Reconfirmed with something I admit I have literally just discovered but it could be my favourite entry to date tbh

Yas for the Ambienta comeback *.* an appropriate month for my current entry x

Gone with an act who've been sent before for the second contest running, although this time the gap between entries is nearly a decade rather than about 5 months!

I'm so torn on what to send. It's like how do you choose between a load of tracks that have no hope.

Not Lizzo getting tried again :') At least this time the veto is justified x

Gone for something in the style of Avicii this time. :heart:

It's my first time, and I'm not sure what to send?

 

Do more unknown artists tend to do better in this competition?

Depends entirely on the song and how people here take to it. Name recognition can help or it can have very little effect. It’s certainly more rewarding to do well with an unknown artist, so I’d recommend that if you’re confident in the song.

 

also btw I confirmed a while ago with a mad song

The majority of the songs in BJSC are by artists who are pretty much completely unknown (or only known from previous appearances in BJSC), more well-known names tend to be vetoed anyway (although not always, it depends on the song ofc).

First tip is don't even think too much about "what will do welL" honestly when I do that I enjoy it less because you focus so much on what will do well and then really in BJSC you can never be too sure and it could just flop anyway. Obviously it's discouraging if you always flop, but I've had a couple of periods where I focused so hard on what would do well that I wasn't enjoying BJSC as much and wasn't as behind my entries as I could or should be. You can get so swallowed up by thinking about what will do well that you could forget that really it's about sharing music you like. If you're lucky, you'll find an entry you're behind that does well too. In my experience, it's better to be really behind an entry and want to send it because you love it, even if it flops. I've felt better about DNQs I've loved than say top 20s that I wasn't really behind (for a good 3 years now though I've made sure I'm fully behind an entry if I send it). If I've sent something I love then I normally can at least feel good that a few people made a discovery out of it, of course if you really love a song and it flops that's still disheartening though!

I won’t be entering until the next contest but I do think it would feel a lot better to receive votes for a song you really love rather than getting a few more for a song you don’t mind but entered because you thought it would be successful in the contest.

 

By entering a song that almost everyone here won’t know, you’re already giving the song you love recognition and getting people to hear it, and then any points you receive for that choice will be really satisfying!

Yep I've steered away from subsequent top 10s on numerous occasions just because I don't like them quite enough to warrant sending them.

 

However I have admittedly also recently experimented a little and sent stuff whilst I do still like just not on the same level as my usual standards to try and tap into other markets & for the sake of variety (consequently NOT ending up with much success :heehee: )

I always say to enter what you love the most. Just entering something to do well with either back fire (as you’ve misjudged the taste of the contest which is constantly shifting) or you’ll not care about it and it becomes a bit hollow.

Y'all said that to me last year so I sent Sirens, a beautiful refreshing song to listen to with summer pimm's and cornetto

 

AND IT NEARLY BECAME THE FIRST EVER 0 POINTER!!! :angry:

Hmm... would you rather send a song you love and have it DNQ altogether, or pass the semis but come dead last in the final?

I'd rather come last in the final than DNQ lol. At least then you still will have had the excitement of getting through and seeing how your song is doing when all the votes are being revealed etc. And technically you still came higher than if you had DNQ'd.

Much prefer DNQ'ing myself than having a bottom 5er. Gets the "pain" out of the way early and in one go rather than suffering for a 3 hour period.

 

(Okay that reads FAR more dramatically than it intended to sound lol)

I think DNQing is usually better than being right at the bottom of the final as well. With a DNQ you usually at least get to find out straight away which people in your semi did appreciate your song. Also it's much easier to qualify for TBO Rejects than to make it to the normal TBO with a song that didn't make the top 10 or so. xx

I feel a lot better about a bottom 5 finish in the final than a DNQ - I guess it's really up to the (current-ish) success rate of a country, if someone constantly finishes in the top 20, then a DNQ once or twice per year is less painful than bombing in the final. Most of the less successful countries (ones with many DNQs under their belt) would rather take the bottom 5 in the final, I guess. Not to mention that DNQs in the 'other' semi tend to get forgotten, at least everyone will listen to your song for sure if you make the final and there's a chance that it'll have some more fans (although nowadays I do make an effort to listen to the other semi's DNQs as well, it's definitely worth it).

I am lucky to even get top60 in a contest so prefer bottom 5.