Monday, August 10, 2026
SpinTunes 26 - Meet the Judges and Support Staff
As the Round 1 challenge nears, you may be wondering who will be listening to the fresh batch of songs that are about to be written. I am very excited to announce the SpinTunes 26 judging panel. Read on to get to know them, then - if you haven't already - head over to the sign-up page to get your name in as a competitor!
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Announcing SpinTunes 26!
Hello, everyone! Micah here, excited to announce that SpinTunes 26 will be happening August 21 to October 26, 2026.
SpinTunes is a four-round tournament for songwriters and recording artists. In each round, contestants receive a challenge prompt and have ten 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 26 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 26!
SpinTunes 26 Sign-Up Form
If you're ready to sign up for SpinTunes 26, you're in the right place! Be sure you've read the rules and consulted the schedule; then fill out the form below! If the form is not displaying properly, you can access it directly here. If you can't access it there either, please contact me by email at spintunescontest@gmail.com.
This sign-up form must be filled out by 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, August 21. (Note that the Round 1 challenge will be posted earlier in the day, at 9:00 am; since this is earlier than in past tournaments, we'll keep the sign-up deadline the same.)
SpinTunes 26 Schedule
Below is the full SpinTunes 26 schedule. All times given are in US Eastern Daylight Time.
Please note the change in when challenges are posted and songs are due. In recent tournaments, challenges were posted at 12:01 am on Saturday and songs were due nine days later, at 11:59 pm on Sunday. Now challenges will be posted at 9:00 am on Friday, and songs will be due ten days later, at 9:00 am on Monday.
When in doubt, the SpinTunes Google calendar should list all deadlines in your local time.
Read on for the full SpinTunes 26 schedule.
SpinTunes 26 Official Rules
Welcome to SpinTunes 26. 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 25, with some minor edits for clarity; the Final Round Wild Card rule introduced in SpinTunes 25 will be used again this tournament. The timing of when challenges are posted and when entries are due has been adjusted slightly, as indicated in the contest schedule.
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!
Sunday, April 12, 2026
SpinTunes Polka Medley Premieres April 13
Have you ever wished that you could hear your favorite SpinTunes entry as a polka? How about a hundred of your favorite SpinTunes entries? If you answered "yes", you won't believe your luck!
Join us Monday April 13 at 8 pm EDT for the premiere of the SpinTunes Polka - a 42-minute-long medley of 100 SpinTunes entries spanning the entire history of the contest so far, selected by our illustrious founder Travis, aka Spintown, and arranged and performed by the talented Joe Romero.
The medley premieres on YouTube, so join us there to hear it first and chat with Joe, Travis, and your fellow SpinTunas. Will your song get polka-fied? Find out on Monday!
Friday, February 6, 2026
Ode to Joy - A SpinTunes Tribute to Joy Sitler
Joy Sitler, a talented and dedicated member of the SpinTunes community, died in September of last year.
After her death, we compiled a tribute album consisting of covers of her songs, as well as new songs written in her memory.
The album, with 29 songs by SpinTunes members and cover art by Leonie Connellan, is available to download or stream on Bandcamp or embedded below. Like all SpinTunes albums, it is free to download. However, if you choose to pay for the album, our share of the revenue will be donated to the Sitler Family Fine Arts Scholarship Fund.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Joy Sitler Tribute Album - Listening Party and Submission Info
On September 27, 2025, we lost a beloved member of the SpinTunes community, Joy Sitler.
All are invited to submit to a tribute album to Joy which will be posted on the SpinTunes Bandcamp page. Tommy G will also host a Listening Party on YouTube on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 8 pm EST.
You can join the Listening Party through this YouTube link or embedded below.
Read on for submission instructions!
Tuesday, November 4, 2025
SpinTunes 25 Final Round Results and Champion
SpinTunes 25 is in the books. In a Final Round with five excellent competing entries, 14 participants cast their votes, and we can bestow the title of Champion on the winning competitor.
After making it to the Final Round in all three of their previous tournaments, The Alleviators have at last claimed the title of Champions with their song "Shadow Teeth". Congratulations!
Read on for the full anonymized voting breakdown, and for links to our judges' reviews!
ST25.4 Reviews - Vehicles of Beware
Read on for your reviews from SpinTunes 24 Champion Vehicles of Beware (aka Phil)!
SpinTunes 25 Bonus Round Album
We had a great Listening Party last night, but if you missed it, never fear! The full Bonus Round album is now available to stream or download on Bandcamp or embedded below, with cover art by our very own Leonie Connellan aka Hot Pink Halo:
The following artists' songs got covered in the Bonus Round:
- ☀bucket
- David Taro
- Dog Star Pilot
- Hot Pink Halo
- miscellaneous owl
- Piss Enema
- The Moon Bureau
- This Big Old Endless Sky
- Plus the legendary Round 1 medley!
Monday, November 3, 2025
ST25 Bonus Round Listening Party and Champion Announcement
Final Round voting has closed, and the identity of the SpinTunes 25 Champion will be revealed at tonight's Listening Party.
But first, we'll hear a whole slew of Bonus Round covers - new takes on SpinTunes 25 songs by other SpinTunes 25 artists! Did your song get covered? Join the Listening Party to find out!
Tommy G starts the fun at 10 pm EST. Join us on YouTube!
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
SpinTunes 25 Round 4 Album
Did you miss last night's Listening Party? Never fear: you can download or stream the Round 4 album on Bandcamp or embedded below, with elegant cover art by Matt "Shoobs" Schubbe!
And remember: SpinTunes 25 contestants who aren't finalists will be asked to rank all five Round 4 songs, with the winner earning the title of SpinTunes 25 Champion! Voting information will be sent out by email this week. In the meantime, enjoy the songs!
Monday, October 27, 2025
ST25 Round 4 Listening Party and Deadline News
The deadline for the last competitive round of SpinTunes 25 has come and gone. All five finalists submitted songs by the deadline, and we've also received eight shadow entries.
Your first chance to hear all thirteen brand-new songs is at tonight's Listening Party, hosted by Tommy G at 9 pm EDT.
If you competed in SpinTunes 25 but you're not a finalist, you will be asked to vote for the SpinTunes 25 Champion! Stay tuned for specific information about how to vote later this week.
In the meantime, join us for tonight's Listening Party on YouTube or embedded below.
Sunday, October 19, 2025
ST25.3 Rankings and Reviews - Vehicles of Beware
Here are your rankings from SpinTunes 24 Champion Vehicles of Beware (aka Phil):
Read on for Phil's reviews!
SpinTunes 25 Round 3 Results
The Round 3 results are in, and what fascinating results they are. Remember, the top four artists from this round move on to the Final Round, but so does our Wild Card contestant - the artist from outside the top four with the best combined ranks from all three rounds. That means we've got some extra calculating to do.
But first, let's stick to this round. In an unusual turn of events, we have a tie for first place. Earning their joint spot at the top of the podium are David Taro with his song "One Hit Wonder" and The Alleviators with "Song of the Ravaged".
That leaves third and fourth place to move on as well, but in an usual turn of events (hereafter abbreviated IAUTOE), we have no fourth place finisher, because there's also a tie for third place! This Big Old Endless Sky and Huge Shark earned identical scores, sending them to the final round as well.
But wait, it gets weirder. Keep reading for the full Round 3 results and to find out who the Wild Card contestant will be.
ST25.3 Rankings and Reviews - Nancy Rost
Here are your Round 3 rankings from Nancy Rost:
Read on for Nancy's reviews!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)