Contest Guidelines

A Song of Praise Music Festival Year 8
A Songwriting Competition

I. Description

A Song of Praise Music Festival is a national songwriting competition open to ALL amateur and professional songwriters being held under the auspices and supervision of the ASOP Production Team in cooperation with Breakthrough and Milestones Productions International Incorporated. (ASOP – BMPI).

II. Objectives

  • To provide the venue for the creation of thoughts, ideas, and feelings through songs of praises.
  • To encourage new or innovative forms or styles in musical compositions and to enhance the ability of each participant/contestant in songwriting.

III. Qualifications

  • This competition is open to all amateur and professional songwriters.
  • Members of the ASOP Production Team, its staff/body are not qualified to join the competition.

IV. Technical Requirements

  • Each entry must be an original composition of the contestant. There may be several composers/lyricists for one entry, but they must all agree to participate in the competition by signing the duly accomplished entry form and song entry.
  • The song entry must not have been commercially released (i.e., recorded and commercially distributed or sold to the public).
  • The song entry must not infringe the copyright or any other right of any party. The ASOP Production Team reserves the right to disqualify a song entry if in its judgment the song entry infringes the copyright of another party.
  • The copyrights (except the public performance right and communication to the public right if the composer/lyricist is a member of FILSCAP or any of its affiliate performing rights societies) over the song entry must not have been previously assigned, transferred or licensed.
  • The song entry must not have previously qualified for the grand finals of any song competition.
  • To qualify for the weekly, monthly and final rounds of the competition, the contestant must undertake in writing to do the following:
    • Grant the ASOP Production Team the right to select the performer who will interpret his/her song entry during the weekly, monthly and final rounds of the competition;
    • Hold ASOP-BMPI, the ASOP Production Team, its staff/body and its affiliates, free and harmless from any suit, demand, debt, obligation, expense or liability arising from any misrepresentation or fraud in connection with his/her song entry to the Festival; and
    • if he/she wins the weekly round, shall assign all his/her copyrights, except public performance and communication to the public rights, over his/her winning song entry to ASOP – BMPI for a period of ten (10) years from the date the said entry was submitted.
    • Under this Competition Guidelines, however, the contestant, whether, he/she is a member or not of FILSCAP or any of its affiliate performing rights societies, with whom the rights to public performance and communication to the public have been previously assigned on account and by reason of his/her membership thereto, the contestant shall waive his/her public performance and communication to the public rights in favor of the ASOP – BMPI or its various public service programs and projects and advocacy.
    • The rights of ASOP – BMPI for commercial administration over the assigned copyright shall automatically revert back to the contestant after expiration of the aforesaid 10-year period, however, the payment of royalties and license fees for the mechanical, synchronization, print, public performance and communication to the public rights shall remain perpetually waived by the composer/contestant in favor of ASOP – BMPI.
    • Moreover, under the herein Competition Guidelines, it is likewise understood and agreed upon that, even after the expiration of 10-year period mentioned above, the composer/contestant shall waived in favor of ASOP – BMPI or its various public service programs and projects advocacies a certain amount from the royalty fees that he/she will receive from any third party who may exploit commercially the particular song entry subject of this Competition Guidelines

V. Prizes and Honors

  • Weekly winner: Php 20,000 and trophy
    • Non – winners, provided he/she qualified and had competed in the weekly rounds, will receive Php 5,000 and plaques individually.
    • The weekly winner will be automatically listed as one of the monthly finalists.
  • Monthly winner: Php 50,000 and trophy.
    • Non – winners, provided he/she qualified and had competed in the monthly rounds, will receive Php 10,000 and plaques individually.
    • The monthly winner will be automatically listed as one of the grand finalists.
  • Grand Champion (Song of the Year): Php 500,000 and trophy
    • 1st runner up: Php 250,000 and plaque
    • 2nd runner up: Php 150,000 and plaque
    • 3rd runner up: Php 100,000 and plaque
    • Non – winners, provided he/she qualified and had competed in the Grand Final round, will receive Php 20,000 each and plaques
      individually.

VI. Allowable Number of Entries

  • Initially, there will be no limit to the number of entries an individual can submit to ASOP – BMPI.
  • Contestants who will be defeated in the weekly challenge can still submit entries.
  • Contestants who will win in the monthly challenge cannot submit entries afterward as they will be considered grand finalists.

VII. Song Entry Requirements

  • Themes of songs are strictly confined to SONGS OF PRAISES TO GOD only.
  • Duly accomplished entry forms must accompany each and all entries signed by the composer(s), lyricist(s) and/or arranger(s), in case there are several of them, who, it is understood, shall share the prize between them.
  • Any song entry must be recorded on a compact disc (CD) with vocal rendition which will be submitted to ASOP – BMPI.
  • The Demo CD must be clear and audible.
  • Only the song title shall be printed on the CD.
  • Introductions and explanations which are not part of the song are not allowed.
  • REQUIREMENTS UPON SUBMISSION TO ASOP – BMPI SEALED ENVELOPE with the following requirements:
    • Fully accomplished entry form
    • Three (3) pcs. typewritten/printed lyric sheets
    • Song entry recorded on a CD with a CLEAR vocal rendition

VIII. Length of Song

The song must not exceed Four Minutes (4:00)

IX. Instrumentation

  • One or a combination of musical instruments may be used.
  • Entries arranged acappella (3 or more parts) are allowed.

X. Lyrics and Lyric Sheet

  • The lyrics of the song must be in Filipino, English, a combination of both or in any dialect or language (with English translation on the lyric sheet/s).
  • All entries must be submitted to ASOP – BMPI together with three (3) typewritten/printed copied of the lyrics.
  • The name(s) of the composer(s), lyricist(s) and/or arranger/s shall not appear on the lyric sheet/s.

XI. Manner of Presentation / Performance of Songs Allowed

  • Pop
  • Jazz
  • Ballad
  • Classical
  • Soul
  • Blues
  • RnB
  • Gospel
  • and the likes, EXCEPT Metallic Rock and Rap.

XII. Photographs

All composer(s), lyricist(s) and/or arranger/s must submit at least one (1) recent colored 2” x 2” picture.

XIII. Submission of Entries

  • Entries, duly signed jointly by all composers, lyricists, and arrangers, in cases there are several of them in an entry, should be placed in a SEALED long brown envelope and submitted personally by the composer(s) and/or lyricist(s) or an authorized representative at the ASOP-BMPI OFFICE.
  • For interested participants residing in the provinces / remote location, song entries can be submitted through courier service or sent through asoptv.entries@gmail.com given that the requirements stated above are attached to the e-mail – song lyrics in MICROSOFT WORD document, clear mp3 format of the song, and a scanned / edited official entry form with (1) 2×2 picture.

Other Pertinent Information
ASOP-BMPI OFFICE
UNTV Bldg. 907 EDSA, Brgy. Philam, Quezon City 1104 Philippines
Landline no.: (02) 442-6244 local 165
Mobile nos.: 0945-306-1955
E-mail addresses: asopyr8.entries@gmail.com

  • CD, lyric sheets, and other requirements submitted to ASOP-BMPI are returnable, EXCEPT, the song entries that qualified in the competition, whether in the weekly, monthly, or Grand Finals, so that the copyrights over them, as herein understood, shall automatically be assigned by the contestant in favor of the ASOP-BMPI for a period of ten (10) years from the date the said entries were submitted in the Competition.

NOTE: Failure of the entry to comply with these requirements shall be a sufficient ground for disqualification.

XIV. Screening of Entries

  • A Pre-Qualifying Committee composed of three (3) members shall screen and audition all the entries and determine contestants/participants for the weekly challenge.
  • The screened entry will be subjected to quality analysis of the ASOP Production Team and its staff/body.

NOTE: Entries may undergo possible enhancement and revisions if needed.

XV. Board of Judges

  • A Board of Judges, composed of three (3) members, shall choose the winners from among the finalists.
  • The decision of the Board of Judges is final and binding on all parties concerned.

XVI. Criteria for Screening and Judging

  • All entries shall pass through a Screening Committee (different from the Pre-Qualifying Committee) also composed of three (3) members, which will choose four (3) finalists for the weekly challenge and shall be turned over to the Board of Judges which will choose the weekly/monthly/grand prize winners.
  • The general criteria are as follows:
  • Musical Content (30%) — refers to the appeal of the melody and its accompanying basic harmony.
  • Lyrics (30%) — refers to the body of the verse used in the musical composition.
  • Over-all impact (40%) — refers to the general appeal of the song entry based on the concept, treatment of subject, structure, and unity of musical elements.

XVII. Undertaking of the Finalist

  • A finalist may not be allowed to waive his/her participation in the Festival.
  • ASOP-BMPI reserves all the rights to cause any of the finalist-songs to be rearranged, orchestrated and performed after the Festival within specified limits as may be determined by the group.
  • All finalists are required to attend and participate in all rehearsals and Final Night activities without remuneration.
  • The presence of the finalists at the Festival proper, on or off the stage shall likewise be without remuneration.
  • Any doubt or ambiguity as to the meaning or interpretation of any provision of these rules, including any concern or issue involving any aspect of the competition, shall be resolved by the Festival Management Committee, composed of three (3) members, and its decision shall be binding on all finalists and parties concerned.

XVIII. Prerogatives

ASOP-BMPI shall have the sole right to designate the members of the Competition Committee which is composed of three (3) members. It shall also have the sole right to designate the persons who shall constitute the Boards of Judges and Quality analysts, whose decision shall be final and unappealable. ASOP – BMPI, in its sole discretion, may decide the number of screening stages, the periods of submission of entries (the deadlines if stated) and appoint panels of Judges.

XIX. Acceptance and Conformity

All parties submitting entries to the competition are deemed to have accepted the rules of the competition and agree to abide hereby.

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