April 30, 20232 yr Like Aelandor, I also started the contests with an only DNQ run and it did get a bit much so I gave myself a break from the contest and I did again a while back because I wasn’t enjoying listening to the entries much at the time. I think a break can be good every now and then to refresh. I also listen blind most contests, which is why I am grateful for the Spotify playlists every month, as you do find yourself more recpetive to liking entries from certain countries, although like others have said I still end up pointing similar countries as we probably have similar ears for music. Still it would be nice to hear more feedback on my entries as you used to get in the Plug era, but I work in the evenings nowadays so miss the SyncTube sessions, ah well.
April 30, 20232 yr don’t we already normally do rejects or something every year? that gives a chance for DNQs to be celebrated well! Nothing in the last few years. :(
April 30, 20232 yr I’ve also got into the habit of listening to BJSC entries blindly on Spotify while I’m at work, so I don’t know the country name. Obviously, given I see all of the entries coming in due to the veto process, so some stick in my brain but I mostly have the memory of a sieve :lol:
April 30, 20232 yr Because we merged Rejects into TBO a couple of years ago… So can we have TBO 2022 then please? Gives others a chance to relive some of their best moments along with recognition of the best of the DNQ’s. I think Sovarasma has a good idea they would like to share… :kink:
April 30, 20232 yr I listen to them first on Spotify in my car mostly, and usually check who sent them afterwards too. I guess it does remove unconscious bias doing it that way, sometimes there's an element of surprise when I see who sent what (others though, like Trifoski, aren't so hard to guess). My second listen is often on the Synctube listenthrough. Edited April 30, 20232 yr by gooddelta
April 30, 20232 yr I also vote blind, I make a playlist I put all my short listed entries into them order them there and transfer, it's just the easiest way as I normally do my listen throughs when I'm travelling
April 30, 20232 yr Having a wildcard draw I think it will just prolong the contest even more, unless we do it in 24-48 hrs voting stage after semi results are revealed!!!
April 30, 20232 yr The thing to remember is this contest is not an obligation, it is here solely to be enjoyed, and if you’re not enjoying it anymore then you can take a break and / or retire all together. I first entered the contest as ‘Terra di Campioni’ (vom) back in 2014(?) and enjoyed success with my debut, but was largely unsuccessful in subsequent contests to the point that I took a break. My break was a couple years long however, and when I finally returned under the rebranded ‘Federal Districts of Anēné’, I DNQ’d right off the bat and disappeared again. It wasn’t until many years later in 2020 was I inspired to rejoin, this time as POPHub and have been enjoying it much more as my intentions this comeback weren’t to have hit after hit, but more to just exist in the community and interact with those with mutual interests; coincidentally POPHub is wildly more successful than my previous two countries. It can be disheartening when you personally adore a song, and have to see it flop on its arse. Lord knows I’m tired of missing a Top 10 finish in every single contest (bar one), but I like the spectacle of it all more so than the placement and that’s really why the BJSC is a thing in the first place. Just share when you want to, browse when you want to, don’t get too wrapped up in it, and don’t people-please (because DNQ-ing with a song you entered purely to bait votes stings 10x more). Just enjoy it for what it is whenever you feel like doing so. (Also just want to note that drawing the wrong semi can also be the kiss of death for what could otherwise be a sizeable hit: see TARO Bellamia this contest).
April 30, 20232 yr See, I do like getting discovires but when you DNQ more than you Q it can get fustrating, I thought my song would appeal to the pop fans lol.
April 30, 20232 yr 12 points: Q 10 points: Kyriatine - Elderbrook & Bob Moses - Inner Light 8 points: Q 7 points: Q 6 points: Q 5 points: Q 4 points: Flynnonda - Robin Packalen - Girls Like You 3 points: Q 2 points: Q 1 point: Jupiterdonia - Shawn Colvin - Round Of Blues And huge thanks to those who git Jungle through ti the final, I absolutely love that track! :wub: We are on 3 finals in a row which has been quite while since that happened. Sorry to hear some folk getting disenchanted, but at the end of the day it's a) a bit of fun b) a way of discovering great records c) a way of promoting songs you love to other people. Sometimes a track might not click, be in the wrong semi, or just be up against strong competition and not qualifiying does not mean anything regarding quality, If 2 or 3 people love it to bits that's great, much better than everybody quite liking but not being too fussed. As I've said before, no nation has had the most success with failure than Singerpurear, top of the flops, because I prefer to be interesting and unpredictable to winning, and I genuinely love every single entry (bar 2 I panic entered when I ran out of time). Trying to win by going for genres only works if it stands out - if 15 enter similar-sounding tracks a semi can get very tedious and I reward those that don't sound like everything else. This time I really liked Kyriatine enough to buy it, so putting it in BJSC got an actual sale out of it. Much better than making the final! The artists get cash out of it! :D That said, I can often tell when I've entered something that will qualify because it sounds "now" and I was expecting Jungle to do OK because it's a toon, and that's despite being in a semi that had a LOT of indie-sounding stuff! So it looks like I'm not the only one that rewards stuff that ploughs it's own path. Actually I know that to be the case, Singerpurear has qualified with: Aboriginal dance remix West African 80's dance Eurosynth 80's 60's soul pop club anthems French EDM rap 70's eurodisco singalong Bollywood movie sci-fi dance Bollywood orchestral romance song Native American folkrock banger from an 80-year-old Strings Japanese exquisite ballad Chinese EDM acts Japanese anime kiddie pop 90's camp disco gay anthems 80's gothpunk 00's soul club banger Instrumental traditonal chines-styled music Trevor Horn 90's cowboy-flavoured pop So don't think for a second that bunging something off-the-wall into the contest means an automatic flop, cos it doesn't! Just love it to bits and cross your fingers... :wub:
April 30, 20232 yr Still it would be nice to hear more feedback on my entries as you used to get in the Plug era, but I work in the evenings nowadays so miss the SyncTube sessions, ah well.Bring back Discord listen throughs tbh, you can scroll back through what people said afterwards. Discord recently (last few months) added a free YouTube embed to voice channels, and you can easily "deafen" yourself, or a host can deafen everyone else so your mic doesn't actually come through while listening. I'd be happy to trial one on there.
April 30, 20232 yr I can't say much that hasn't already been said! I also recommend listening blind and the playlists make that easier these days, but I also find myself voting for the same countries despite not knowing which entry was theirs when I rank them. I personally don't participate in the Predictions thread because it is crushing to see yourself hyped as a contender and then DNQ, but I do enjoy reading them after the results so I appreciate those who do post them. It's hard not to feel overlooked or biased against when I've been here for 90 contests and finished top 5 literally once. That said, I spend very little time seeking out entries and usually pick from the songs I've come across in my everyday life. If I was actually checking blogs and Spotify playlists maybe I'd find the same hit songs everyone else finds. Overall this is still a great way for me to discover new favorites that I'd never hear otherwise, so as long as that continues I'll probably be here. A little success once in a while wouldn't hurt though :teresa:
April 30, 20232 yr Any DNQ is obviously disappointing but I can’t complain as much this time as the two songs I was wanting to send both qualified and so at least I know I am still on the right track, I just need to be quicker!
April 30, 20232 yr My only real issue (and this is from very limited experience, I haven't had the time to really engage outside of listening) with the contest so far is the quick turnaround and how it benefits immediate songs What I definitely don’t do very well is give songs a chance to grow. There’s so many songs to listen to these days that I can’t devote more time than two listens through per semi or final. From just three and a half contests so far, I can identify with these comments (as well as those about how disheartening it can be to DNQ with a song you truly believe in which seemed like it had cross-forum appeal). I think it's very difficult to select 10 ordered favourites from a pool of more than 30 songs you've never heard before from just one or two listens, without at least some bias - intentional or not - based on your earlier perceptions, whether it be from the artist, genre, nation, or hype for certain songs. I certainly don't think rushed last-minute listens and missed voting deadlines are particularly good for the contest. The only suggestion I can make is to extend the voting periods beyond a week. However this wouldn't necessarily mean fewer contests per year - it could be that the winner of a contest gets first refusal on hosting the one after next, meaning that a new contest can start fairly readily after the last finishes, with the next host having the full term of the current contest to prepare. As a side note, I should add that James (Yobnedor) is doing a fine job of hosting, regardless of any time constraints. I was also sorry to see his song DNQ as it was the only one to do so of the four which just missed my votes but I wanted to give points to!
April 30, 20232 yr The voting period could be 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 years and most will still vote on the last day. We’ve had longer voting periods in the past, a week is optimal
April 30, 20232 yr When they vote wasn't the point though - it was more how many listens people would have before voting. Albeit I suspect your point would still stand as a lot of people imo would naturally just procrastinate over listening as well as voting.
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