Another year brings another raft of competitions with promises of kudos, exposure, and even record deals and gigs at major venues.  The number of competitions for unsigned bands and artists is growing all the time. 

There’s no doubt about it, the prizes on offer make many battle of the bands competitions very tempting to enter.  Which unsigned act would really turn down the opportunity to play at Glastonbury or take part in a major TV series?  But does everyone that enters really have the same chance of winning?

Battle of the bands competitions are nothing new.  Long before Jack Black enrolled in the School of Rock, and even before Bill and Ted beat Primus into an improbable second on their Bogus Journey, bands were fighting it out everywhere.  Often organised by local music shops and recording studios to promote their services, the prizes of free recording time and instruments were always welcome. 

As time has gone on the number and relative size of the companies willing to sponser battle of the bands competitions has seen the prizes on offer go from being very nice to, without any exaggeration, a dream come true.

Glastonbury Unsigned, The Road to V and the Bestival competitions have really raised the bar.  Channel 4’s Orange UnsignedAct  reality TV show has lifted it even further.  Just hearing the musicians speak about the prospect of not going through demonstrates how much it means to them.  The ‘this is our only chance’ attitude shows how desperate to succeed these acts are.  It also shows the strains and stresses that come with having a golden carrot dangled in front of your face for the entertainment of the public.

The truth is, whatever they offer, music competitions are not the only option.  Being eliminated from them is definitely not the end of the road unless you let it be.  Obviously it can be soul destroying being told by someone from the music industry that you have no chance.  The problem that comes with judging any competition though is that personal taste has to be a factor.  That and an understandable but depressing desire for commerciality.  Hearing UnsignedAct judge Simon Gavin say ‘I’d get the sack if he won the thing’ about singer/songwriter Tommy Reilly says it all.  (Has he still got a job?) Reilly has a massive amount of quirky talent but all too often the industry is only interested in units sold.  Need we say more than ‘The Crazy Frog?’  Sorry.

There’s no doubt about it, getting to the final or even winning one of these competitions  really can help you get signed.  The problem is that the next step – actual success – very rarely seems to happen.  There has to be a reason for this, and we think we know what it is.

By trying to find an act for all people competition judges (especially those from the big competitions) often eliminate the strange and the wonderful.  Would The Streets have won a battle of the bands competition?  What about Sonic Youth?  How about Joy Division?  Let’s face it; there isn’t a chance in hell Napalm Death would have ever got a look in.  The point is that the first time you heard any of these acts the main thing on your mind wasn’t platinum selling records.  They were and are, however, hugely influential.

It’s one thing if your Hip Hop act are battling it out against others from the same genre but it’s completely different if you’re up against an Adele-a-like or a pseudo Pigeon Detectives.  While there is nothing wrong with this type of act if you’re into that kind of thing (and many people are) their popularist leanings are always going to swamp the opposition in a popularity competition.

Another negative factor is that battle of the bands competitions can be very divisive for local music scenes.  While it is not possible to get on with everybody, there are massive benefits to be had from being part of a strong supportive local music scene.  Just make sure you leave the competition there on the night.  Don’t take it home afterwards.

In general, despite all the negatives we’ve put forward we do think that Battle of the Band competitions are worthwhile.  There are just a few things to remember before you sign on the dotted line.

Do you have a chance of winning? – This is not something that many acts will think about.  Most bands ooze confidence but it’s not just about whether you’re good enough.  How’s the competition judged?  Are there music industry professionals listening to all of the acts and drawing up a short list?  What then?  Or is it a public vote?  Does it boil down to who has the most credit on their mobiles?  There’s nothing wrong with popularity contests if you’re going to be popular.  If you’re not, is it worth the entry fee?

Read the smallprint – Most competitions have some kind of conditions the artist must sign up to.  These can often be quite restrictive. The last thing an unsigned act needs is a visit to the courts when they find out they’re breached a rule they didn’t even know they’d signed up to. 

If you do enter knowing what the rules are don’t break them afterwards thinking no-one will notice.  If a company finds you in breach of one of their rules because you got a record deal or publishing contract while still bound by their competition rules they’ll sue you and you’ll lose.  No question about it.

Don’t think it’s the end of the road if you don’t win.  Judges can be wrong, just like anybody else.  So can the public (Michelle McManus, Steve Brookstein, Leon Jackson etc, etc!)
 
If after that you think you still fancy entering, go for it.  Give them every last shred of who you are and don’t consider compromising for a second.  If you do, you’ll have left something behind that you’ll find hard to get back if they like you.  Oh yeah, and let us know how it went.  We’re always interested.