SpinTunes FAQ

NOTE: THIS PAGE IS OBSOLETE Future updates to the FAQ will be done on the Frequently Asked Questions page (there's a link on the top-left side of the website)

What is SpinTunes?

SpinTunes is an online songwriting competition where people submit original songs they write to meet challenges handed out by a panel of judges.

Can I enter a previously written song?

No. Even if you have a previously written song, that happens to meet the given challenge, you should not enter it. Besides the prompt given for each round, part of the challenge IS the deadline. Doing everything from scratch in the same time frame as everyone else is the only fair way to enter. If your song is previously unreleased I would have no way of knowing if you cheated, so we rely on the honor system.

Do I give up any rights to my work?

Of course not, your songs are your songs.  I won't profit from them or claim any rights to them, all I want is permission to put them on an album for the contest.

How do I win?

The competition has 4 rounds of challenges, and you are judged by a panel of judges each round. If you can make it to the last round without being eliminated, and then win that last round...you win.

What do I win?

Pride. We do this for the love of music...not for money or fancy trophies.

What do the judges look for in a song?

Writing (lyrics & music), performance & production are all things the judges will look at. You may write a great song, but if you can't present it to people properly they will never know. So it's really MORE than a songwriting contest, presentation is also key.

How do I sign up?

About 2-3 weeks before a contest I'll put up a sign up page. You just have to fill out the required info & e-mail it to me. So just keep an eye on the blog & the @SpinTunes Twitter account for updates.

The contest is already in progress, can I still compete?

Nope, but you are more than welcome to write a shadow song.

What is a 'shadow song'?

A shadow song is a song that someone writes for a challenge, even if they are not in the competition. Your song will still be put on the album with all the other regular entries.

Who is Heather, and why is everything her fault?

Heather Zink is a young lady who spends her free time making my life difficult. You'll have to ask her why. She is one of the 3 or so people who motivated me to finally start this contest, and was one of the first judges. When something goes wrong it's become a habit to just say #BlameHeather.

How did this get started?

At one time there was a songwriting contest called "Masters Of Song Fu" & a small songwriting Ning community called "Too Much Awesome" (TMA) grew around it. That contest is now dead, and the community stays in contact via the SpinTunes Facebook group & Twitter mostly.

With the end of "Song Fu" a lot of the TMA members wanted something new to compete in. I had been following along with 2 other songwriting contests called "Song Fight" & "Nur Ein" for a little over a year. Those contests (as great as they are) didn't suit the needs for this particular group of people. So I decided to start something that was a mix of "Song Fu" & "Nur Ein"....attempting to take the best of both contests.

Enough already with the history lesson. Where can I listen to the music?

All the songs can be listened to & downloaded for free on BandCamp.

For more information about SpinTunes please read the Rules page. You can ask questions below or send me questions on Twitter.

- Spin