San Diego Songwriter's Guild

Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Steve Winwood, Kings of Leon, Rihanna, Ben Harper, Train, Timbaland, McCoy Tyner, Kelly Clarkson, and Many More Celebrities Team Up With High-Profile Music Industry Executives To Choose 2010 ISC Winners

July 14, 2010 – The International Songwriting Competition (ISC) has put together the most high-profile and prestigious judging panel in its nine-year history. Known for its high caliber of judges, ISC offers songwriters and artists the unprecedented opportunity to have their music heard by some of the world’s most iconic and successful recording artists, as well as many major and indie record label presidents.

Now accepting entries for the 2010 competition, ISC gives away more than $150,000 in cash and prizes (shared among the 66 winners) including an overall Grand Prize consisting of $25,000 (US) cash and $20,000 in prizes.

To enter, go to http://www.songwritingcompetition.com

Open to both amateur and professional songwriters, ISC offers 22 categories to enter, representing all genres of popular music. Past winners have included artists at all levels, from Grammy winners to hobbyist songwriters and everyone in between. To better level the playing field for unsigned artists, ISC has added this year the “Unsigned Only” category which is open to songwriters and artists not signed to a major label record deal, publishing company, or distribution deal. This category provides an excellent opportunity for unknown artists to compete against others on a similar level.

Winning ISC can be a tremendous career booster. In the past five years, three of the Grand Prize winners have been signed to major label deals (Universal and Epic). Many more winners have secured publishing deals, smaller label deals, licensing deals, and distribution deals in addition to getting more gigs, fans, and recognition.

Monte Lipman, President of Universal Records, talks about his role as an ISC judge: “We’re always been impressed with the talented songwriters who participate in the ISC. This is a great A&R source to find new artists.”

ISC judges include:

Recording Artists:

• Peter Gabriel;
• Rihanna;
• Kings of Leon;
• Tom Waits;
• Ben Harper;
• Jeff Beck;
• Kelly Clarkson;
• Timbaland;
• Keane;
• McCoy Tyner;
• Ben Folds;
• Train;
• Wynonna;
• Robbie Williams;
• Michael W. Smith;
• John Scofield;
• Jerry Lee Lewis;
• Regina Spektor;
• Alejandro Sanz;
• Jeremy Camp;
• Terence Blanchard;
• Ray Wylie Hubbard;
• Montel Jordan;
• John Mayall;
• Craig Morgan;
• Jazmine Sullivan;
• DJ Tiesto;
• James Cotton;
• Sandra Bernhard;
• Robert Earl Keen;
• Baaba Maal;
• John Digweed;
• K’Naan;
• Adele;
• Black Francis (The Pixies);
• Robert Smith (The Cure);
• Chris Hillman (The Byrds);
• Darryl McDaniels (Run D.M.C.);
• Toots Hibbert (Toots & The Maytals);
• Matt Thiessen (Relient K);
• and more to be announced…

Industry Executives:

• Monte Lipman (President, Universal Republic Records);
• Amanda Ghost (President, Epic Records);
• Rick Krim (Exec. VP, Talent & Music Programming, VH1);
• Brian Malouf (VP A&R, Walt Disney Records);
• Bruce Iglauer (Founder/President, Alligator Records);
• Angel Carrasco (Sr. VP A&R, Latin America, Sony/BMG);
• Ric Arboit (President, Nettwerk Music Group);
• Daniel Glass (Founder/CEO, Glassnote Entertainment Group);
• Cory Robbins (Founder/President, Robbins Entertainment);
• Dr. Demento (Radio Host, The Dr. Demento Show);
• Steve Lillywhite (Producer);
• Dan Storper (President, Putamayo World Music Records and Putumayo Kids);
• Lisa Ramsey Perkins (Sr. Director, A&R Sony Nashville)
• Kim Buie (VP A&R, Lost Highway);
• and more to be announced.

Please visit http://www.songwritingcompetition.com for an entry form or more details.

ISC Sponsors:

• ASCAP,
• Berklee College Of Music,
• Disc Makers,
• D’Addario,
• Shure,
• Thayers,
• Onlinegigs,
• SongU.com,
• The Music Business Registry,
• Independent Mastering,
• Indie Venue Bible,
• George Stein, Esq.,
• Sonicbids,
• Taxi,
• Music Submit,
• and Alphabet Arm Design

SDSG’s 18th Annual Song Contest showcased the work of some of San Diego’s finest writers. It was an amazing evening of incredibly consistently excellent music! Only a few points separated the top songs, affirming Guild writers’ overall high standards. Our Winners:

Platinum

Anthony Plourd and “JD Romance” with “Daylight“.

Prize:

• $500 cash from SDSG
• Opening Act Spot at House of Blues or 4th and B form Black Cherry Group

Gold

Lindsay White with “Fancy Shoes”

Prize:

• Baby Taylor Guitar from Taylor Guitars
• $100 cash from SDSG
• Opening Act Spot at U-31 Cocktail Lounge or other North Park Rocks venues for Black Cherry Group

Silver

Brian Darnell and Mark Charles Hattersley with “Chasing Trains”

Prize:

• 500 Retail-Ready CDs from CDRollout.com

Bronze

Sara Petite with “Little Souvenirs”

Prize:

• 3 Hours Studio Session at Rancho Bohemia

Honorable Mentions:

Aaron Echeverria and Amber Plaster with “Lily Among Thorns”

Sara Petite with “Shouldn’t Be Doing This” and “Fade Away”

Lindsay White with “Give Up, Give In”

Cindy Santini with “Making Sound”

Ed Williams and Christian Williams with “Dark Rain”

If you were there when “Daylight” was announced as the winner, you know what a perfect ending we shared at this year’s contest. Congrats to winner Anthony Plourd and all our entrants… we enjoyed your music so very much. Thank you for sharing it with us. Special thanks go to our hard-working panel of judges: Eddie Jason Coven, Gregory Page, Diane Waters, and Steven Ybarra, and to our SDSG volunteers in the trenches: Sandi Shaner, Bridget Brigitte, Ann Rettick, John Pape, Richard Widney, Barby Hattersley, and our MC and DJ Mark Charles Hattersley. We couldn’t have done it without you. Please don’t forget to remember our sponsors, without whom the event would have been far less stimulating: Taylor Guitars, CDRollout.com, RagingBohemian.com, and Black Cherry Group. Finally, let’s not forget Country Inns and Suites for allowing us to host the event in their fine hotel, and FruitFlowers.com for providing us with incredibly edible delights including some tasty chocolates which we raffled off on Contest breaks to appreciative SDSG members.

We’re all looking forward to our Holiday networking Party at Humphrey’s on December 8. Contest Judge Gregory Page will be headlining. See you there!

The SDSG is proud to announce that we will be having the Guild’s Annual Songwriting Contest. Please open the attached Newsletter for details. You will also see that we are vamping up for a very busy year and hope you can become a part of it.

The Guild is having our own Economic Stimulus Package!!!!

We are offering memberships for new songwriters for only $25 from no to Jan. 1 2010! Also, all past members get one year free. Please contact me to begin your FREE year!

This Dec.8th at Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, we will be honoring You at our 1st Annual Holiday Networking Party. There will be industry people and Songwriter’s meeting and discussing the business, and Entertainment will be provided by Gregory Page, Steven Ybarra, Katie Leigh, Paul Moeller and more.

And finally, we are proud to announce that Eddie Jason Coven had joined the Board and has been nominated as Vice President of the Guild. He has a great energy, and we all look forward to working with him in 2009 and 2010. Welcome Eddie!

Download October 2009 SDSG News (PDF)

SDSG’s 18th Annual Song Contest will be held Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at the Country Inn & Suites in Sorrento Valley. The contest is a popular tradition for San Diego writers, and offers a unique opportunity to hear a tremendous cross section of local work. Prize winners are selected by a panel of industry professionals in our fi nal event on November 3, during which song entries recorded on CD are played for both judges and audience to hear. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded on this jam-packed night, an exciting prospect indeed. If you are a songwriter, or a producer or artist looking for some new material, Country Inn & Suites, located at 5975 Lusk Boulevard , San Diego 92121 is the place to be on Tuesday, November 3.

This year’s grand prize includes a $500 Cash Award from SDSG. We’ll also be giving away many
other great prizes as well, donated by local and national businesses. The maximum total number of entries is only 70 songs, so do the math and you’ll know your chances of taking home a prize are excellent!

The contest is open to the public. You may join the Guild or renew your membership simultaneously with your entry and take advantage of member discounts. Submit your entries by mail now or in-person on the night of the contest. To guarantee entry into the contest, and to qualify for the early entry discount, songs must be mailed to SDSG and received no later than
October 20, 2009. Mail-in entries are being accepted now. Up to 70 recorded songs will be judged in the Finals the night of Tuesday, November 3. If more than 70 entries are received by October 20, a panel of judges will pre-screen and select the 70 top songs for the Finals. If space permits, SDSG will accept additional entries before and on the night of the Final. However,
registration by mail is encouraged to guarantee your entries can be accepted. Please see the 2009 Contest Rules and Entry Form
Download 2009 Contest Flyer Now

Pacific beach singer/songwriter Allegra is the winner of the 3rd annual San Diego Songwriters Performing Songwriters Contest held recently at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach.

32 local songwriters competed in the event. Seven semi-finalists were selected to perform live at the Belly Up. The semi finalists were:

• Allegra,
• Blues Lyne,
• Lindsay White,
• Reverend Stickman,
• Candice Graham,
• Kerri Dopart and
• Steven Ybarra.

Contest winner Allegra received cash from SDSG, recording time at Studio West, and CD manufacturing from CD Rollout in Los Angeles.

On February 23, 2009, a talented group of musicians submitted recordings for the review of a panel of judges, with the six top entrants being selected to move on the 2009 SDSG Performing Songwriters Contest finals. At the end of the listening session, the judges commented on the overall quality of the submissions, noting that everyone who came out presented strong material with professional recording quality predominating. As one who can recall the days of cassette submissions being the norm, it was gratifying to hear the solid, well-crafted material that was presented. Kudos to all our contestants for a job well done!

Our judges still had to select top entries to move on to the Belly Up and the contest finals; they picked seven top songs from the 32 entrants. Scoring was very tight, with only a few points separating songs in the scoring.

Slated to perform at the Belly Up on Tuesday March 3, 2009 are Allegra and the Allegra Collective, Blues Lyne, Candice Graham, Kerri Dopart, Lindsay White, Reverend Stickman, and Steven Ybarra. The winner of the Contest finals will receive a Six-Hour Studio West Recording Session, a 500 CD Package from CDRollout.com, and $250 in cash from SDSG.

Our panel of judges for the Qualification Session at Country Inn and Suites included SDSG President Sandi Shaner, SDSG Vice President Tim Turner, former SDSG President Bridget Brigitte, and Contest Sponsor Studio West’s Kyle Z. Helmstetter.

Board Members John Pape and Richard Widney, assisted by SDSG associate Barby Hattersley, diligently ran the sign-ins, organized the entries and handled the housekeeping chores as the judges reviewed our contestants’ songs.

Mark Hattersley served as the Contest MC and handled sound for the session.

We couldn’t do an event like this without the support of our members and our generous sponsors. Thank you KPRi 102.1 FM, CDRollout.com and Studio West for your support for this event. And thanks to Country Inn and Suites for your proving us with a fine venue for the listening session.

Finally, thanks to everyone who entered and attended our 2009 Performing Songwriters Contest. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events… we’ll see you there!

Download Latest SDSG Newsletter

Thanks to everyone for a great job with the first leg of the Performing Songwriters Contest.

The artists moving forward to the next round at the Belly Up on March 3rd are:

• 8PM – Kerri Dopart
• 8:30 – Lindsay White
• 9PM – Reverend Stickman
• 9:30 – Steven Ybarra
• 10PM – Candice Graham
• 10:30 – Allegra
• 11PM – Blues Lyne

Sponsors…

Diane Waters, veteran SDSG Member and last year’s Song Contest Gold Award winner took home Platinum at the 17th Annual San Diego Songwriters Guild Song Contest with her song “Better Things,” co-written with and produced by Doug Stokes. An up tempo crossover country tune with a hot melody and Diane’s typically exceptional lyrics, this song captured a high score from each of our judges, putting Diane and Doug over the top in 2008. Congratulations to our winners, who took home $500 and a sixhour recording session at Studio West as their reward.

Close on the heels of Ms. Waters and Mr. Stokes, was Sara Petite with her Gold Award winning song “Flying in Your Dreams” followed by Kirk Cumming with “Nothing in Common,” this year’s Silver Award winner. Our final top award, the Bronze Award, went to Diane Waters and Jason Brawner for “Crawling.”

This year, six Song of Merit Awards were presented, going to Ryan Hiller for “Insatiable,” Linda Sargent Brown for “Cloudless” and “Hold On,” Sara Petite for “Dead Man Walking,” Joan Kurland for “Right Kind of Wrong, and Paul Moeller for his hilarious “It’s Xmas Time Again.“

Overall, the evening was a rousing success, with entries ranging across the universe of musical styles and structures, and a great panel of judges who listened intently to every song. Bob Duffy, Ren Daversa, Steven Ybarra, Thomas Di Noto, and Tim Mudd were this year’s judges, and we sincerely thank them for a job well done.

Board Members John Pape, Karen Real, Richard Widney, and Tim Turner, assisted by SDSG Associate Barby Hattersley, were each instrumental in the show’s success. These hard-working Board Members diligently ran the sign-ins, organized the entries and handled the housekeeping chores as the judges reviewed our contestants’ songs. Mark Hattesrley served as the Contest MC and handled sound for the event.

Over the course of the evening, participants had the opportunity to both hear their peers’ writing and shoot the breeze with like-minded musicians and writers. Thanks to everyone who entered and attended our 2008 Song Contest. Please drop SDSG a line if you have any comments or suggestions for future events, and don’t hesitate to let us know if you are interested in working with SDSG’s Board of Directors in 2009.

SDSG’s 17th Annual Song Contest will be held Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at the Country Inn & Suites in Sorrento Valley. The contest is a popular tradition for San Diego writers, and offers a unique opportunity to hear a tremendous cross section of local work. Prize winners are selected by a panel of industry professionals in our final event on November 12, during which song entries recorded on CD or cassette are played for both judges and audience to hear. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded on this jam packed night, an exciting prospect indeed. If you are a songwriter, or a producer or artist looking for some new material, Country Inn & Suites, located at 5975 Lusk Boulevard , San Diego 92121 is the place to be on Wednesday, November 12.

This year’s grand prize includes a $500 Cash Award from SDSG. We’ll also be giving away a Taylor Guitar, thanks to Taylor’s generous support, and a stay at Pala Mesa Resort, too! Many other fine prizes, donated by local and national businesses will be awarded… Remember, the maximum total number of entries is only 70 songs, so do the math and you’ll know your chances of taking home a prize are excellent!

The contest is open to the public. You may join the Guild or renew your membership simultaneously with your entry and take advantage of member discounts. Submit your entries by mail now or in person on the night of the contest. To guarantee entry into the contest, and to qualify for the early entry discount, songs must be mailed to SDSG and received no later than November 1, 2008. Mail-in entries are being accepted now. Up to 70 recorded songs will be judged in the Finals the night of Wednesday, November 12. If more than 70 entries are received by November 1, a panel of judges will pre-screen and select the 70 top songs for the Finals. If space permits, SDSG will accept additional entries before and on the night of the Final. However, registration by mail is encouraged to guarantee your entries can be accepted. Please see the 2008 Contest Rules and Entry Form for complete details.

5975 Lusk Boulevard,
San Diego 92121
(858) 558-1818

In-Person Entries will be accepted starting at 6:00 PM on November 12

Click Here For Current Newsletter with Complete Contest Information.

San Diego Songwriters Guild Enthusiasts -

Join us on Wednesday November 12 in Sorrento Valley at the Country Inn and Suites for our Annual Songwriting Contest! During tough economic times, SDSG pulls though for songwriters:

!! $500 Grand Prize !!

See the link on the right to submit. Send in your songs by Nov 1 and on Nov 12 at the Final Listening Session prizes will be awarded. The evening is lots of fun, a great networking opportunity, and a good way to have your music heard by a panel of professionals.

At Country Inn and Suites, Sorrento Valley. Submit your recorded songs! Send in recordings early by mail by Nov 1, then join us Nov 12 where top entries are played during Final Listening Session. Great prizes! Not a live performance event.

SDSG Songwriters Contest Entry Form