SongU Launches 'Be The Change' Songwriting Competition

          NASHVILLE -- Help encourage others with a song! SongU has launched the "Be The Change" songwriting competition to do just that. 

          From Danny Arena and Sara Light: As songwriters, one of the important roles we can serve is reflecting upon current topical issues in society. From social commentary songs like "Ohio" (Kent State), "Papa Don't Preach" (Teenage Pregnancy) or "Same Love" (Gay Rights) to hope inspiring songs like "The Sunny Side Of The Street" (The Great Depression), "You've Got A Friend" (MusiCares, etc.), and "It's Gonna Be All Right" (Hope / Inspirational) , songwriters possess the ability to be an active part of the changing social fabric of society through song.

BACKGROUND

          Upon reacting to the recent death of Robin Williams, actor Alan Alda said, “Can we turn the loss of this artist we loved so much into something that pushes back against the ravages of despair? Maybe our grief can be transformed into an awakening…saving countless other lives.” According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, statistics shows that suicide attributed to depression claims more than 38,000 American lives each year—significantly more than people killed in car accidents or by homicide and almost identical in number to causes of death from breast cancer or prostate cancer. The World Health Organization reports that by 2030, depression will outpace cancer, stroke and accidents as the world's leading cause of disability and death. Despite the statistics, it remains a health problem “that often gets little attention” according to Jeffrey Lieberman, Chairman of psychiatry at New York's Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

THE SONG CHALLENGE

           We are challenging you to write a song in any genre that addresses the topical issue of giving someone hope when they may feel hopeless. Lyrically this can run the gamut in terms of how you approach the song. So think of a few approaches before deciding on one. Approaches like "Tomorrow", "You've Got A Friend" or "It's Gonna Be All Right" work universally because they remind people they're not alone and that things can get better. So think on it before deciding on an approach.

WHO CAN ENTER

           This song challenge is open to all songwriters, whether or not they are SongU.com members. You can write the song alone or with a co-writer.

HOW THE COMPETITION WORKS

          This will be an elimination style competition with two rounds.

• ROUND 1 - DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 30th. For round one, you are to post a link to your completed song on our SongU.com Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/SongUNews under the pinned top that says "BE THE CHANGE SONGS". Completed songs do not have to be demoed. Worktapes are fine but should be clear and audible. The 10 songs that earn the most "likes" on our SongU.com Facebook page by OCTOBER 15 will move on to Round 2.
  
• ROUND 2 - In round two, we will challenge the writers of the Top 10 songs from Round 1 to put together a video to their song that can be shared on social media to help spread the message. This does not have to be an intricate video. It can be a video like a slideshow of people holding various cardboard signs, quotes, sayings which has proven an effective technique in other viral videos (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r6sJRNOVcU). 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

          Just go to the SongU.com Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SongUNews and find the topic at the top that says "Be The Change Song Challenge". Read the additional guidelines before posting the link to your song.

ARE THERE ANY SMALL PRINT DETAILS?


          Nope. There is no cost to participate. You retain all rights to your song. This can be the first song you've ever written or you can be a seasoned writer. The only thing you need is a song you've written and a desire to be part of the change. 

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

         Let's make a difference