"A healthy
and important competition, good outlet for creative people"....
Andy Karp, Executive Vice-President/Head of A&R, Atlantic
Records
"It is great
to see that songwriters are being acknowledged".... Brian
Jackson, EMI Music Publishing
"It has been
my privilege to be a small part of your songwriting
competition." ...Kirk Boyer, A&R Director,
Lyric Street
Records
"I feel
honored to win such a prestigious competition. It feels great to
be acknowledged for something I am passionate about. Winning
this category of the competition has inspired me to further
pursue music as a career" ....Monticue Connally, 1st Prize
(Hip-Hop/Rap) winner in the 2006
USA Songwriting
Competition.
"I'm usually
a critic of music contests and much rather prefer longtime
meaningful record contracts. However the USA Songwriting
Competition is the one contest I think every artist should pay
serious attention to"...Airomee Wind
"It is an
honor to have won. Gets me in a lot of doors. You are angels!
Thank you so much, this is changing the course of things in my
life, and it's wonderful that you provide such a contest for
hard working songwriters!!".....Steffani Bennett, 1998
USA Songwriting Competition Overall Grand Prize
Winner. She also appeared on TV program "60 Minutes".
"It is rare
for a songwriter to feel a true sense of accomplishment. We are
always working towards the next idea, the next inspiration...
and in a business where the performing artist holds the
spotlight, our names are often relegated to the small print on
the CD liner notes. It feels great to have my work recognized in
a competition that focuses on celebrating the craft of
songwriting" ....Victoria Banks, 1st Prize (Country) and
Overall 2nd Prize winner in the 2006
USA
Songwriting Competition.
"Winning this
award feels like a giant vote of confidence. To earn the respect
of esteemed industry professionals like those on the judging
panel reinforces our sense of pride in what we accomplished so
far and fuels our drive to keep developing our craft" ....Peter
Maiatis, 1st Prize (Rock) winner in the 2006 USA Songwriting
Competition.
"I'm honoured
to have won. This win has encouraged Laurence Juber (Lead
guitarist of "Wings" and 2 time Grammy winner) to invite me to
perform with him" ....Barry Chung , from
Hong Kong,
1st Prize (Instrumental) winner in the 2006 USA Songwriting
Competition.
"I am
thrilled. I have a great deal of respect for the USA Songwriting
Competition and consider it a great honor to win"....Kenneth
Littleton Jones, 1st prize winner (Comedy) 2006
USA
Songwriting Competition
"We are
ecstatic to win the competition for ourselves as a group as it
emphasizes once again the credibility of our work as Sister
Seven and as individual songwriters in our solo efforts apart
from each other. It's amazing that just after three weeks after
our first time to play together again in 3 1/2 years that we are
sharing this together as great songwriters" ....Patrice Pike,
Wayne Sutton, Sean Phillips and Darrell Phillips. They are all
from the Rock/Alternative group "Sister Seven" from
Austin, TX, they won Overall Grand Prize in the 2004
USA Songwriting Competition.
"I feel
absolutely fantastic! I am both delighted and honored to win the
first prize in the R&B category and to have as many as 4 songs
placed in the finals in such a prestigious contest as the USA
Songwriting Competition - the biggest and best in the world; the
one that counts! This means more to me than any of my other
achievements to date and , after 11 years of hard work, I
finally feel that I've been truly recognized for my efforts.
There is no better competition than this to offer both amateur
and professional songwriters alike a real chance of success -
this could be my springboard to stardom! I urge songwriters all
around the world to just give it a go - it is worth it! A
massive thank you to all at the USA Songwriting Competition and
your distinguished sponsors"....Charlotte Kelly,
London, UK, first prize winner (R&B) of 2004 USA Songwriting
Competition
"My co-writers submitted songs we had written together, and they
began to win awards. So I started chipping in, and sending my
share of submissions, but only after I had done some research.
There are a lot of contests out there that really are a rip off,
meaning that all they want to do is to make money. But there are
a few contests that will help to further a career, such as the
USA Songwriting Competition. They help songwriters get
recognized by their peers, boosting the confidence of the
songwriters who win and letting them know they are seemingly on
the right track. They are great to put in a resumé. And any time
a songwriter's name is in an industry magazine or press release
because of something he or she accomplished, it's a good thing!"......Lorraine
Ferro, two-time winner of USA Songwriting Competition (2004 USA
Songwriting Competition 1st Prize co-writer winner and 2000 USA
Songwriting Competition Honorable Award Winner), as quoted in a
book "I Don't Need a Record Deal", written by Daylle Deanne
Schwartz, distributed by Billboard Publications.
"I feel like
a million bucks! Feels great to be recognized as a writer,
especially for a song that I'm very proud of"....Gabriel
Mann, 2003
USA Songwriting Competition
Overall Grand Prize Winner.
"I am totally
honored. To see whose company I was in was a humbling
experience. There are pro songwriters as well as songwriters I
have heard of through the indie scene"....Moe Loughran, 2003
USA Songwriting Competition 1st
Prize Winner (Pop).
"I really
can't thank you enough for everything. Your competition has done
great things for me and my band. We really appreciate it"....Sarah
Lewis, 2002
USA Songwriting Competition
Overall Grand Prize Winner.
"We love your
website,
newsletter and all that you do for songwriters!! Thank you
very much!"....Dawn Hardwick,
Los Angeles,
CA
"I'm
overwhelmed by the amount of prizes that I've won, I'm excited
and honored to be selected out of so many songs. I'm also
excited about the possibilities and doors this may open for me
in the future of my musical career."....Jonathan Kingham,
2000
USA Songwriting Competition Overall Grand Prize
Winner.
"I'd like to
voice my personal lauds to the USA Songwriting Competition folks
for offering a panoply of great opportunities to never-say-die
up-and-comers such as myself, including performance
opportunities at virtually all the Music Conferences i.e. SXSW,
2NMC, Folk Alliance et al, as well as monthly showcases held at
great venues around the country in LA, NYC, and Atlanta - to
name only a few. This is above and beyond the purview of an
ordinary songwriting contest. My thanks to Eddie Phoon et al for
being true supporters of independent music and damn good
listeners as well."....Joel Cage,
Meredith,
NH (1999 USA
Songwriting Competition First Prize - Folk Category, also on
numerous awards and honors at various music festivals).
"It's a
wonderful feeling of validation to win and to be chosen out of
so many entries, especially with a song that is so close to my
heart. Big thanks".......Barbara Kessler, 2001
USA
Songwriting Competition First Prize (Folk).
"We are
greatly honored to be the first prize winners in two categories
with our song "Some Flowers", which out of all of our
compositions, is our heartfelt favorite. Please extend our
deepest gratitude to your panel of judges".......Andy Sarnoff
& Pat Maiorino, 2001
USA Songwriting
Competition First Prize (Country & Gospel). First time that the
same song won two categories.
"I am very
pleased to receive such recognition. I believe any chance we
have to encourage others in the creative arts should be pounced
upon! It is vitally important that people have an opportunity to
express themselves creatively. I wrote Sienna when I was just
fourteen years old because someone encouraged me to be creative.
Thanks for the opportunity"......Andy Sorenson,
Australia. 2001 USA Songwriting Competition First Prize
(Instrumental).
"Wow!
Persistence pays off"....Billy Byron, 2001
USA
Songwriting Competition First Prize (Children).
Thank you for
doing a great job and continuing to offer opportunities and
potentials for Songwriters. Hope springs eternal!"......Michele
Weiss,
Sherman Oaks, CA
"Although my
works didn't make it, I must express my congratulations to all
those that did. I am happy for them and also wish to say well
done and thank you, for all the time and patience you all had as
a team"......Maria, UK
"An amazing
feeling of satisfaction being honored with two awards. The
recognition given to me by the panel of such distinction from
the music industry makes me feel very proud and happy"....Dyana
Dafova (Sofia,
BULGARIA), 2000 USA Songwriting Competition First Prize (World
Category) and Overall Third Prize Winner.
"I cannot
believe I won! This is great news!"....Alex O'Brien, 2000
USA Songwriting Competition First Prize (Lyrics
Category), Alex became the first non-musician to ever win first
prize in the history of the competition.
"Since
winning the award many good things have happened to Silje -- and
are still happening. She's been signed to Universal Music
and released an album this past March in Norway. So far it's
been in the pop charts after entering at no. 7 -- and this is a
JAZZ album! It's sold over 10,000 copies in that country alone,
and now will be released in Scandinavia, Europe, Asia and US Her
work is also being solicited by many other singers"....Tom
Garretson, Artist Manager of Sijle Nergard (Norway), winner of
the 1999 Honorable Mention Award
"As a result
of Aaron Tap winning the Rock/Alternative. category we have
heard from over 40 different A&R reps (mostly major record
labels) and almost all the major publishers!" ....Cindy
Levine Management, Representative of the Aaron Tap, 1998 1st
prize winner of Rock/Alternative category
"This is just
amazing. It still hasn't sunk in my mind yet, that I won! Thank
you!"....Trina
Belamide, Philippines, 1999 Overall 2nd Prize Winner (Trina
Belamide and Vehne Saturno became the first from Asia to ever
win awards in the USA Songwriting Competition).
"My country
(Fiji) is just a small group of islands in the Pacific with a
population of only 3/4 million. Our songs are hardly exposed to
an international level, being awarded overall 2nd prize is a
lifetime achievement for me in my entire musical career"....
Saimone Vuatalevu, Fiji, 1998 Overall 2nd Prize
Winner.
"I've heard
nothing but good things about your event"...Jim Attebery, CEO
of
Durango Songwriter's Expo
"USA
Songwriting Competition has worked hard at helping independent
musicians get exposure through numerous opportunities and I
would love to get involved. Thanks Again"...... Melissa
Gibson,
Nashville,
TN, USA
"I've done my
homework about songwriting contests in general. For certain,
yours is one of the very best and definitely worthwhile I'm
sure"....Tom Guertin, Canada
"Your company
offers a fantastic service for songwriters"....Steve Howard,
England, UK
"I like your
website--it's informative and easy to navigate"....Sherry
Lea Jones, USA
"Thanks for a
great site and contest"....Joe Johnson,
Hanover,
IN, USA
"I am
familiar with the great job you guys do for the songwriter"....Patricia
A. Smith, USA
"I think it's
a wonderful idea to promote the contest and the artists that
enter
it"....Kurt Von Meyer, singer/songwriter,
Minneapolis,
MN, USA
"What you are
doing for singer/songwriters (people like me) is so inspiring,
thank you!" ....Lisa Szczesny, New
Market,
TN, USA
Achievements of Past Winners:
Kate Voegele
(1st Prize winner, Pop, 2005 USA Songwriting Competition)
was signed to MySpace/Interscope records in 2006.
Darrell
Scott's song "Good Ol USA" (first prize winner of the country
category in 2005) was released by Faith Hill's album in
2006.
Ari Hest (2002
USA Songwriting Competition
Honorable Mention winner)
was signed to
Columbia Records.
He was featured in the March 2007 issue of the Electronic
Musician magazine.
Pepper MaShay
(2006
USA Songwriting Competition -
Dance Category)
had her song "Lost Yo Mind" hit #1 on the Billboard Dance Charts
in December 2006.
Cathy Fink &
Marcy Marxer won the first prize in the Children's music
category of the 2005 competition for their song "Scat Like
That". The album of the same name won a Grammy award in
the "Best Musical Album For Children" category.
Aruna Sutra
has (2004
USA Songwriting Competition 1st
Prize Winner, Pop Category)
hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Charts. Her song "I Got
Nerve," is featured on the chart-busting Hannah Montana
soundtrack, which hit the number one slot in the Billboard 200
Album Charts on November 11, 2006, selling 281,000 copies at
that time.
Aruna's song
"Break You Open" which won first prize in the Pop category in
2004, hit the US Pop charts with a peak at #45 on the R&R®
(Radio & Records) CHR/Pop Top 50 chart. R&R, like Billboard, is
a national publication which tracks and monitors the most
prominent airplay nationwide (CHR stands for Contemporary Hit
Radio).
Tim Matthews
won an honorable mention award with "Can't Help Calling
Your Name" in the 1999
USA Songwriting Competition.
The same song was cut by Jason Sellers on both of his RCA/BNA
albums. Besides Jason Sellers, Tim Matthews have had cuts by
Neal McCoy, Marcel Chagnon, Jeannie Kendall (of The Kendalls),
and Lauren Lucas.
Darryl Zerro
(1999, 2000 & 2001 first Prize winner - Dance category, 1999-
1st Prize - Pop, 2000 1st Prize - Latin Category, 2000 Honorable
mention award) has his winning song "Let The Joy Rise" cut
by Dance diva - Abigail. It hit #1 on the Dance charts and went
#9 in the Billboard Dance charts. His winning song in 2000
(First Prize - Latin category) "Chiquita Mi Senorita" was
recorded by Top 10 artist - Paulina Rubio. Darryl has won a
record 6 awards - five 1st prizes and one honorable mention
award in a period of 3 years (1999 to 2001)
Singer-songwriter - Valerie DelaCruz (1997's first Prize
winner - Country category) signed to Relentless Nashville
Records.
Steve Tanen (Overall
Grand Prize winner winner in 2001) of a duo "The Weepies"
has been signed to Nettwerk Records.
Rye Randa (2000,
1st Prize winner - Pop category) winning song "Overground"
was recorded big 70's number one group "Three Dog Night."
The album was released in 2002.
Jonathan
Kingham (2000
USA Songwriting Competition
Overall Grand Prize winner)
signed a development deal with Universal South Records and is
currently writing and recording with some of the top writers and
players in Nashville.
Adrianne
Gonzalez (Overall Grand Prize winner in 1999) was signed
to Wheat Recording Company/Ryko.
Lisa
McCormick (1997's Overall Grand Prize Winner) was also
named the top 12 independent album of the year by Performing
Songwriter Magazine and also nominated in the preliminary
rounds for the1998 Grammy awards nominee for record of the
year and was also nominated as best new artist.
