SONGWRITERS HALL OF FAME AND UNIVERSAL MUSIC PUBLISHING GROUP PARTNER IN LAUNCH OF PREMIER SONG COMPETITION
Competition To Be Powered By Sonicbids
Discounts Available For SHOF Members
New York, NY – March 17, 2014 – The inaugural Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) Song Competition is scheduled to launch Monday, March 24th, 2014, SHOF Chairman Jimmy Webb and Universal Music Publishing Group President, North America Evan Lamberg announced today.
This will be the premier professional song competition “by songwriters, for songwriters,” sponsored by the SHOF and Universal Music Publishing Group, along with exclusive contest partners Sonicbids and Epiphone. All contest entries will go through the Sonicbids website at www.sonicbids.com/songhall. ASCAP, BMI, SESAC and Universal Music Publishing Group will be co-marketing the effort.
“It has long been the dream of the Songwriters Hall of Fame to launch an online song competition, offering the opportunity for a winner to actually plant their feet in the music business,” said Webb. “Universal Music Publishing Group’s participation has made this possible. We hope to see this become the most prestigious in the arena of songwriting competition.”
“As a board member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an entity which epitomizes the love of songwriters, Universal Music Publishing is proud to partner up on this wonderful endeavor of discovering the future hit songwriters of tomorrow,” said Lamberg. “I look forward to working with Jimmy, a magical songwriter in his own right, and President Linda Moran on what will be a wonderful talent finding journey.”
The Competition is open to all amateur and professional songwriters and to SHOF members and non-members alike, with a discount available to SHOF members. Entries will be screened by a listening committee who will select the finalists. Songwriters will be evaluated by a Blue Ribbon panel of industry professionals including legendary songwriters, producers and publishers. Songs will be judged based on melody, composition, originality and lyrics.
The overall Grand Prize winner will be given the opportunity to enter into an exclusive Universal Music Publishing Group contract, will receive an Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE guitar, two tickets to the 2015 Songwriters Hall of Fame Annual Induction and Awards Gala, and recognition from the stage. Four Second Place Winners will receive an Epiphone Masterbilt DR-500MCE guitar, two spectator tickets to the 2015 Annual Induction and Awards Gala and a one-hour creative and career mentoring session with a legendary songwriter who has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. All prize winners will be featured in an article in the 2015 Gala Dinner Journal and on a page of the songhall.org website.
About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. The list includes Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Albert Hammond, Desmond Child, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, John Fogerty, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Richard & Robert Sherman, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Sir Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Diane Warren, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry and Leonard Cohen among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available at the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Virtual Museum at http://songwritershalloffame.org/. Joining online is quick and easy: http://songhall.org/join
About Universal Music Publishing Group:
UMPG is one of the world’s largest music publishing companies and represents music in every genre from some of the world’s hottest songwriters and catalogs, both old and new. These include ABBA, Adele, Alex Da Kid, Lily Allen, Beach Boys, Beastie Boys, Irving Berlin, Justin Bieber, Leonard Bernstein, Bjork, Café Tacuba, Mariah Carey, Desmond Child, The Clash, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Ester Dean, Jörgen Elofsson, Danny Elfman, Eminem, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Billy Joel, Juan Gabriel, Al Green, Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses), Jimi Hendrix, Hunter Hayes, Imagine Dragons, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Joy Division, R. Kelly, The Killers, BB King, Luke Laird, Linkin Park, the Mamas and Papas, Henry Mancini, Maroon 5, Miguel, Mumford & Sons, Randy Newman, Steve Perry, Otis Redding, Darius Rucker, Carole Bayer Sager, Gustavo Santaolalla, Sex Pistols, Paul Simon, Britney Spears, 3 Doors Down, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, U2, Diane Warren, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Wisin Y Yandel, and Bill Withers, among many others. UMPG is also a global leader in the areas of Classical, Christian/Gospel, and Production Music. Additionally, UMPG plays a major role in film and TV, administering the music of Warner Bros Entertainment, Universal Studios, HBO, DreamWorks, NBC and Sesame Workshop, among others. For more information please visit www.umusicpub.com. For breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos, follow @UMPG on Twitter and Instagram, like “Universal Music Publishing Group” on Facebook, and join our social communities on Spotify and LinkedIn.
About Sonicbids:
Sonicbids is the leading platform for bands to book gigs and market themselves online. It connects more than 400,000 bands with 30,000 promoters from over 100 different countries. Additionally, the company’s Social Music Marketing™ product suite enables brand marketers to reach and engage music fans and consumers using rich music-oriented content.
