Song Contest could use a home for official news and updates regarding the contest from a Eurovision fan's point of view. And what better place on the web than my site? There are a couple other sites out there, but none of them have several years of experience actually searching states for adequate underground artists or has knowledge of what works with a US audience. I promised that this blog would cover more than just #USoS, and I think this is the right opportunity to do that. Whether it be how each state goes into finding entrants, official contest progress, or big drama-inducing changes as the contest transcends borders - I'll do my best to cover it.

Of course, not all people are happy with today's news. The Eurovision 'brand', as it were, is a European creation - one that Eurofans in the US and beyond really want to keep in Europe. It's understandable, because most Americanized versions of European creations end up having to sacrifice a lot in order to cater to an American audience. Think "The Office," which has a UK and USA version, or more closely "The X Factor". Most of the 'hate' I've seen on the Internet has no underlying motive, leading me to believe that people just don't want to see another version of their contest in the USA, or that there's an underlying hate for the country itself. What's strange about that line of thinking is that, by creating this contest, it is now very unlikely the USA will ever join Eurovision, which has been a valid concern for several years now. They should be happy about that!

The other main critique I've seen is the idea that it's called the 'American' song contest, when in actuality it's a 'USA' song contest. The other countries of North and South America are not invited, and so it's another case of the USA claiming the 'America' name for themselves. As an American, this is understandably frustrating, especially since there are a good number of countries that would love to compete in a contest like this (especially in South America). This was why USoS did not consider using any version of the word 'America' in its name. I also think the average American could do better to know their Spanish-speaking neighbors better - if Eurovision was conceived with the idea of bringing Europe together after World War II, then the Americas could do with bringing themselves together after several years of cultural wars, racial injustice, and an intense pandemic.

What do you think about this contest? What types of blogs and updates would you like us to cover in the future? Are you wanting us to shut up and just get going on USoS 2021? Let us know in the comments below!