On 11/05/2026 at 01:02, Cody Rozanov said:

and anything Disney channel

You need to get'cha head in the game.

I have a question here (I am still quite new to these so forgive me).

But when the 30+ songs are revealed, do people honestly go through them all, give them all a fair chance especially for those you're unfamiliar with or do you prioritise those you already know / have an impression of?

Because, I imagine that it's hard for some songs to really break through if people have never heard them at all. Or is that part of the skill of playing to win? Trying to find a balance of enjoyable by many / just different enough to capture a wide audience. I'm genuinely intrigued. My first song I tried to submit I definitely tried to send something that would cater to BJ's taste, since it was already submitted I just sent something I enjoy and hope others do too.

2 minutes ago, Viper* said:

I have a question here (I am still quite new to these so forgive me).

But when the 30+ songs are revealed, do people honestly go through them all, give them all a fair chance especially for those you're unfamiliar with or do you prioritise those you already know / have an impression of?

Because, I imagine that it's hard for some songs to really break through if people have never heard them at all. Or is that part of the skill of playing to win? Trying to find a balance of enjoyable by many / just different enough to capture a wide audience. I'm genuinely intrigued. My first song I tried to submit I definitely tried to send something that would cater to BJ's taste, since it was already submitted I just sent something I enjoy and hope others do too.

Interesting that you ask!

For me, ideally I would 'live with' the songs for the duration of the voting period, listen to them as often as possible and then vote at the end. However, due to having to do other things + not always having the energy for so many songs (some of which I naturally won't care for very much), I usually just listen once or twice (some songs may get more listens). Twice is better, but often I will simply disregard some of the songs I have a feeling I won't like much more after another listen.

Also, I often go to the SyncTube listenthroughs but it varies whether I've already heard the songs or not. Sometimes I will listen first on SyncTube, then re-listen on my own - often only to the songs that I feel have potential for my votes. It just makes it less overwhelming to mostly focus on the ones I liked upon first listen. That said, it's important to me to listen to every song properly at least once, giving everything at least one chance. On SyncTube, if I find I'm drifting off or focusing more on the chat during some songs, I will make a note to re-listen to those ones on my own.

As for songs I already know, I don't rank them higher or lower intentionally - I just try to rank based on what I feel in the moment. Those songs get as much chance as any other.

12 minutes ago, Viper* said:

I have a question here (I am still quite new to these so forgive me).

But when the 30+ songs are revealed, do people honestly go through them all, give them all a fair chance especially for those you're unfamiliar with or do you prioritise those you already know / have an impression of?

Because, I imagine that it's hard for some songs to really break through if people have never heard them at all. Or is that part of the skill of playing to win? Trying to find a balance of enjoyable by many / just different enough to capture a wide audience. I'm genuinely intrigued. My first song I tried to submit I definitely tried to send something that would cater to BJ's taste, since it was already submitted I just sent something I enjoy and hope others do too.

The hope is that people won’t have heard many of the songs before. That’s why anything that’s too well known and anything that’s done well in a song contest on the site before is vetoed.

Of course people might have niche knowledge about certain artists which means they’ll have heard a few of the songs before and have a bias towards them. But even then the idea is to listen to everything as though it’s for the first time. I will certainly give everything a few plays.

If you look at the list of previous winners in the OP they do tend to be songs that manage to have appeal across the board, but they’re a diverse group all the same. I don’t think there’s a magic formula for doing well but that’s part of the fun.

Thanks guys, I love the input.

I spend everyday listening to music, honestly helps me relax and helps a lot with my focus, so it's always nice to listen to new things so I will be trying to focus on just these songs/the playlists.

Plus, there is a good chance that this time, more than the last one I took part in, I will be familiar with a lot of the artists so will discover some new gems.

I just wondered if a bit of bias of an artist (both positive / negative) comes into play here but I guess, that could happen subconsciously.

I think that's probably the most in-depth / detailed post I've written about how I listen and vote in these things. I'm out of breath after writing it! I hope nobody is out of breath reading it hehe.

TL;DR: Songs that don't leave much of an impression on me after first listen may only get one listen as I mostly trust my gut in these contests. Songs I feel I could vote for usually get at least a second listen.

You guys listen to the songs?

I just vote based on members in a anonymous contest

(Joking obviously)

I love my entry so much - no veto please lol

I've sent something. It's such an iconic year I couldn't not take part.

I’m so annoyed as I thought it was Wednesday so was excited for the deadline to pass and the competition to really get started.

Then I realised it was still Tuesday 🥲

33 minutes ago, Lee_J11 said:

I’m so annoyed as I thought it was Wednesday so was excited for the deadline to pass and the competition to really get started.

Then I realised it was still Tuesday 🥲

Age really is hitting you hard isn’t it?

My dilemma has been choosing between a song I like or one I think others would like. What do you all prefer to do?

1 hour ago, Jaz13music said:

My dilemma has been choosing between a song I like or one I think others would like. What do you all prefer to do?

My entry leans more on the former but I took consideration of the latter as well.

10 hours ago, Jaz13music said:

My dilemma has been choosing between a song I like or one I think others would like. What do you all prefer to do?

The best is if you can find the intersection point in the Venn diagram.

I’ve decided on 2 further vetoes, so there aren’t calls for justice for Justice. Both hundreds of millions of Spotify plays plus silver certified in the UK.

On 10/05/2026 at 20:49, Julian_ said:

With a heavy heart I’ve decided to veto this as it’s just a little too well known. Great song though!

This was also entered into a BJSC spin-off way back when!

Oh. Brave of someone to enter Rise Against.

Respect someone attempting to send AAR on near 400 million streams (great song tho).

2 hours ago, Viper* said:

Respect someone attempting to send AAR on near 400 million streams (great song tho).

That was me, solely looking at the UK chart position and nothing else. How dare it be popular elsewhere!

34 minutes ago, lewistgreen said:

That was me, solely looking at the UK chart position and nothing else. How dare it be popular elsewhere!

That She’s The Man IMPAKT