We want to congratulate the 19 winners who were chosen by a panel of 5 judges. Each song was rated on a scoring system of 1-5 with 1 being low and 5 being high. Judges were also told they could break the point value down by quarter percentages if they wanted to do so. In other words, if they felt the song rated better than a “4″ but was not quite *perfect*, they could give it a 4.5.
We put the top 19 songs overall on a CD and local replicator CODA, Inc., has made copies for us, as we promised, to pass out to the music pros at the Durango Songwriters Expo. Last year, CDs (along with the lyrics) were passed out to Windswept Pacific; The Song Factory; Writer’s Den Music Group; Garvan Media, Management and Marketing; West-Alan Publishing; Doug Garvey (CO State Fair Songwriters Night); Lyric House Publishing; and Jeff Silbar (writer of “Wind Beneath My Wings”). We also mailed copies to Ash Street Publishing, Vapor Music Group (Music Supervision and Licensing), Imagem Music, Razor & Tie (music placement), LBK Entertainment. and SQE Publishing.
We will also be hosting the songwriters at a special Songwriters Night at Herman’s Hideaway in November. The date is yet to be confirmed but we’ll let everyone know as soon as we know!
Our thoughts on this are so that our other members can meet the winners (“Put a face to the name”), and so that you can all meet each other! Perhaps a co-writing partnership will happen. We know of such a co-writing that happened before (and their song was a winner in the past!) Who knows? That’s what COMBO is all about – networking with the musicians and services who need each other to make a career happen.
Here’s the list of those songs that will be on the CD, not by rating but it just happened that way! However, FYI – The high scoring songs were Smokin’ and Here Come The Jones (tied for first).
Track | Title | Writer(s)
01. Kiss of Death: Rich Owen
02. Come Over: Joel Ashmore
03. Wishes or Weeds: Caitlin Powell
04. Bounce: Rachel Alena/Alec Sims/Kyle Comerford/Vince Carmellini
05. Gypsy Jewel: Jeffrey Dallet
06. Dissection: Sidney Powell
07. The Perfect Remedy: Richie Allen Buchborn
08. Jamaica No Problem: Davey Schoolcraft
09. My House is Not a Home: John Bunzli
10. So Well: Richie Allen Buchborn
11. Fourth of July: Steve Law
12. Smokin’: Nicole Unser/Tyler Jordan
13. Here Comes the Jones: Davey Schoolcraft
14. Blessings: Marni Green
15. Funk it Up: Harold Rapp, III
16. Silent Words: Amy Humphreys Kress
17. The One: Michael Aldridge
18. When You Turn Around: Robby Roberts
19. Sunlight in a Snowstorm: Laurie Dameron
We want to thank all of you who entered and hope that the judges’ comments help you with you future songwriting endeavors.
COMBO’s Board of Directors
Barb Dye, President
Andy Ard, Vice-President
Mark King, Secretary
David Barber, Treasurer
Annette Cannon
Johnnie Johnson
Not only did Nicole Unser and Tyler Jordan tie for the Top Scorer in COMBO’s Songwriting Contest, they also won the Unsigned Only Contest! See the below Press Release!
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Nicole Unser & Tyler Jordan Take 1st Place in ‘Unsigned Only’ Music Competition
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 10, 2015 –The Unsigned Only Music Competition, geared toward musical artists who are unsigned to a major record label or its affiliates, announced its 2015 winners today. The competition recognizes the best in up-and-coming artists worldwide and acts as a benchmark for excellence in contemporary music. The 2015 1st place prize in the “Country” category of the “Unsigned Only” Music Competition is awarded to Nicole Unser for her original song “Smokin”. A remarkable achievement, “Smokin” was selected from 7,000 entries from over 100 countries worldwide.
The goal of Unsigned Only is to find an outstanding performer: the “gem” that needs to be discovered. Unsigned Only is looking for the total package; and they’ve found just that in Nicole Unser.
First place winner in the “Country” category, Nicole Unser, teamed up with fellow co-writer Tyler Jordan to write this vivid and cautionary tale of the tangled web of love and war. Nicole is the 2012 Texaco Country Showdown New Mexico state champion, and has performed at legendary venues such as the Ryman Auditorium and Bluebird Café in Nashville TN.
“I was pulling into the parking lot of my doctor’s office when I got the news. I excitedly scooted inside and as they took my vitals my doctor asked, ‘Are you anxious about anything?’ I said, ‘No. Excited! I just found out I took first place in the Unsigned Only Music Competition!” Nicole delightfully replies in response to the news. Nicole adds, “I had to put the entry fee for the contest on my credit card. I’d say the investment definitely had a fantastic return!”
A faith-filled storyteller, Nicole writes about the goodness the Lord has shown her, as well as the depths of darkness He’s brought her out of. “Some people have said to me, if you’re a Christian how come you sing about things like lyin’ and smokin’ and drinkin’? The answer is that this is my story and I’ve got to tell it, all of it, not just the pretty stuff. But please don’t misunderstand me, the moral to the story my friends is, don’t do it, it doesn’t work!” Some of Unser’s songs resonate with the sweet sound of Sunday morning, while others are more like eavesdropping on a Tuesday night AA meeting. “Goosebumps. Tears. Conviction. Happiness. Sorrow. These are all welcome responses as far as I’m concerned because it means I’m successfully connecting with people. Above all, what I hope to bring people is just that, HOPE! Winning the 2015 Unsigned Only Music Competition gives me the confirmation that I am indeed connecting with people on a deep level and encourages me to push past any fear or doubt that tries to keep me from fulfilling this calling on my life. I’m beyond thrilled, and yet extremely humbled by this moment! It won’t be soon forgotten.”
Nicole won a $1,000 cash prize, as well as recognition, exposure, and the chance to be heard by a group of judges consisting of high-profile recording artists and industry professionals.
The judging panel included Aimee Mann; Dustin Lynch; The Killers; David Crowder; Robert Smith (The Cure); Ray Wylie Hubbard; Aaron Shust; Lucero; Kelly Price; Colt Ford; Frank Foster; Rapsody; Kool And The Gang; Anthony DeCurtis (Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone); Kyle Anderson (Senior Writer, Entertainment weekly); Josh Jackson (Co-Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Paste Magazine); Shirley Halperin (Music Editor, Billboard and Hollywood Reporter); Hardeep Phull(Music Critic, New York Post), and many more.