Have your songs heard by a panel of professional songwriters and other music industry professionals from the Nashville Music Community! The Chris Austin Stage features several of the most respected professional songwriters in the music industry.
2.....to enter the contest without subscribing to the MerleFest Mailing List, simply print the entry form available via the above link, complete it and mail to the address indicated on the form.
Do Not Submit Snail Mail Entries before November 1. For 2008 the entry fee for snail mail entries will be $35.
or
3. ON LINE via Sonicbids
You may enter the 2008 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest on line via Sonicbids. New Sonicbids members may enter one song and obtain a six-month Sonicbids membership for $29.95. Additional entries and entries by existing Sonicbids members are $25. For more information: www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongcontest
About Sonicbids: In business since 2000, Sonicbids is quickly becoming the standard way for people in the music business to send and receive press kits online. The company's main product is the Sonicbids EPK (Electronic Press Kit), an easy-to-use, web-based graphic interface that contains all the basic information of a musical act such as music, photos or calendar. Sonicbids currently has over 1,800 exclusive partners, including prominent North American events such as CMJ, Folk Alliance, and the Billboard Song Contest. The company is headquartered at 580 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118. For more information, please visit www.sonicbids.com.
All 2007 finalists receive Lodging for 4 Nights at MerleFest, all access MerleFest credentials for three, one box of D’Addario Strings, a one-year subscription to Acoustic Guitar magazine.
All winners of prizes worth more than $600 will receive a 1099-MISC.
Finalists & Judges
First Round Judges for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest 2007 were: Nathan Nicholson - publisher, NTN Music Management; Jeannie Winn – independent publisher, Possum Trax Music; Sarah Johnson - Creative Director, Windswept Music Publishing; Bil Vorndick, publisher and record producer; David Macias, artist manager, Thirty Tigers Entertainment Group; Chris Jones, songwriter, performer, and Sirius Satellite Radio host; Ed Peterson, artist and producer; and Brian Sprouse - Creative Director, Bluewater Music. They selected the following songs as finalists from 1,088 entries received on tape, CD, or thru www.SonicBids.com:
General Category Finalists: “Crayola Doesn’t Make a Color for your Eyes” by Kristin Andreasson & Megan Downes, Watertown, MA; “Am I Still” by John & Michelle Law and Regie Hamm, Seeley’s Bay, ON, Canada; “My Brother Paul and Me” by Ronnie King, Ravenna, KY.
Country Category Finalists: “Operation: Get Back Home” by Dyle Russell, Winston-Salem, NC; “The Roadkill Bill” by Brant Miller, Dave Woodward, and Don King, Nashville, TN; “Crawl into the Bottle” by John Milne, Villa Park, IL.
Bluegrass Category Finalists: “Enough of You” by Jeanette Williams, Danville, VA; “The Devil’s Road” by Mark Brinkman, Pickerington, OH; “Midnight Blues” by George & Jo Ellen Doering, Los Angeles, CA.
Gospel Category Finalists: “Blessed be that Day” by Korby Lenker, Seattle, WA; “Now” by Laura Kaufman, Boone, NC; “It’s Like Rain” by Wesley Koontz, Lexington, NC.
James Nash, Sarah Hawker, Pat Flynn, and Holly Lowman are scheduled to judge the finals. Each first place winner earns an appearance on the Cabin Stage Friday evening, an Epiphone® Guitar from Gibson®, a check for $300, and two boxes of D’Addario strings. Second place winners receive a check for $250 and one box of D’Addario strings. Third place winners receive one box of D’Addario strings and a check for $50. Each second and third place winner also earns a slot on the Songwriters’ Coffeehouse Friday night. Each finalist also receives admission for three to MerleFest with motel accommodations, sponsored by Fishman Transducers, and one-year subscription to Acoustic Guitar magazines. Thomas Fisher, First Vice-President at Morgan Keegan, Durham, NC sponsored the cash prizes. Additional sponsorship provided by SonicBids, the exclusive on-line entry point for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. ASCAP and No Depression magazine sponsor The Chris Austin Stage.
Sarah Lee Guthrie, Jason Harrod, Dave Wilson, and Holly Lowman judged the finals of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. First round judging from submitted recordings produced twelve finalists who competed with the following results. General Category: 1st: “Short Time Here” by Scott Pearce, Winterville, NC; 2nd: “Under My Skin” by Maura Fogarty, Bronx, NY; and 3rd: “Rather Have Sooner” by Billy Deiz, Portland, OR; Bluegrass Category: 1st: “Rita Mae” by Connie Leigh, Newport, AR; 2nd: “Guns, Coins, Jewelry & 2nd Hand Hearts” by Timmy Massey and Rick Pardue, State Road, NC; and 3rd: “That’s As Close to Lonesome” by Jimmy Moore, Marlboro, NJ;. Country Category: 1st: “Losing Faith” by Audrey Auld Mezera, Stinson Beach, CA; 2nd: “Light at the End of the Bottle” by Megan Laurie, Lubbock, TX; and 3rd: “12 Gauge Education” by Wake Eastman, Polk Shelton, Jay Cook, and Jill Gilliam, Hamptonville, NC. Gospel Category: 1st: “Hallelujah Time” by John Milroy and C.J. Milroy, Ferndale, MI; 2nd: “Truth Cries Out” by Mary James with Dan Barker, Lakeside, CA and 3rd “A Little Deeper” by Paul Kelly with Salvador Guida, Jr., Santa Fe, NM.
History
One night shy, quiet Chris Austin from Boone, North Carolina, turned courageous, sneaking into the Grand Ole Opry one Saturday night so a friend could introduce him to Ricky Skaggs. That led to a three-year job as Ricky’s sideman playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and singing. It took Chris far away from the mountains where he fell in love with the guitar at 9 and joined his father’s bluegrass band at 14.
Working for Skaggs afforded Chris, who had attended the Country & Bluegrass program at South Plains College in Texas, the opportunity to be seen by executives at Warner Brothers Records, who offered him a recording contract. Over those next few years Warner Bros. released several singles, “Blues Stay Away From Me,” “I Know There’s A Heart In There Somewhere,” and “Out Of Step.” A respect for the power that songs have in their ability to make a positive impact in the world led Chris to devote all of his energies to songwriting.
Notable writers such as Frank Dycus, Charlie Black, Roger Murrah, Jim Rushin,and many others saw an enthusiastic and talented writer in Chris, just as Skaggs heard in “Same Ol’ Love,” Ricky’s top 5 hit with Epic Records. That song, written by Chris and Greg Barnhill was the first major cut for both writers. On March 16, 1991, only a few hours after the recording of “Same Ol’ Love,” Chris was killed in a tragic plane accident near San Diego along with other members of Reba McEntire’s band as well as her tour manager. Pete Fisher, then of WarnerSongs and currently general manager of the Grand Ole Opry, and then MerleFest consultant and “Pickin’ for Merle” video associate producer Kari Estrin initiated the contest to honor the memory of Austin.
A then unknown Gillian Welch was one of the winners of the initial Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest in 1993. Recent winners have included Tift Merritt, Michael Reno Harrell, Adrienne Young, Martha Scanlan, David Via, and Johnny Williams.
Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest go toward Wilkes Community College projects including scholarships and construction and improvements to the Chris Austin Stage.
Official Rules
1. ELIGIBILITY
Contest is open to those whose primary source of income (50% or more) is not derived from songwriting or publishing. Income from perfoming gigs is not songwriting income. First place winners during the past five years may not re-enter in the specific category in which they won. Co-writers are subject to the same eligibility requirements as the entrant.
2. CATEGORIES
Country, Bluegrass, Gospel, and General: Judges will determine the musical parameters of each category and reserve the right to reassign a song to a more appropriate category if necessary.
3. TWO WAYS TO ENTER
3A SUBMISSIONS ON LINE:
You may enter the 2008 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest on line via Sonicbids. New Sonicbids members may enter one song and obtain a six-month Sonicbids membership for $29.95. Additional entries and entries by existing Sonicbids members are $25. For more information: www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongcontest
3B SUBMISSIONS BY MAIL:
Do not submit by mail before November 1.
Send the following with each entry:
a) One completed entry form per song (photocopy acceptable). Signature must be original.
b) One song per cassette or compact disc.
c) Typed or legibly printed lyrics.
d) Check or money order for $35.00 (U.S currency) for each entry, payable to The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Do not send cash. CASSETTE/CD AND LYRIC MUST BE LABELED WITH Entrant’s Name, Address, Email, Telephone Numbers, Category, Song Title & Co-Author’s Name(s), if Applicable.
4. CDs or Tapes and Lyrics will not be returned. No one will receive personal notification of receipt of an entry unless entering through SonicBids.com.
5. MAIL ENTRIES TO:
The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest P.O. Box 121855, Nashville, TN 37212. Entries must be received by March 4, 2008. Overnight entries must be sent by the US Postal Service’s Express Mail. The contest cannot provide confirmation of receipt of individual entries by mail. Entries received too late to be judged will be returned unopened.
6. SONGWRITING ENTRIES
All entries must be the original work of contestant. Contestant may enter as many songs as desired. Each song, however, constitutes a separate entry and must have its own entry form, lyric sheet, and recorded cassette or CD or Sonicbids submission. Check or money order must reflect the total number of songs submitted. Multiple songs by the same writer or co-writers may not be selected as finalists in a single category, except for songs co-written with different writers or a solo composition and a co-written song. All applicable U.S. copyright laws apply. The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is not responsible for late, lost, damaged, misdirected, insufficient postage, stolen, or misappropriated entries.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
7. JUDGING
Entries will be judged by a panel of professional songwriters, publishers, or other music industry professionals from the Nashville music community. All entries will be judged on originality, lyrics, melody and the song’s overall commercial potential. Music production and performance quality are not considered. All decisions by judges will be final. Finalists will be determined and notified by the week of April 1. Only finalists will be personally notified. No entrants will be provided with scores or evaluations of their entries.
8. FINALISTS
Three finalists from each category will compete on the Austin Stage at MerleFest in Wilkesboro, NC. Transportation to and from the festival and any other expenses are the responsibility of the finalist. Four nights of lodging (room and taxes only) will be provided for each finalist. Each finalist will receive up to three all access passes to the festival. Co-writers will be treated as one writer for lodging, credentials, and prizes. First place winners of each category will perform their song on the Cabin Stage. Each song in the finals must be performed live by the composer, with no more than one accompanist other than a co-writer, no performances to pre-recorded tracks. The first tie-breaker in the finals will be the highest score given a song by an individual judge.
9. PRIZES
Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category. All prizes will be awarded to name on entry form. Division of prizes among co-authors is responsibility of winners. Taxes are the responsibility of winners. Void where prohibited. All Federal, State and Local laws and regulations apply.
10. INDEMNITY AND RELEASE
Signature on entry form constitutes each song submitted is an original work and releases The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, sponsors, Wilkes Community College, and MerleFest from all liability. Entry also constitutes permission to use winner’s name and likeness for future advertising and publicity without compensation.
11. WINNERS
For a list of winners, after May 5, 2007 email: art.menius@wilkescc.edu or send self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest
P.O. BOX 121855
NASHVILLE, TN 37212.
Information
ALL FINALISTS WILL RECEIVE
• Lodging for 4 Nights at MerleFest
• All Access MerleFest credentials for three
• One box of D’Addario Strings
• One-year subscription to Acoustic Guitar magazine
1st PLACE WINNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE
• A performance on the Cabin Stage at MerleFest
• An Epiphone Guitar from Gibson
• A check for $300
• An additional box of D’Addario Strings
2nd PLACE WINNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE
• A check for $250
• A slot on the Friday night Songwriters' Coffeehouse
3rd PLACE WINNERS WILL ALSO RECEIVE
• A check for $50
• A slot on the Friday night Songwriters' Coffeehouse
Contest Categories
Enter one or more of the following catagories.... COUNTRY • BLUEGRASS • GOSPEL • GENERAL
The Chair of the 2007 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is Jim Lauderdale.
Finalists will compete on the Chris Austin Stage at MerleFest 2007. Four days lodging and MerleFest all access passes will be provided to all finalists.
Contest Deadline
Contestants must enter by March 4, 2008 by completing the Official Entry Form and mailing it to.....
THE CHRIS AUSTIN SONGWRITING CONTEST
P.O. BOX 121855
NASHVILLE, TN 37212
USA
OR by entering through www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongcontest
Contest Hotline
1-800-799-3838
Questions
Email art.menius@wilkescc.edu
Please Note:
