Song Of The Year Scam? Yes It Is In My Opinion!
A common scam in the music world is the songwriting contest. This type of scam takes advantage of new songwriters by charging them a fee to enter a contest that does not pay them their prizes or give them access to people in the record labels. My subscribers have requested that I take a look at Songoftheyear.com. Here is what I have found.
Song Of The Year Scam Claims
Song of the Year is an international songwriting contest encouraging the art and discipline of songwriting. Our primary focus is to find great songwriters while helping them network with professionals in the music industry.
The songwriting contest’s Winners and Finalists from each of the ten categories will have their material sent to record labels, publishers, management companies, promoters and many other music industry insiders for further consideration.
Song of the Year has been a leading resource for songwriters for 15 years.
Song Of The Year Scam Reality
The name and address of the organization or person that runs this contest is not listed on the contest website. The names of the people that judge the songs are not listed. This is a giant red flag.
Here is the vague description of who judges the songs:
Judges include numerous Grammy Award Winners, major and minor Record Labels, individuals from Clear Channel Radio, professional songwriters and individuals who have worked with Nickelback, Tim McGraw, Ludacris, Sting, INXS, Beyonce, Linkin Park, Rascal Flatts, Pink, Bruno Mars, Avril Lavigne, Harry Connick Jr, Cold Play, Amy Grant, Katy Perry, Adele, Madonna, Casting Crowns, Train and many more.
Here is a recent comment on a songwriters website that exposes the scam:
Virtually everyone that enters gets a runner up, honorable mention, suggested artist, semi-finalist or finalist certificate. They stroke your ego and pocket your money. Now you can add that award to your credentials. If you are picked as a winner of the top 10 categories, like I was, you become eligible for the top 3 grand prizes. 1st place is $30,000 plus another $10,000 in equipment. 2nd place is $10,000 and several thousand in equipment. 3rd prize is a disproportionate $100.00. There are four of these contests per year. You do the math! How can they afford these huge payouts. It’s easy. They don’t payout the grand prizes. None of the top two winners are actually real. Try to google them. Nothing comes up except on a SOTY website. – Source Songwriter101.com
The Mac Pro that they offer as a prize is no longer available from Apple.
The Mac Pro that is currently available from Apple looks like this:
Yamaha and The Guitar Center have verified that they are not sponsors of this contest.
Here is a video expose of this scam:
A fake scam alert website was setup to provide cover for this scam with a fake review and included is the following statement:
With this minor concern set aside, my conclusion is that Song of the Year does offer some nice opportunities to songwriters. I am giving them nine points out of ten. This is the highest score ever given to a songwriting contest. – Source Scam-scams.org
This fake site has given no other scores or reviewed any other songwriting contests. It is clearly designed to keep people participating in this contest scam.
Here is the most recent name and address linked with this business:
Zayda Zod
PO BOX 1683
Bakersfield, California 93304
Here are some additional web addresses linked with Zayda Zod:
songoftheyear.com
songoftheyear.net
songoftheyear.org
songoftheyear.me
songoftheyear.info
songoftheyear.tv
songoftheyear.songoftheyear.com
artistfoundation.org
lyriccontest.com
artistfoundation.com
europeansongcontest.com
freesongcontest.com
lyric-competition.com
lyric-contest.com
lyriccontests.com
musiciansfoundation.com
songwritercoalition.com
vh1songwritingcontest.com
poemcontest.net
songstop.net
songwritercontest.net
songwriting-contest.net
songwritingcontest.net
songwritingdirectory.net
bandcontests.org
poemcontest.org
recorddeal.org
song-writing-contest.org
musiccontest.us
songcontest.us
songwritingcontest.us
This scam has been busted in the past for deceptively making people think they were linked with VH1 when they have no connection with them.
If you would like to participate in legitimate songwriting contests, here is a link to an ASCAP approved list:
http://www.ascap.com/music-career/resource-guide/resource-10.aspx
Song Of The Year Scam Conclusion
In my opinion, Songoftheyear.com is a songwriting contest scam. They deceptively take your money for a contest that provides little or no value to you. Avoid the Song of the Year scam.
I entered once a few years ago. Received an email with the Song of the Year logo telling me my song landed in the top 5%. Never heard anything else from them. Thanks for exposing this racket. I won’t be entering again.
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They say recording quality does not matter. That’s a tip off. Pay to play is another. Cost is not available until after you upload your tune. That’s a sign.
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I ALSO won in 2013. I was a category winner. NEVER was I told, never received my cash prize and when I emailed them a few times I never received any replies. I would say this is a scam. I continued to try for the next few years. Still no response. Very disappointed.
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They scammed me.
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if you are victim of this scam, please tell everyone you know! post the info on your social media and website, you can also create your own youtube video and share that as well. more people need to be warned. just send people to the video explaining the scam, and or create your won!
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Thank you very, very much for the information.I will not be entering
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Give them all a Big Body Swerve, Scam Scam Scam also never pay to get a song on
a CD that so say goes to the people who want great songs
Paramount based in Nashville Scam Scam Scam dont touch them with a barge Pole
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I entered five, FIVE of my songs in August, 2015. And in October, I received an email from a woman, or man, I honestly don’t know if it was male or female, or both. Doesn’t matter, I know. Anyway, “Jennifer” claimed I did not place, but that one of my songs received the Semi Finalist outcome, and that a page with my name and the title of the song would be on SongoftheYear website. Of course it excited me a tad, and I wrote her and SongofTheYear, asking her what the heck does that mean?? AND why are they not answering my letters and questions??? FOUR, Yes, Four dam times, which nobody, not jennifer, nobody ever responded. Pieces of shyte Mother EFFERS!!
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