United States of Song 2021 is officially open!
Hello, and welcome to Minnesota! We are ready to open the doors to our sixth edition of the United States of Song contest! To begin our celebration of American music, we must first let you know that we are trying something a little different this year: state reservations.
As is common in a lot of online song contests, you have the ability to confirm/reserve a state or territory, which gives you the power to choose and send a song for that state. If you are interested in reserving a state or territory, use our Contact form. You have until January 16th, 2021 to reserve (confirm with) a state.
But, as per usual, the edition opens with an official call for song submissions. If you have music to share with us from multiple states, or if you're a band that wants to compete, now is your chance. If you reserve a state, you have the option to choose and send your own song, or to choose a song from a list of songs that were submitted by other users.
To send us one or more songs for consideration, click here to open the submission form.
When submitting songs, be aware of the official rules. We only accept songs by artists and bands from the 50 U.S. states or six U.S. territories. Secondly, the song must have been released in the year 2020 - no exceptions. If we find proof that it was released prior to January 2020, the song may not be accepted. Thirdly, the song must be under 4 minutes in length. This is so no song has an unintentional advantage over another. As it is, most songs these days fit this time limit.
There are some other rules to be aware of, as well, and they are listed in the submissions form. Pay attention to them to save your time later!
With popular U.S. states, we traditionally hold a few public selections. This allows the community to vote for their favorite entry from those states. Because you can now 'reserve' states, we must announce which states will be holding state selections. You *cannot* reserve these states, which are:
California
Minnesota
New York
Texas
If you are an artist or musician who performed or wrote a song for submission, we want to give you preferred treatment over other entries - but be aware that, due to certain new rules, you will not be able to vote for your own song. This is to prevent some issues we've had in the past. We've clarified the specifics in the Rules page linked above.
The Song Submission form closes on January 31, 2021, after which the USoS Song committee will review the submissions. The committee prefers songs that hold their own ground, do not aim to offend, and come from a variety of genres. With 2020 being one of the most dramatic years of our time, there will undoubtedly be a fair amount of the unusual, or the grim - we will do our best to balance this out.
Lastly, I just want to say Thank You for your interest in our contest! We are proud to entertain you with fantastic music and fun-loving competition. Our next blog post will reveal the location and theme of the 2021 contest, and will serve as a reminder about state reservations and song submissions.
So... Submit a Song ... or a hundred!
-USoS
Comments