Announcing SpinTunes 25!

Hello, everyone! Micah here, excited to announce that SpinTunes 25 will be happening August 23 to October 27, 2025.

SpinTunes is a four-round tournament for songwriters and recording artists. In each round, contestants receive a challenge prompt and have nine days to write and record a brand-new song that meets the challenge. Our panel of judges then review and rank all entries on the strength of their songwriting, performance, and production, with the highest-ranked contestants moving on to the next round. The winner of the fourth round earns the title of SpinTunes 25 Champion!

SpinTunes is an opportunity to create new songs and hone your musical skills; to receive thoughtful feedback from fellow musicians; to connect with a vibrant and supportive musical community; and to engage in some playful competition.

Below, find links to all the information about the upcoming tournament. We hope you will join us for SpinTunes 25!

• Official rules
• Full schedule
• Meet the judges
• Sign-up form

SpinTunes 25 Official Rules

Welcome to SpinTunes 25. I'm your contest administrator, Micah Sommersmith, and I'm excited to begin a new tournament!

If you’ve competed before, welcome back! The rules below are the same as in SpinTunes 24, with the addition of the Final Round Wild Card and some clarifying language about Shadow Reinstatements.

I'll also remind you that there is a Suggestion Box that you can use to submit suggestions for challenges or rule changes at any time. You'll find it in the left-hand sidebar if you're viewing this on a PC.

If you have any questions about any of the rules, feel free to contact me at SpinTunesContest@gmail.com.

Read on for the full rules!

SpinTunes 25 Schedule

 All times given are in US Eastern Daylight Time. When in doubt, the SpinTunes Google calendar should list all deadlines in your local time.

Read on for the full SpinTunes 25 schedule.

SpinTunes 25 - Meet the Judges and Support Staff

 For SpinTunes 25, we have a terrific judging panel made of thoughtful musicians with diverse backgrounds and tastes, all of whom are excited to hear your new songs and offer thoughtful feedback. Read on to meet all our judges, as well as our behind-the-scenes support:

SpinTunes 25 Sign-up Form

If you've read the official rules, consulted the full schedule, and met the judges, and decided that you're ready to compete in SpinTunes 25, you're in the right place!

Sign-up for SpinTunes 25 by filling out the form below. You must fill out the form by August 22 at 11:59pm EDT if you wish to compete in SpinTunes 25 as an official contestant; otherwise, you are welcome to submit non-competing shadow entries.

If it is not displayed properly in the blog, here is a direct link to the Google form.

ST24 Bonus Round Album

If you missed the Bonus Round Listening Party, never fear! You can hear all ten Bonus Round covers and re-imaginings, in glorious stereo sound, on Bandcamp or embedded below. Enjoy!

ST24.4 Reviews - glennny

Read on for Round 4 reviews from SpinTunes 23 Champion glennny:

ST24 Round 4 Results

The results are in, and we have a champion! Amid four great Final Round songs (and a batch of excellent shadow entries too!), the techno-skeptical lament "Vulpes Vulpes" won over both the contestants and the judges. Congratulations to first-time participant Vehicles of Beware, who earns the title of SpinTunes 24 Champion!

The next two competitors were tied in the contestants' vote, so I turned to the judges for the tie-breaker. By just one point, David Taro earns second place, followed by Governing Dynamics in third. Celestial Drift comes in fourth place among our four excellent Final Round songs.

Read on for the full breakdown of contestants' and judges' votes!

ST24.4 Reviews - Ethan Ivey

Read on for Round 4 reviews from Ethan Ivey:

ST24.4 Reviews - Jim of Seattle

Read on for Round 4 reviews from Jim of Seattle:

ST24.4 Reviews - truth

Read on for Round 4 reviews from SpinTunes 23 Champion truth:

ST24.4 Reviews - Valerie Polichar

Read on for Round 4 reviews from Valerie Polichar:

ST24 Bonus Round Listening Party and Champion Announcement

The Final Round voting period has closed, and a SpinTunes 24 Champion has been chosen. But who is it? Find out at tonight's Listening Party, hosted at 10 pm EDT (note the later time!) by Tommy G.

Before the Champion is revealed, Tommy G will play the Bonus Round covers we've received - seven so far! Remember that the Bonus Round deadline is flexible, so if you're still working on a cover version of a SpinTunes 24 entry, send it in when it's finished!

Join us at 10 pm EDT on YouTube or embedded below.

ST24 Round 4 Album

If you missed last night's Listening Party, never fear: the SpinTunes 24 Round 4 album is available to download or stream on Bandcamp or embedded below.

Take a listen, and remember that if you competed in Round 1 but not Round 4, you'll have a chance to vote and determine the SpinTunes 24 Champion! You'll receive voting instructions later this week by email.

ST24.4 Listening Party and Contestant Voting/Bonus Round Reminder

The Round 4 deadline has passed, and we have received submissions from all four of our finalists, in addition to five shadow songs, all inspired in some way by Madeline Owen's painting Water Fox. Your first chance to hear all nine songs is at tonight's Listening Party at 8 pm EDT, hosted by Tommy G. Join us on YouTube or embedded below!

Contestant Voting

If you competed in SpinTunes 24 and you're not competing in the Final Round - you are a Final Round judge! Your votes will determine who claims the title of SpinTunes 24 Champion. You'll receive an email later this week with instructions to cast your ballot, with a deadline of Sunday, May 4 at 11:59 pm EDT. In the meantime...

Bonus Round

...now begins the Bonus Round, an optional, non-competitive round in which you're invited to submit a cover version of someone else's SpinTunes 24 song. Whether it was a competing entry or a shadow, if you heard a song in this tournament that you loved and want to put your own spin on, record it this week and send it in! Since this is a friendly, non-competitive round, your flexible deadline is next Monday when Tommy G hosts our Bonus Round Listening Party and reveals the identity of the SpinTunes 24 Champion!

ST24.3 Reviews and Rankings - truth

Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 23 Champion truth:

1	David Taro
2	Celestial Drift
3	Vehicles of Beware
4	Governing Dynamics
5	The Moon Bureau
6	Jealous Brother
7	Dream Bells
8	Sober
9	The Dutch Widows
10	Flintsteel
11	This Big Old Endless Sky
12	Hot Pink Halo

Read on for truth's reviews!

ST24.3 Results

The judges have weighed in on Round 3, and their rankings have determined who will be competing in the Final Round.

This was a tough round to judge, but one entry rose quickly to the top of the list. With first place rankings from three of the five judges, David Taro claims his first SpinTunes round victory with his hooky in-and-out-of-love song "Don't You Want Me Anymore".

Two songs are tied for second place - Governing Dynamics and Vehicles of Beware scored equally in the judges' aggregate rankings. And finally, just a few points behind them in fourth place is Celestial Drift to round out the Final Round competitors.

As for the rest of our competitors - the shadow reinstatement rule is still in effect, and you've got a super cool painting to inspire you, so I hope we hear lots of shadow entries in the Final Round!

Read on for the full Round 3 results!

ST24.3 Reviews and Rankings - Valerie Polichar

 Here are your rankings from Valerie Polichar:

1	David Taro
2	Governing Dynamics
3	Jealous Brother
4	Celestial Drift
5	Hot Pink Halo
6	Sober
7	Flintsteel
8	This Big Old Endless Sky
9	Dream Bells
10	Vehicles of Beware
11	The Dutch Widows
12	The Moon Bureau

Read on for Valerie's reviews!

ST24.3 Reviews and Rankings - Ethan Ivey

Here are your rankings from Ethan Ivey:

1	Governing Dynamics
2	David Taro
3	Sober
4	Vehicles of Beware
5	Flintsteel
6	Celestial Drift
7	Jealous Brother
8	The Dutch Widows
9	This Big Old Endless Sky
10	The Moon Bureau
11	Hot Pink Halo
12	Dream Bells

Read on for Ethan's reviews!

ST24.3 Reviews and Rankings - glennny

Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 23 Champion glennny:

1	Jealous Brother
2	Vehicles of Beware
3	This Big Old Endless Sky
4	Sober
5	David Taro
6	Flintsteel
7	The Moon Bureau
8	Governing Dynamics
9	The Dutch Widows
10	Celestial Drift
11	Hot Pink Halo
12	Dream Bells

Read on for glennny's reviews!

ST24.3 Reviews and Rankings - Jim of Seattle

Here are your rankings from Jim of Seattle:

1	David Taro
2	Celestial Drift
3	Vehicles of Beware
4	This Big Old Endless Sky
5	Dream Bells
6	The Moon Bureau
7	Governing Dynamics
8	Flintsteel
9	Sober
10	Jealous Brother
11	The Dutch Widows
12	Hot Pink Halo

Read on for Jim's reviews!

ST24.3 Reviews - Micah Sommersmith

 I know this challenge caused some consternation among some contestants, but the goal was not to frustrate you, cause you to panic, or even to make you work at writing a good song despite the challenge; the goal was for you to use the challenge to make a good song - to think about melody deliberately, and experiment with ways of creating compelling melodies that you might not have thought of otherwise. And you know what? Many of you did so, and succeeded! This is a great batch of songs and I’m glad I don’t have to rank them against each other. Let’s dive right in!

SpinTunes 24 Round 4 Challenge

The fourth and final challenge of SpinTunes 24 is here. This is the round that will give us our SpinTunes 24 Champion, who will be chosen by their fellow SpinTunes 24 competitors. So if you've already been eliminated from competition, you're a judge this time around!

Read on for your Final Round challenge:

ST24 Round 3 Album

Did you miss last night's Listening Party? Never fear - the full Round 3 album, with cover art by Matt "Shoobs" Schubbe, is now available to stream or download on Bandcamp or embedded below. Enjoy!

ST24.3 Listening Party and Deadline News

The Round 3 deadline has passed, and congratulations to our 12 contestants who all made the deadline! We also received two shadow entries.

Your first chance to hear all 14 songs is at tonight's Listening Party, hosted by Tommy G at 8 pm EDT. Join us on YouTube or embedded below:

ST24 Round 2 Album

The Round 2 album has been reordered and is available to stream or download on Bandcamp or embedded below. As always, our faithful graphic designer Matt "Shoobs" Schubbe provides cover art. This is a fantastic collection of songs, so give it a listen if you haven't already!

ST24 Round 2 Results

The judges have made their decisions, and Round 2 of SpinTunes 24 is in the books. When you look at the full table, you might notice the wide discrepancy between rankings, and you might think to yourself, "These judges can't agree on anything!"

But in fact, the differences in rankings actually reveal something that all the judges do agree on, which is that this is an incredibly good batch of songs. The overall level of quality meant the judges had to consider small technical details, interpretation of the open-ended challenge, and their own personal preferences - all of which meant that a song that everyone agreed was enjoyable could (and often did) land near the top of one judge's rankings and the bottom of another's. That's why we've got five of them!

There were a handful of songs, though, that rose to the top of the rankings. After a second-place finish in Round 2, Vehicles of Beware charmed the judges with their gentle, world-weary tale of a traveling musician's life; "Getting to the gig" wins the round!

Sober lands in a very close second place; then at the top of a group of very similarly-scoring entrants are our tied third place finishers: Celestial Drift and Hot Pink Halo.

Read on for the full Round 2 results!

ST24.2 Reviews and Rankings - Ethan Ivey

Here are your rankings from Ethan Ivey:

1	Celestial Drift
2	Flintsteel
3	Sober
4	Pigfarmer Jr
5	Vehicles of Beware
6	Dream Bells
7	David Taro
8	Governing Dynamics
9	This Big Old Endless Sky
10	We Happy Few
11	Hot Pink Halo
12	The Moon Bureau
13	Siebass
14	Ominous Ride
15	Möbius Strip Club
16	The Dutch Widows
17	Jealous Brother
18	Joy Sitler
19	Stacking Theory
20	▷
21	Jim Tyrrell

Read on for Ethan's reviews!

ST24.2 Reviews and Rankings - glennny

Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 23 Champion glennny:

1	Vehicles of Beware
2	Jealous Brother
3	The Moon Bureau
4	Sober
5	Joy Sitler
6	Flintsteel
7	This Big Old Endless Sky
8	David Taro
9	Governing Dynamics
10	Celestial Drift
11	Siebass
12	Stacking Theory
13	The Dutch Widows
14	Pigfarmer Jr
15	Dream Bells
16	Ominous Ride
17	We Happy Few
18	Hot Pink Halo
19	▷
20	Möbius Strip Club
21	Jim Tyrrell

Read on for glennny's reviews!

ST24.2 Reviews and Rankings - Jim of Seattle

Here are your rankings from Jim of Seattle:

1	Dream Bells
2	Celestial Drift
3	This Big Old Endless Sky
4	Jim Tyrrell
5	Vehicles of Beware
6	Hot Pink Halo
7	The Dutch Widows
8	David Taro
9	Stacking Theory
10	Flintsteel
11	Ominous Ride
12	Sober
13	We Happy Few
14	Pigfarmer Jr
15	Governing Dynamics
16	Jealous Brother
17	Möbius Strip Club
18	Siebass
19	The Moon Bureau
20	Joy Sitler
21	▷

Read on for Jim's reviews!

ST24.2 Reviews and Rankings - Truth

 Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 23 Champion Truth:

1	Hot Pink Halo
2	Sober
3	Jim Tyrrell
4	Vehicles of Beware
5	Governing Dynamics
6	The Dutch Widows
7	Stacking Theory
8	Jealous Brother
9	Dream Bells
10	This Big Old Endless Sky
11	Joy Sitler
12	The Moon Bureau
13	Siebass
14	Pigfarmer Jr
15	Möbius Strip Club
16	▷
17	David Taro
18	Flintsteel
19	Ominous Ride
20	Celestial Drift
21	We Happy Few

Read on for Truth's reviews!

ST24.2 Reviews and Rankings - Valerie Polichar

Here are your rankings from Valerie Polichar:

1	Hot Pink Halo
2	David Taro
3	Governing Dynamics
4	Celestial Drift
5	Sober
6	Flintsteel
7	The Dutch Widows
8	The Moon Bureau
9	Vehicles of Beware
10	We Happy Few
11	Jealous Brother
12	▷
13	Jim Tyrrell
14	Joy Sitler
15	Ominous Ride
16	This Big Old Endless Sky
17	Stacking Theory
18	Möbius Strip Club
19	Dream Bells
20	Siebass
21	Pigfarmer Jr

Read on for Valerie's reviews! 

ST24 Round 3 Challenge

Here we are, halfway though SpinTunes 24. The judges are still finalizing their Round 2 rankings and reviews, but they loved how the Round 2 challenge pushed you to think about the rhythmic aspect of melody and song structure, and they loved hearing the terrific songs that resulted. So we're going to stay in that general area, and see how you do with another melody-focused challenge. 

Read on for your Round 3 challenge:

ST24.2 Listening Party and Deadline News

The Round 2 deadline has passed. 17 of 21 Round 2 contestants submitted by the deadline, leaving 4 open spots for shadow reinstatements. As it happens, we also received exactly 4 eligible shadows. Welcome back to the competition, Möbius Strip Club, We Happy Few, Celestial Drift, and Hot Pink Halo!

We also received two shadows that were ineligible for reinstatement, for a total of 23 songs. Your first chance to hear all 23 songs is at tonight's Listening Party hosted by Tommy G at 8 pm EDT. Join us on YouTube or embedded below!

ST24 Round 1 Results

Round 1 of SpinTunes 24 is in the books, and a great round it was. Amid a very strong field of thirty entries, a recent SpinTunes champion slid back into the competition and earned a top-five placement from every judge, putting him comfortably at the top of the heap. Congratulations to our Round 1 winner, Tunes By LJ!

Another previous SpinTunes champion, Flintsteel (né Temnere) earns the points for a second place finish, but is tied with a SpinTunes newcomer, Vehicles of Beware. There's room for both of them on that side of the podium, leaving the third place spot vacant.

Read on for the full Round 1 results!

ST24.1 Reviews and Rankings - Ethan Ivey

Here are your rankings from Ethan Ivey:

1	Flintsteel
2	Vehicles of Beware
3	Brian Gray
4	Tunes By LJ
5	Ominous Ride
6	The Dutch Widows
7	Dream Bells
8	Jealous Brother
9	Sober
10	David Taro
11	Stacking Theory
12	Jim Tyrrell
13	West of Vine
14	The Pannacotta Army
15	Pigfarmer Jr
16	The Moon Bureau
17	We Happy Few
18	Dog Star Pilot
19	Boffo Yux Dudes
20	Siebass
21	Governing Dynamics
22	Joy Sitler
23	chewmeupspitmeout
24	Möbius Strip Club
25	SunLite
26	"Fourty-Two"
27	This Big Old Endless Sky
28	▷
29	Celestial Drift
30	Hot Pink Halo

Read on for Ethan's reviews!

ST24.1 Reviews and Rankings - glennny

 Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 23 Champion glennny:

1	The Moon Bureau
2	Vehicles of Beware
3	Flintsteel
4	Sober
5	Tunes By LJ
6	Joy Sitler
7	SunLite
8	▷
9	Jealous Brother
10	This Big Old Endless Sky
11	David Taro
12	Dream Bells
13	The Pannacotta Army
14	Stacking Theory
15	The Dutch Widows
16	Siebass
17	Brian Gray
18	Ominous Ride
19	Jim Tyrrell
20	West of Vine
21	Pigfarmer Jr
22	We Happy Few
23	Governing Dynamics
24	Boffo Yux Dudes
25	"Fourty-Two"
26	Dog Star Pilot
27	Celestial Drift
28	Möbius Strip Club
29	chewmeupspitmeout
30	Hot Pink Halo

Read on for glennny's reviews!